WVLK (AM)

Last updated

WVLK
Broadcast area
Frequency 590 kHz
BrandingNews Talk 97.3 FM WVLK
Programming
Format News/talk
Network Fox News Radio
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
WLXX, WLTO, WXZZ, WVLK-FM
History
First air date
November 26, 1947;76 years ago (1947-11-26)
Call sign meaning
"Versailles, Lexington, Kentucky" [1]
Technical information [2]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 27418
Class B
Power
  • 5,000 watts day
  • 1,000 watts night
Transmitter coordinates
 38°6′42″N84°34′36″W / 38.11167°N 84.57667°W / 38.11167; -84.57667
Translator(s) 97.3 W247CT (Lexington)
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen live
Website wvlkam.com

WVLK (590 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Lexington, Kentucky. It is owned by Cumulus Media and airs a news/talk format. The studios are inside Kincaid Towers on West Vine Street in downtown Lexington.

Contents

By day, WVLK is powered at 5,000 watts. At night, to protect other stations on 590 AM from interference, power is reduced to 1,000 watts. The station uses a directional antenna with a four-tower array. The transmitter is on Leestown Road (U.S. Route 421) in the northwest part of Lexington. [3] Programming is also heard on 250-watt FM translator W247CT on 97.3 MHz in Lexington.

Programming

Weekdays on WVLK begin with Lexington's Morning News with Jack Pattie. Two other local programs are heard on weekdays, Larry Glover Live in early afternoons and Kruser & Krew in late afternoons. The rest of the schedule is nationally syndicated programs, mostly from co-owned Westwood One: The Chris Plante Show, The Mark Levin Show, The Ben Shapiro Show, The Matt Walsh Show, America in the Morning and Red Eye Radio .

Weekends feature specialty shows on money, health, gardening, movies, real estate, travel, technology, food and wine. Syndicated programs include The Kim Komando Show and repeats of some weekday shows. Most hours begin with an update from Fox News Radio.

History

Early years

WVLK signed on the air on November 26, 1947. Its original city of license was Versailles, Kentucky. It was powered at 1,000 watts and was a network affiliate of the Mutual Broadcasting System, carrying its news, sports, dramas and comedies during the "Golden Age of Radio". WVLK was owned by Bluegrass Broadcasting Company, whose president was former governor and U.S. Senator A.B. Chandler. Offices were originally in Versailles, with an additional office in Lexington.

In 1951, the offices and studios were moved to Lexington, first to the Lafayette Hotel. [4] The studios were later relocated to the Phoenix Hotel on Main Street in downtown. [5]

Top 40, MOR, AC

In the 1960s, WVLK became a Top 40 station, playing the top hits of the day. But by the 1980s, most young people had shifted from AM to FM stations for their music. In 1981, WVLK shifted to middle of the road music, with news and sports. By the late 80s, the music tempo was stepped up to adult contemporary music.

From 1968 until the 1990s, WVLK was the flagship radio station of the University of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball and football games. They were broadcast from the UK Sports Radio Network. [1] Before that network was established, stations had to produce their own individual broadcasts of Kentucky Wildcats football and basketball games, and WVLK and WLAP 630 AM were the primary Lexington-area radio outlets for the games before the network began. [5]

Logo used before 97.3 FM translator W247CT signed on WVLK NewsTalk590 logo.png
Logo used before 97.3 FM translator W247CT signed on

FM simulcasts

In 2015, WVLK signed on an FM translator station, W266AN in Lawrenceburg, at 101.1 MHz. [6] On June 20, W266AN was forced off the air due to interference with WSGS in the Central Kentucky area. Effective June 13, 2017, the translator was licensed to Lexington at 97.3 FM, as W247CT.

On January 1, 2020, WVLK began simulcasting on WCYN-FM 102.3. The simulcast on WCYN-FM ended a year later.

Coverage area

The station's AM signal provides at least secondary coverage to most of central Kentucky, as well as parts of the Louisville radio market, and as far south as the Lake Cumberland area.

Early voices

Among the early voices at WVLK, US Representative Harold Rogers was a disc jockey at the station in 1959, while he was a student at the University of Kentucky.[ citation needed ]

During the period from 1959 through 1963, the DJ 'crew' at WVLK included Arty Kay, Bob McDonald, Jim Chadwick, Sam Combs, Charles Lancaster, Jim Richmond, and Darrel Evans. At that time, WVLK was a longtime Top 40 station, and was the highest-rated station in the market, with more listeners than all of the other stations combined (Pulse, Hooper, Nielson ratings). The sportscaster (both HS and UK sports) was Claude Sullivan.<Jim Chadwick>

Related Research Articles

KLBJ is a commercial AM radio station in Austin, Texas, airing a news/talk radio format. It is owned by Sinclair Telecable Inc. and operates under the name Waterloo Media. It is Central Texas' primary entry point station for the Emergency Alert System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTKS (AM)</span> Radio station in Savannah, Georgia

WTKS is a radio station licensed to Savannah, Georgia. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., with iHM Licenses, LLC holding the license. WTKS airs a news/talk format. Its transmitter is located behind WTKS's studios on Alfred Street in Garden City, Georgia, with a Savannah address.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFLF (AM)</span> Radio station in Pine Hills, Florida

WFLF is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Pine Hills, Florida, and serving Greater Orlando. It is owned by iHeartMedia and airs a news/talk format. The studios and offices are in the iHeart Orlando complex in Maitland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPTT (AM)</span> Radio station in Hartford, Wisconsin

WPTT is a commercial AM radio station in Hartford, Wisconsin, serving the Greater Milwaukee radio market. It airs an adult hits radio format and is owned by Tomsun Media LLC, which is operated by David and Connie Stout. The radio studios are on North Main Street at Summer Street in Hartford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHP (AM)</span> Radio station in Pennsylvania, United States

WHP is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, serving the Harrisburg metropolitan area of South Central Pennsylvania. It broadcasts a talk radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios are on Corporate Circle in Harrisburg, off North Progress Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLXG</span> Radio station in Lexington, Kentucky

WLXG is a sports formatted broadcast radio station affiliated with ESPN Radio. WLXG is licensed to Lexington, Kentucky, United States, and serves the Lexington and Frankfort area. It is owned and operated by L.M. Communications, Inc. The station's studios are located at Triangle Center in downtown Lexington, and its transmitter is located in the northwest part of Lexington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WDBO (AM)</span> Radio station in Orlando, Florida

WDBO is a commercial radio station broadcasting a news/talk radio format. Licensed to Orlando, Florida, the station is owned by Cox Media Group. The studios and offices are located on North John Young Parkway in Orlando.

KFOR is a commercial AM radio station in Lincoln, Nebraska. It broadcasts a talk radio format and is owned by Alpha Media, through licensee Alpha 3E Licensee LLC. The studios are on Cornhusker Highway in Northeast Lincoln.

WHBO is a commercial radio station licensed to Pinellas Park, Florida, and serving the Tampa Bay area. The station is currently owned by Genesis Communications and it airs a conservative talk radio format, branded as "News Talk 1040". Much of the programming comes from Westwood One and Fox News Radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCBL (AM)</span> Radio station in Benton, Kentucky

WCBL is an oldies-formatted radio station licensed to Benton. Kentucky, United States, and serving the broader Jackson Purchase region of western Kentucky, including Paducah. The station is owned by Jim Freeland in conjunction with Calvert City, Kentucky–licensed classic country station WCCK The station's studios and transmitter are located on Eggner's Ferry Road in Benton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGAC (AM)</span> Radio station in Augusta, Georgia

WGAC is a commercial AM radio station in Augusta, Georgia. The station carries a talk radio format simulcast with co-owned 95.1 WGAC-FM Harlem, Georgia. The stations are owned by Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc., through licensee Beasley Media Group Licenses, LLC. The radio studios and offices are on Jimmie Dyess Parkway in Augusta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KDXU</span> Radio station in St. George, Utah

KDXU is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a news/talk format. Licensed to St. George, Utah, the station is owned by Townsquare Media. The studios are on Ridgeview Drive in St. George.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLXX</span> Radio station in Richmond, Kentucky

WLXX is a commercial radio station licensed to Richmond, Kentucky, and serving the Lexington metropolitan area. The station is owned by Cumulus Media. It subscribes to the nationally syndicated JACK FM radio service, using the slogan "Playing What We Want!" The playlist is mostly rock hits from the 1980s, '90s and early 2000s, but includes pop and novelty hits from the last 50 years. Unlike most music stations, WLXX does not have DJs, but uses the prerecorded voice of Howard Cogan to make humorous and sometimes sarcastic quips. The station Program Director is Anthony "Twitch" Longo.

WGCL is a commercial AM radio station in Bloomington, Indiana, serving Monroe County. The station is owned by Sarkes Tarzian, Inc. along with sister station WTTS 92.3 FM. WGCL broadcasts a talk radio format with programming from CBS Sports Radio in the evening. The radio studios and offices are on West 7th Street in Bloomington.

WWKU is an ESPN Radio–affiliated sports radio–formatted radio station licensed to Plum Springs, Kentucky, United States, and serving the greater Bowling Green area. The station is owned by Charles M. Anderson as part of a conglomerate with Brownsville–licensed classic hits station WKLX, Glasgow–licensed classic rock station WPTQ and Horse Cave–licensed adult contemporary station WOVO. All three stations share studios on McIntosh Street near US 231 on the south side of Bowling Green, and its transmitter is located off US 68/KY 80 adjacent to the Barren River northeast of downtown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCYN (AM)</span> Radio station in Cynthiana, Kentucky

WCYN is a classic hits–formatted radio station licensed to Cynthiana, Kentucky, United States. The station is owned by WCYN Broadcasting, Inc. The station's studios are located on South Main Street in downtown Cynthiana, while its transmitter is located along US 27 and the Licking River just north of town.

WHOP is an AM radio station broadcasting a news–talk format. Licensed to and serving Hopkinsville, Kentucky, United States, the station serves the Clarksville–Hopkinsville area. The station is currently owned by Forcht Broadcasting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRUS</span> Radio station in Russellville, Kentucky

WRUS is a radio station licensed to serve the community of Russellville, Kentucky. WRUS is owned by Logan Radio Inc. WRUS operates with a daytime power of 1800 watts and 59 watts at night per FCC authorization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WVLK-FM</span> Radio station in Lexington, Kentucky

WVLK-FM is a commercial radio station broadcasting a country music radio format. Licensed to Lexington, Kentucky, and owned by Cumulus Media, the station serves the Bluegrass region of Central Kentucky. The station's studios and offices are located inside Kincaid Towers in downtown Lexington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMTL</span> Radio station in Leitchfield, Kentucky

WMTL is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Leitchfield, Kentucky, United States, the station is owned by Heritage Media of Kentucky, Inc. It features programming from Fox News Radio and Fox Sports Radio.

References

  1. 1 2 Wills, Scott. "WVLK History".
  2. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WVLK". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ↑ Radio-Locator.com/WVLK-AM
  4. ↑ "(photo caption)" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 12, 1948. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  5. 1 2 Nash, Francis M. (1995). Towers Over Kentucky: A History of Radio and TV in the Bluegrass State (PDF). ISBN   9781879688933. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 27, 2022. Retrieved April 27, 2022– via World Radio History.
  6. ↑ "W247CT-FM 97.3 MHz - Lexington, KY". radio-locator.com.
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.