WKU Public Radio

Last updated

WKU Public Radio
Broadcast area
BrandingWKU Public Radio
Programming
Format Public radio, talk and classical
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner Western Kentucky University
WKYU-TV, WWHR
History
First air date
January 14, 1980
Links
Website wkyufm.org

WKU Public Radio is the public radio service of Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It is a division of the Department of Information Technology at WKU. The network consists of four FM radio stations and one FM translator. Combined, the stations cover most of Western Kentucky and parts of Indiana and Tennessee, reaching into the northern suburbs of Nashville.

Contents

History

WKYU-FM signed on for the first time in November 1980 as the first public radio station for south central Kentucky. The station was spearheaded by Dr. Chuck Anderson, who had experimented with a carrier current station on-campus at WKU since 1975.

The inception of WKYU-FM, broadcasting at 88.9 megahertz, did not come without controversy; in its first several months on the air, the station's airwaves caused some local residents to experience the station's audio overlaying with the visual reception of Nashville, Tennessee's "Big 3" television stations (ABC affiliate WNGE (now WKRN-TV), NBC affiliate WSM-TV (now WSMV-TV) and CBS affiliate WTVF), which all broadcast on the lower-VHF band. It even prompted residents of nearby Butler County to file a class-action federal lawsuit against the university in February 1981; [1] the suit was dismissed in June of that year due to insufficient evidence. [2]

Over the next ten years, WKYU would expand its coverage through three satellite stations. WDCL-FM signed-on in 1985 to serve areas around Somerset and Campbellsville from a tower in Adair County. [3] WDCL obtained its calls from longtime public radio supporter Daniel Cole. In 1990, two more stations were launched to joined the network: WKUE-FM in Elizabethtown [4] and WKPB for the Ohio River communities of Henderson and Owensboro. [5] [6]

The network was known as Western's Public Radio, airing mostly classical music during the day. However, on August 31, 2009, it rebranded itself as WKU Public Radio, and began airing mostly news and talk during the day. Prior to the sign-on of WKYU-FM, the only portions of the coverage area that had a clear signal from an NPR station were Henderson and Owensboro, which received NPR programming from WNIN-FM in Evansville, Indiana, and some southern Kentucky counties along the Kentucky–Tennessee state line, where WPLN-FM is received from Nashville.

In 2016, WKYU-FM signed on a new service on a new FM translator station, W248CF, broadcasting at 97.5 megahertz. That translator airs classical music 24 hours a day. Since its signal does not reach too far outside of Warren County, it is repeated on WKYU-FM's second HD channel, and also streams live on the Internet.

Programming

WKU Public Radio airs news and informational programming on weekdays, with classical music heard at night. Weekends feature informational shows by day, with jazz on Saturday nights and specialty music programs Sunday evenings. Saturdays and Sundays at noon, Erika Brady hosts the "Barren River Breakdown" show. WKU Public Radio is an affiliate of National Public Radio, with shows from American Public Media and the Public Radio Exchange also heard.

Stations

The network consists of four full-power stations and two FM translators, all located in Kentucky and simulcasting the same programming at all times. Together, the five main stations reach 65% of Kentucky, including the fringes of the Louisville and Lexington areas. The stations also serve portions of Indiana, Illinois and Tennessee. Much of this area is composed of rural areas and small towns; Evansville, Indiana is by far the largest city in the region.

CallsignFrequencyLocation FID ERP ( W ) HAAT ClassTransmitter coordinatesSign on dateCallsign meaningNotes
WKYU-FM88.9 FM Bowling Green 7185698,000219 m (718.50 ft)C1 37°5′23″N86°38′5″W / 37.08972°N 86.63472°W / 37.08972; -86.63472 January 14, 1980Western Kentucky UniversityFlagship station of WKU Public Radio; also serves north-central Tennessee
WKPB 89.5 FM Henderson / Owensboro 7186443,000115 m (377.30 ft)C2 37°51′6.1″N87°19′43″W / 37.851694°N 87.32861°W / 37.851694; -87.32861 April 1, 1990 [6] Western Kentucky Public BroadcastingAlso serves southwest Indiana and southeast Illinois, including Evansville and Carmi
WDCL-FM89.7 FM Somerset / Campbellsville 71857100,000174 m (570.87 ft)C1 37°9′29.9″N85°9′49.8″W / 37.158306°N 85.163833°W / 37.158306; -85.163833 July 1985Daniel Cole
WKUE90.9 FM Elizabethtown 718605,200190 m (623.36 ft)C3 37°44′42.2″N85°53′21.9″W / 37.745056°N 85.889417°W / 37.745056; -85.889417 October 15, 1990 [4] Western Kentucky University ElizabethtownGrade B coverage available in Louisville
Broadcast translator for WDCL-FM
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class Transmitter coordinatesFCC info
W277AA103.3 FM Somerset, Kentucky 7185925089  m (292  ft)D 37°7′3.3″N84°36′41.8″W / 37.117583°N 84.611611°W / 37.117583; -84.611611 LMS
Broadcast translator for WKUE
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class Transmitter coordinatesFCC info
W275BT102.9 FM Frankfort, Kentucky 15321225056  m (184  ft)D 38°15′35.2″N84°51′20.8″W / 38.259778°N 84.855778°W / 38.259778; -84.855778 LMS
WKU Public Radio's network coverage area. WesternPublicRadioLogo.png
WKU Public Radio's network coverage area.

References

  1. ↑ "Butler residents sue WKU". Park City Daily News . February 12, 1981. p. 2A. Retrieved July 26, 2023– via Google News Archive.
  2. ↑ "WKYU-FM suit dismissed". Park City Daily News. June 24, 1981. p. 2A. Retrieved July 26, 2023– via Google News Archive.
  3. ↑ "WDCL-FM joins WKYU-FM to expand service atea". Park City Daily News. July 5, 1985. p. 6-B. Retrieved May 25, 2025– via Google News Archive.
  4. 1 2 "WKU public radio adds new station". Park City Daily News. October 14, 1990. p. 12A. Retrieved May 25, 2025– via Google News Archive.
  5. ↑ Nash, Francis M. (1995). Towers Over Kentucky: A History of Radio and Television in the Bluegrass State (PDF). Lexington, KY: Kentucky Broadcasters Association & Host Communications. p. 140. ISBN   1-879688-93-X . Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Bauer, David C.L. (May 16, 1990). "WKU's public radio station now largest system in state with Henderson repeater". Park City Daily News. p. 2A. Retrieved May 25, 2025– via Google News Archive.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.