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| Broadcast area | Cincinnati metropolitan area Dayton metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 105.9 MHz |
| Branding | Relevant Radio |
| Programming | |
| Format | Catholic radio |
| Affiliations | Relevant Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | July 1, 1959 (as WPFB-FM) |
Former call signs | WPFB-FM (1959-1985) WPBF (1985-1988) WPFB-FM (1988-2011) |
Call sign meaning | former owner Northern KeNtucky University, [1] now a reflection of sister station WNKR |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 54833 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 34,000 watts |
| HAAT | 181 meters (594 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 39°30′57.00″N84°21′5.00″W / 39.5158333°N 84.3513889°W |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | relevantradio.com |
WNKN (105.9 FM) 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.
WNKN has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 34,000 watts. The transmitter is on Rosendale Road near Breiel Boulevard in Middletown. [2] WNKN's tower is shared with former sister station WPFB 910 AM. [3]
The station first signed on the air on July 1, 1959. Its call sign was WPFB-FM. At first, WPFB-FM simulcast its AM sister station, WPFB 910 AM. WPFB-FM was the first FM station in Ohio and the 13th in the United States to broadcast in FM stereo. It had several format changes over the years, playing Soul, R&B and Urban Gospel in the late 1970s.
In the early 1980s, the station switched to disco music, as "Disco 106 FM" after changing the call letters to WPBF. That only lasted a few years. Alan Matthews was hired as program director and flipped the format to Soft AC as "Mellow 106 FM". In 1984 the station gave up the AC format to go Top 40 as "Rock 106." That led to the confusion with Rock 40 outlet WSKS 96 Rock. While keeping the CHR format, WPBF added the word "New" as "New Rock 106." But then, a few months later WGTZ Z-93 debuted commercial free with a much stronger signal into Dayton. Then in 1986, WPBF changed to a Southern Gospel format and added Bluegrass music to the mix. The call sign switched back to WPFB-FM from 1986 to 1988, blending bluegrass and classic country as "The New 105.9, Dayton's Country Rebel!" It maintained a country music format from 1988 until 2011 when the station was sold to Northern Kentucky University.
Beginning on February 1, 2011; WPFB-FM, along with its then-sister station WPAY-FM in Portsmouth, Ohio, began simulcasting the signal of Northern Kentucky University-owned WNKU. WPFB-FM and WPAY switched from a commercial country format to a non-commercial, listener-supported adult album alternative (AAA) sound. [4]
The sale was approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on June 20, 2011. The station officially changed its call letters to WNKN on that date. In June 2016, former sister station WPFB (AM) became a simulcast of Catholic religious stations WNOP 740 AM and WHSS 89.5 FM. [5]
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." [6] On February 14, 2017, NKU's board of trustees voted to approve the sale of WNKU's license and transmitter site to the Bible Broadcasting Network for $1.9 million. In addition, the WNKE repeater was sold to the Educational Media Foundation (EMF) for $750,000 plus 75% of the net sale proceeds of EMF-owned affiliate WEKV in South Webster, Ohio. At the time of this announcement, no decision had been made on the future of the WNKN repeater. The stations continued to be operated by NKU as WNKU until the sales were approved by the Federal Communications Commission. [7]
On July 19, 2017, NKU's board of trustees approved the sale of the WNKN repeater to Grant County Broadcasters, Inc., owners of classic country WNKR, which is licensed to Williamstown, Kentucky and has studio space in nearby Dry Ridge, for $5.3 million. The price included $4 million in cash and $1.3 in advertising airtime for the University. The sale included all assets of WNKN, as well as the equipment and supplies of WNKU. [8] Upon FCC approval of the purchase, Grant County Broadcasters stated they intended to revert the station back to a locally owned, for-profit, commercial model with a then yet to be determined on-air format. [9]
On July 28, 2017, WNKU announced on their Facebook page that the sale of WNKN was expected to be approved by the FCC by the end of October 2017 and that it, along with the wnku.com online stream, would continue to broadcast as WNKU until final FCC approval of the WNKN sale was granted. [10] With the August 3, 2017 format flip of WNKE to the EMF-owned K-Love format (now WPYK) along with the August 25, 2017 conversion of WNKU (now WYHH) to Bible Broadcasting Network programming, WNKN became the final remaining on-air station identifying under the WNKU banner.
The sale of WNKN finalized on September 28, 2017, with WNKU programming ending on both WNKN and the WNKU online stream at 6:00 p.m. The final AAA format song was "This Must Be The Place" by Talking Heads. [11] As stated in the original purchase agreement, in addition to the WNKN license and transmitter site in Middletown, Grant County Broadcasters had purchased all of WNKU's studio equipment. [12] The farmhouse adjacent to the transmitter site, which was WPBF-FM and WPBF (AM)'s studios prior to their sale to NKU, was not purchased by Grant County Broadcasters and remains the property of NKU. [13]
On October 2, 2017, WNKN signed back on the air as a sister station of Grant County Broadcasters-owned WNKR, returning to the classic country format that was played on the station prior to its purchase by NKU in 2011. While the stations are sharing playlists and talent, they are not a simulcast. [14] Each station airs content appropriate to the local market they serve. [15] Both stations are currently branded as "Classic Country 1059 or as "Classic Country 105.9 & 106.7".
On July 12, 2022, WNKN split from its simulcast with WNKR and changed its format from classic country to classic hits. The station rebranded as "105.9 The Oasis". [16]
On August 24, 2023, Grand Country Broadcasters announced that it would sell WNKN to Relevant Radio for $4.5 million. The company would continue to own WNKR after the sale was complete; ahead of the sale closure, it would assume WNKN's format on September 4, and the two stations would simulcast as a means of transition. [17] [18] The simulcast is expected to run until the end of the mouth.
WLFV is a commercial FM radio station, licensed to Midlothian, Virginia and serving the Greater Richmond Region. The station is branded as "K-Love" and features a Contemporary Christian format. The station is owned by Educational Media Foundation (EMF). WLFV's transmitter is off Basie Road in Henrico, Virginia.
WPYK is a radio station licensed to Portsmouth, Ohio. 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.
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KRFN is a commercial radio station licensed to Sparks, Nevada and broadcasting to the Reno–Sparks metropolitan area. The station is owned by the Evans Broadcast Company, Inc. and it airs an adult contemporary radio format branded as "Fun 101."
WDBZ is an urban talk/urban contemporary-formatted radio station serving Cincinnati, Ohio. The station mostly plays urban talk while also providing urban oldies and urban contemporary gospel music. Owned by Urban One, its studios are located at Centennial Plaza in Downtown Cincinnati and the transmitter site is in Eden Park.
KLVP is a non-profit radio station licensed to Aloha, Oregon, and serving the Portland metropolitan area. The station is owned, and the broadcast license held, by the Educational Media Foundation. It airs the national contemporary Christian radio format known as "K-Love."
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.
WKVG is a radio station in Greenville, South Carolina, serving Upstate South Carolina including the Greenville-Spartanburg radio market. WKVG is owned and operated by the Educational Media Foundation, and is an affiliate of K-Love.
WJJS is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Salem, Virginia, and serving the Roanoke metropolitan area. WJJS has a rhythmic Top 40 radio format and is owned and operated by iHeartMedia, Inc. Programming is simulcast with co-owned 102.7 WJJX in Appomattox, Virginia, serving the Lynchburg metropolitan area. The radio studios and offices are on Old Forest Road in Lynchburg and its transmitter is located on Luckett Street near Shenandoah Ave in Roanoke.
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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.
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