WNES

WNES
Frequency1050 kHz
BrandingK-Country
Programming
FormatClassic Country
Ownership
OwnerRadio Active Media, Inc.
WKYA
History
First air date
January 1955; 69 years ago (1955-01)
Former frequencies
1600 kHz (1955–1960)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID46946
ClassD
Power1,000 watts day
172 watts night
Transmitter coordinates
37°16′9″N 87°8′32″W / 37.26917°N 87.14222°W / 37.26917; -87.14222
Repeater(s)W284AO (104.7 FM) Central City
Links
Public license information

WNES (1050 AM) is a classic country-formatted radio station that is licensed to and located in Central City, Kentucky, United States. The station is currently owned by Starlight Broadcasting Co., Inc.[2]

The station's studio (shared with sister station WKYA) and transmitter is located on Everly Brothers Boulevard (U.S. Highway 62) near the Western Kentucky Parkway underpass southwest of Central City.

History

On September 8, 1954, Muhlenberg Broadcasting Company was granted a construction permit by the FCC.[3] The station began broadcasting on January 1, 1955, as the first radio station to broadcast in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. The station was a 500 watt daytime-only station broadcasting at 1600 kilocycles.[4][5] In December 1956, the station launched its FM companion, WNES-FM (101.9 FM, now WEKV),[4]: 98  and would simulcast its AM programming on that station until 1980, when the FM became a separate entity. WNES reallocated to its current frequency of 1050 kilocycles in August 1960.[3][4]: 98  [6]

In March 2013, the station's owner, Starlight Broadcasting, was renamed Radio Active Media, Inc. The station's programming was simulcast on the FM dial via WNES-FM (now WEKV) from that station's 1956 inception until December 1981. In September 2014, the FM simulcast of WNES returned when the station launched a Class D low-power FM translator, W284AO, broadcasting a frequency of 104.7 megahertz with 250 watts of power.[7]

Coverage area

The station's daytime signal covers Muhlenberg and surrounding counties, plus the Owensboro and Henderson area. Its nighttime signal coverage is greatly reduced to avoid co-frequency interference with other AM 1050 stations. W284AO's signal covers all of Muhlenberg County, along with portions of its neighboring counties.

References

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WNES". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "WNES Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. ^ a b FCC History Cards for WNES
  4. ^ a b c Nash, Francis M. (1995). Towers Over Kentucky: A History of Radio and TV in the Bluegrass State (PDF). ISBN 9781879688933 – via World Radio History.
  5. ^ Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook 1960 (PDF). 1960. p. A-157 – via World Radio History.
  6. ^ "This Week in History (from Leader-News archives)". Leader-News. Greenville, Kentucky. May 2, 2001. Retrieved December 20, 2023 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ W284AO Query on Radio-Locator