WKU Public Radio

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.

WKU Public Radio
Broadcast areaWKYU-FM: Bowling Green
WKPB: Henderson/Owensboro
WDCL-FM: Somerset/Campbellsville
WKUE-FM: Elizabethtown
FrequencyWKYU-FM: 88.9 MHz
WKPB: 89.5 MHz
WDCL-FM: 89.7 MHz
WKUE-FM: 90.9 MHz
BrandingWKU Public Radio
Programming
FormatPublic radio (News, Information, Classical Music)
AffiliationsNational Public Radio
American Public Media
Public Radio International
Kentucky Public Radio
Ownership
OwnerWestern Kentucky University
WKYU-TV, WWHR
History
First air date
January 14, 1980
Call sign meaning
see below
Technical information
Facility IDsee below
Classsee below
ERPsee below
HAATsee below
Transmitter coordinates
see below
Repeater(s)WDCL-FM:
W277AA 103.3, Somerset
WKUE:
W275BT 102.9, Frankfort
Links
Websitewkyufm.org

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. 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 and WKPB for the Ohio River communities of Henderson and Owensboro.[3]

Until August 2009, the network was known as Western's Public Radio, airing mostly classical music during the day. However, on August 31, 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 was 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. 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.

LocationCallsignFrequencySign on dateCallsign meaningClassERP (watts)HAATFacility IDTransmitter coordinatesNotes
Bowling Green WKYU-FM 88.9 FM January 14, 1980 (1980-01-14) Western Kentucky University[4] C1 98,000 219 m (718.50 ft) 71856 37°5′23″N 86°38′5″W Flagship station of WKU Public Radio; also serves north-central Tennessee
Henderson / Owensboro WKPB 89.5 FM April 1, 1990 (1990-04-01) Western Kentucky Public Broadcasting C2 43,000 115 m (377.30 ft) 71864 37°51′6.1″N 87°19′43″W Also serves southwest Indiana and southeast Illinois, including Evansville and Carmi
Somerset / Campbellsville WDCL-FM 89.7 FM July 1985 W Daniel CoLe C1 100,000 174 m (570.87 ft) 71857 37°9′29.9″N 85°9′49.8″W
Elizabethtown WKUE 90.9 FM October 15, 1990 (1990-10-15)[5] Western Kentucky University Elizabethtown C3 5,200 190 m (623.36 ft) 71860 37°44′42.2″N 85°53′21.9″W Grade B coverage available in Louisville
Somerset W277AA 103.3 FM 1993 FCC assigned D 250 89 m (291.99 ft) 71859 37°7′3.3″N 84°36′41.8″W Translator of WDCL-FM
Frankfort W275BT 102.9 FM 2017 FCC assigned D 250 56 m (183.73 ft) 153212 38°15′35.2″N 84°51′20.8″W Translator of WKUE
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 Books.
  2. "WKYU-FM suit dismissed". Park City Daily News. June 24, 1981. p. 2A. Retrieved July 26, 2023 – via Google Books.
  3. 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 10 March 2023.
  4. "Call Letter Origins: Key and Listing". Nelson, Bob. The Broadcast Archive. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  5. "WKU public radio adds new station". Park City Daily News. October 14, 1990. p. 12A – via Google Books.
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