WCKY (AM)
FCC | |
Facility ID | 51722 |
---|---|
Class | A |
Power | 50,000 watts |
Transmitter coordinates | 39°3′55″N 84°36′27″W / 39.06528°N 84.60750°W |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Webcast | Listen live (via iHeartRadio) |
Website | espn1530 |
WCKY (1530
WCKY is a class A
WCKY has a long history of a powerful night-time signal, and its country music programming of the 1950s and 1960s brought listener responses from many points even outside the United States. It can still be heard in much of eastern and central North America with a good radio; it can be picked up as far as Chicago, Detroit,
Programming
WCKY is the Cincinnati affiliate for
Flagship station for:
- Cincinnati Bengals (since 2000; shared with sister stations WEBN and WLW)
- Cincinnati Reds (1964–69)
- FC Cincinnati (since 2021)
Cincinnati affiliate for:
- University of Kentucky Wildcatsfootball and basketball.
- University of Louisville Cardinalsfootball and basketball.
History
WCKY received its initial authorization on February 14, 1929, for 5,000 watts on 1480 kHz, licensed to Covington, Kentucky–across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. The original owner was L. B. Wilson, a prominent local banker and theater owner.[3] WCKY was added as a fourth station operating on a timesharing basis with three existing Chicago-area stations: WJAZ, WSOA and WORD. Moreover, the Federal Radio Commission (FRC) grant specified that WCKY would be assigned 4/7ths of the available broadcasting hours, and "was to have first choice of the broadcasting time".[4]
After a series of successful test transmissions, WCKY made its debut broadcast on the evening of September 16, 1929. Under the timesharing agreement, the station's regular schedule was from 8:00 to 10:00 am, 2:00 to 4:00 pm, and 7:45 to 11:15 p.m. daily.[5] In early 1930, WCKY and its timesharing partners were reassigned from 1480 kHz to 1490 kHz.[6] WSOA later changed its call letters to WCHI, and was subsequently deleted on October 31, 1930,[7][8] after which its former timeshare partner, WORD, changed its own call sign to WCHI.[9]
Unsatisfied with its somewhat limited schedule, WCKY petitioned the FRC to delete the two remaining Chicago-area stations, and give it unlimited use of its frequency. An FRC examiner recommended that this request be denied, however a review by the full commission ruled on October 30, 1931, in favor of WCKY, and ordered both WJAZ and WCHI deleted.[10] WJAZ was deleted on November 23, 1931,[11][12] however WCHI appealed the ruling, arguing that not only should it be allowed to remain on the air, but it, rather than WCKY, should have been assigned the hours previously used by WJAZ.[13] The appeal was unsuccessful, and WCHI was formally deleted on May 7, 1932.[11][14]
Although WCKY was licensed to Covington, for all intents and purposes it has always been a Cincinnati station. The fact it was licensed in Kentucky helped with its 1935 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) request, granted two years later, to increase power from the original 5,000 watts to 10,000 watts, which was followed in 1938 by permission to operate with a full 50,000 watts. This was done even though Cincinnati already had a 50,000 watt station, WLW, of its own. WCKY gradually moved its studios to Cincinnati, though it nominally remained licensed to Covington until 1939.[15] On March 29, 1941, under the provisions of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement, WCKY moved to 1530 kHz, which has remained the station's assignment ever since.[16]
Perhaps one of the best-remembered programs in the station's history was the night-time "WCKY Jamboree" that ran from the 1940s until early 1964. It featured recorded country music with disc jockeys such as Wayne Rainey, Nelson King, Marty Roberts and Jimmy Logsdon. During the program, mail order merchandise was offered over the air. This program was widely popular due to WCKY's powerful signal especially to the south.[citation needed]
During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, the station was used to broadcast news and information to the area, due to its southerly directional signal pattern.
During the mid-1960s, it was the flagship station for the Cincinnati Reds, identifying itself as "your 50,000 watt Big League Baseball Station". In 1964, in connection with WCKY obtaining Reds games, the station held a contest for the farthest listener. The winner was a U.S. serviceman stationed in Japan. The runner-up was in West Berlin. Dating back to the early 1970s, the station leased out much of the overnight hours to religious ministers because of the signal's overall reach. It is a practice that has survived numerous format and call sign changes to this day, although with a reduced presence following the most recent change to sports talk.
Wilson's family owned WCKY until the 1970s when it sold the station to The Washington Post, who in turn sold it off to Mishawaka, Indiana-based Federated Media. WCKY switched to news and talk and became the first radio station with this format in Cincinnati. The line-up included local host Mike McMurray and for a short time now national host Doug Stephan. Syndicated personalities included Bruce Williams and Larry King. WCKY was the local home for Rush Limbaugh when he debuted.
In the late 1970s, the station's nighttime directional array was changed from three- to four-towers. The original configuration favored skywave coverage of the South. The new pattern reduced the distant southern coverage, while strengthening the northern signal for local listeners around Cincinnati and Dayton.[2]
Sold to
WSAI
On June 1, 1994, a call letter swap by Jacor Communications resulted in
Return to WCKY
On January 17, 2005, the traditional WCKY call letters returned, as a company initiative to add liberal programming as a counter to Clear Channel's conservative juggernauts, Rush Limbaugh and
On July 7, 2006, WCKY and WSAI switched programming once again, with WCKY airing sports talk programming as "1530 Homer", and WSAI airing the liberal/progressive talk format. A short while later the liberal talk format was eliminated on WSAI in favor of syndicated talk and consumer advice shows that appealed to a largely female audience. WSAI went back to a sports format in July 2007, this time as a 24-hour ESPN Radio affiliate to complement WCKY. WCKY and WSAI would switch network affiliations again on February 15, 2010, with Fox Sports Radio moving to WSAI and ESPN Radio moving to WCKY, dropping the "Homer" nickname on-air in favor of "ESPN 1530".
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WCKY". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ a b "Notes on WSAI operations" by J. T. Anderton (entry included in "Jim Hawkins' WSAI-AM 1530 Transmitter Tour")
- ^ "New Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, February 28, 1929, page 5.
- ^ "WCKY Schedule". Cincinnati Enquirer. August 7, 1929. p. 6.
- ^ "Governor is Heard", Cincinnati Enquirer, September 17, 1929, page 4.
- ^ "Alterations and Corrections", Radio Service Bulletin, February 28, 1930, page 23.
- ^ "Radio Stations deleted", Fifth Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission for the Fiscal Year 1931, page 13.
- ^ "Strike out all particulars" (WCHI (Deerfield, Ill.)), Radio Service Bulletin, October 31, 1930, page 12.
- ^ "Alterations and Corrections", Radio Service Bulletin, November 29, 1930, page 11.
- ^ "Six More Stations Ordered Silenced", Broadcasting, November 1, 1931, page 12.
- ^ a b "Broadcast Section", Sixth Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission (Fiscal Year 1932), page 8.
- ^ "Strike out all particulars", Radio Service Bulletin, November 30, 1931, page 8.
- ^ "WCHI Asks Stay Order", Broadcasting, November 15, 1931, page 27.
- ^ "Strike out all particulars", Radio Service Bulletin, May 31, 1932, page 11.
- ^ FCC History Cards for WCKY (FCC.gov)
- ^ "List of Radio Broadcast Stations" (as of March 29, 1941), page 50.
- ^ WCKY (advertisement), Broadcasting, September 28, 1953, WCKY Insert page 12.
- ^ Toby Eddings, "Clooney, Kinard and Pensacola, too," The Sun News, January 23, 2000.
External links
- Official website
- WCKY in the FCC AM station database
- WCKY in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- FCC History Cards for WCKY (covering 1929-1981)
- Jim Hawkins' WCKY Transmitter Page
- "Site of the Week 6/1/2012: Cincinnati from the Archives, November 2005" by Scott Fybush (under the WSAI heading)