WPYK

Last updated

WPYK
KLOVE 2014.svg
Broadcast area Portsmouth, Ohio-Ashland, Kentucky-Huntington, West Virginia
Frequency 104.1 MHz
BrandingK-Love
Programming
Format Contemporary Christian
Network K-Love
Ownership
Owner Educational Media Foundation
WHKU
History
First air date
1948 (1948)
Former call signs
  • WPAY-FM (1948–2011)
  • WNKE (2011–2017)
  • WPAY-FM (2017–2018)
Call sign meaning
"WPAY" — "K-Love" (former callsign, current format)
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 54813
Class C0
ERP 100,000 watts
HAAT 450 meters (1,480 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
 38°41′0.00″N83°0′46.00″W / 38.6833333°N 83.0127778°W / 38.6833333; -83.0127778
Translator(s) 93.3 W227AX (Morehead)
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen live
Website www.klove.com

WPYK (104.1 FM) is a radio station licensed to Portsmouth, Ohio. [2] The station became notable when it stayed on air during the floods in Portsmouth in 1937, giving up-to-the-minute news and announcements to those separated and weary from the floods. In the 1960s, the then-WPAY-FM started to play country music on its FM while its AM sister station was reassigned to have a news-talk format. The AM signed off the air on June 3, 2011, after 80 years. WPYK is currently a K-Love affiliate station broadcasting a contemporary Christian format and is owned by Educational Media Foundation.

Contents

WPYK has one of the most powerful radio antennas in Southern Ohio and had one of the tallest radio towers, standing over 200 meters high overlooking the Ohio River in Kentucky. Due to the station having an ERP of 100,000 watts, its signal can be heard as far away as Columbus, Ohio, Beckley, West Virginia, Lexington, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio. This tower collapsed from the weight of the ice during an ice storm on February 19, 2003, and put the station off the air for a couple of days. The fall of this tower not only put out WPAY radio, but all of Scioto county public safety communication services. All services were restored by nightfall, February 21, 2003. In 2006 a new tower just to the southwest of Portsmouth and the location of their old tower was built. It is 356 meters tall, or 450 meters above average terrain and features an ERI brand 12-bay directional antenna spaced at a half-wavelength.

Switch to public radio

Beginning on February 1, 2011, WPAY-FM, along with its then-sister station WPFB-FM 105.9 in Middletown, Ohio, began simulcasting the signal of Northern Kentucky University-owned WNKU. At that time, WPAY-FM switched from a country format to an adult album alternative (AAA) format. While this management and format change was initially completed under a management operating agreement, NKU assumed ownership of both stations once approval was received from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). [3] WPAY's AM station was not included in the sale, and continued to broadcast conservative talk programming until closing down at 2 p.m. on June 3, 2011, due to the station's entire staff being terminated as a result of the sale of WPAY-FM. [4] The sale was approved by the FCC on June 20, 2011, and the station officially changed their call letters to WNKE on that date.

2017 sale and K-Love affiliation

In April 2016, citing state budget cuts to education, Northern Kentucky University announced that it would "explore the possibility of a sale of WNKU-FM and its assets". [5] On February 14, 2017, NKU's board of trustees voted to approve the sale of the WNKE repeater to the Educational Media Foundation (owners of the K-Love and Air1 networks) for $750,000 plus 75% of the net sale proceeds of EMF-owned WEKV in South Webster, Ohio (ultimately receiving $97,500 of the proceeds of the sale of WEKV to Somerset Educational Broadcasting Foundation of Somerset, Kentucky). [6] This was done at the same time the sale of WNKU's license and transmitter site to the Bible Broadcasting Network was approved for $1.9 million. The stations continued to be operated by NKU as WNKU until the sales were approved by the Federal Communications Commission. [7]

On July 28, 2017, WNKU announced on their Facebook page that the sales of WNKU and WNKE had been approved by the FCC. It was also announced that the last day of WNKU broadcasting on WNKE would be on Wednesday, August 2, 2017. [8] At midnight on Thursday, August 3, 2017, the station officially changed format to contemporary Christian, adopting the K-Love branding and identifying under its original WPAY-FM call sign. The station changed its call sign to the current WPYK on March 1, 2018, transferring the WPAY-FM call sign to the owners of the former WOKE as part of their format change to country music.

Related Research Articles

WIL-FM is a commercial radio station in St. Louis, Missouri. It airs a country music format and is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting. The studios are on Olive Boulevard, near Interstate 270 in Creve Coeur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCPZ</span> Radio station in Sandusky, Ohio

WCPZ – branded Mix 102.7 – is a commercial hot adult contemporary radio station licensed to Sandusky, Ohio, serving Ohio's Vacationland region.

WBLL is an American radio station in Bellefontaine, Ohio. It currently broadcasts with country music programming, along with certain sporting events. The station is owned by V-Teck Communications, and is the sister station of WPKO 98.3 FM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KDRB</span> Radio station in Des Moines, Iowa

KDRB is a commercial FM radio station in Des Moines, Iowa. It airs an adult hits radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia. Its slogan is "We Play Everything." KDRB is the flagship station for Iowa State University sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WUBE-FM</span> Country music radio station in Cincinnati

WUBE-FM is a radio station broadcasting a country music radio format. Licensed to Cincinnati, Ohio, it is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting.

WBKR is an American radio station broadcasting a country music format. The station is licensed to Owensboro, Kentucky. Its powerful 100,000-watt signal covers much of northwest Kentucky and southwest Indiana, including the Evansville area. The station is owned by Townsquare Media. The station transmits from a tower located near Utica on Kentucky Route 140. The studios are located at 3301 Frederica Street in Owensboro.

WTKD is a radio station licensed to Greenville, Ohio serving most of the Dayton metropolitan area with a rimshot signal. The station is owned by Truth Broadcasting, Inc. The current programming features Christian talk and teaching radio using the Truth Network. The transmitter is in Greenville, Ohio.

WPAY is an AM radio station licensed to Rossford, Ohio, serving the Toledo metropolitan area. It is owned by Relevant Radio of Green Bay, Wisconsin.

WPFB is a radio station broadcasting Catholic programming after a switch from an adult album alternative format as a simulcast of WNKU. It is licensed to Middletown, Ohio, United States, and serves the Dayton area. The station is owned by Sacred Heart Radio, Inc. and is now simulcasting WNOP 740 AM licensed in Newport, Kentucky. In April 2016, WPFB was sold to Sacred Heart Radio, a religious talk radio station based in Norwood, Ohio. On June 3, 2016 WPFB began simulcasting WNOP (AM) alongside WHSS.

WNKN is a commercial radio station licensed to Middletown, Ohio, and serving parts of the Cincinnati and Dayton metropolitan areas. It broadcasts a Catholic radio format and is owned by Relevant Radio.

WYHH is a radio station broadcasting a Christian radio format. Licensed in Highland Heights, Kentucky, United States, it serves the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati area. The station is owned by Bible Broadcasting Network, Inc.

WNKR is a commercial radio station licensed to Williamstown, Kentucky and serving the Cincinnati metropolitan area. Until July 12, 2022, it simulcast a classic country radio format with sister station 105.9 WNKN. WNKR's call sign stands for "Northern Kentucky Radio". It has been owned since its inception in 1992 by Grant County Broadcasters, Inc., an independent and local broadcasting company.

WGNH is a radio station broadcasting a Christian radio format. Licensed to South Webster, Ohio, United States, it serves the Huntington, West Virginia area. The station is currently owned by Somerset Educational Broadcasting Foundation.

WPAY was an American radio station licensed to serve the community of Portsmouth, Ohio. The station was last owned by Douglas L. Braden and the final broadcast license was held by Radio Stations WPAY/WPFB, Inc. Established in 1925 in Bellefontaine, Ohio, the station ultimately moved to Portsmouth in 1935. WPAY fell silent in June 2011 following the divestiture of sister station WPAY-FM and its license was revoked in June 2012.

WCOC was a radio station licensed to the community of Dora, Alabama, United States, and serving the greater Birmingham, Alabama, area. The station is owned by Azteca Communications of Alabama, Inc. It aired a Regional Mexican music format but as of August 2011 shut down operations due to "financial difficulties".

WEKV is a K-Love owned-and-operated radio station that is licensed to Central City, Kentucky, United States. The station serves the Central City, Owensboro, Kentucky, and Evansville, Indiana areas. The station is currently owned by Educational Media Foundation, the owner of the K-Love radio network.

WKYX-FM is a radio station broadcasting a news/talk format. WKYX-FM is licensed to serve Golconda, Illinois. WKYX-FM's programming is also heard on WNGO in Mayfield, Kentucky. The stations are owned by Bristol Broadcasting Company, Inc. and feature programming from Fox News Radio, Premiere Networks, Salem Radio Network, and Westwood One.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKSG (FM)</span> Radio station in Kentucky, United States

WKSG is an FM radio station broadcasting and licensed to Garrison, Kentucky, United States; the station is currently owned by Strong Tower Christian Media. and serves Portsmouth, OH and the OH-KY-WV Tri-State area. The station's transmitter tower is located in Greenup County near the community of Garrison and the Lewis County line.

WPAY may refer to:

WTCF is a Contemporary Christian formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Wardensville, West Virginia, serving the Northern Shenandoah Valley in Virginia and the Eastern Panhandle and Potomac Highlands of West Virginia. WTCF is owned and operated by Educational Media Foundation.

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WPYK". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ Staff, FCC Internet Services. "Station Search Details". licensing.FCC.gov. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  3. ↑ "News Northern Kentucky - The Enquirer - cincinnati.com". Cincinnati.com. January 19, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  4. ↑ "WPAY-AM to shut down broadcast Friday" Archived March 24, 2012, at the Wayback Machine from Portsmouth Daily Times (June 3, 2011)
  5. ↑ "NKU considers selling WNKU radio station". April 6, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Deal Digest - August 17, 2017". InsideRadio.com. August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Bible Broadcast Corp. to buy radio station WNKU". February 14, 2017. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  8. ↑ "89.7 WNKU". www.Facebook.com. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
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.