WKDZ-FM

WKDZ-FM (106.5 MHz) is a radio station licensed in Cadiz, Kentucky. WKDZ-FM is owned by Ham Broadcasting. Beth Mann serves as Ham Broadcasting owner/president.

WKDZ-FM
Broadcast areaClarksville, TN-Hopkinsville, KY
Frequency106.5 MHz
Branding106.5 FM WKDZ
Programming
FormatCountry
AffiliationsFox News Radio
United Stations Radio Networks
Tennessee Titans Radio Network
UK Sports Network
Ownership
OwnerHam Broadcasting, Inc.
WHVO, WKDZ-AM
History
First air date
May 18, 1972 (1972-05-18)[1]
Former call signs
WBZD (1985-1991)
Former frequencies
106.3 MHz (1972-1995?)
Call sign meaning
KDZ = "Cadiz"
Technical information
Facility ID25886
ClassC3
ERP13,400 watts
HAAT136.9 meters (449 ft)
Links
WebcastListen live
WebsiteWKDZradio.com

In 2004, Ham Broadcasting moved from their former Will Jackson Road location to a new 4,100-square-foot (380 m2) facility at Broadbent Square in east Cadiz.[2] The station's transmitter is located on Bailey Road off Kentucky Route 117 near its junction with Interstate 24 in southwestern Christian County.

History

The station first signed on the air at 106.3 megahertz on May 18, 1972. It began as a 3,000-watt FM simulcast station of WKDZ-AM for its first 24 years on the air. At that time, WKDZ-AM broadcast a Variety format.[3]

In 1986, the station became separate from the AM counterpart, and began broadcasting an Adult contemporary format under the WBZD callsign. Sometime later in that decade, it changed to an easy listening format. In 1991, when current owner Ham Broadcasting purchased the station, its callsign was reverted to the original WKDZ-FM it held as a repeater of the AM station, and it began broadcasting a country format, which remains with the station today.[4]

Programming

Format and coverage area

WKDZ-FM broadcasts a country music format and its primary coverage area, as part of the Clarksville-Hopkinsville radio market, consists of Trigg, Christian, Caldwell, Lyon, and Todd counties in Kentucky, along with nearby Montgomery and Stewart counties in Middle Tennessee.[5] However, it's 100,000 watt signal allows the station to be heard in many areas between Paducah's eastern outskirts and Nashville's northwestern outskirts, including the easternmost counties of Kentucky's Jackson Purchase area, the southern part of the Western Coal Fields region, much of Logan County, as well as other areas of northwestern Middle Tennessee.

Sports programming

In addition to its usual music programming, WKDZ-FM is an affiliate of the Tennessee Titans Radio Network, which broadcasts live games involving the NFL's Tennessee Titans based in Nashville.[6] WKDZ-FM also serves as one of three affiliates of the University of Kentucky Wildcats radio network in the Clarksville-Hopkinsville market (the other two are WHOP-AM and WHOP-FM).[7] WKDZ-FM also broadcasts Trigg County High School football games on Friday nights from mid-August through November.

On August 1, 2017, the station launched YourSportsEdge.com, a sports website dedicated to covering sports at Trigg County High School, Caldwell County High School, Lyon County High School, Hopkinsville High School, Christian County High School, Heritage Christian Academy, University Heights Academy, Fort Campbell High School, and Todd County Central High School. In addition, the site covers college sports and the Hoptown Hoppers Ohio Valley League baseball team.

News operation

WKDZ-FM is unique in that it, along with sister stations WHVO and WKDZ-AM, boasts a full-time news department in house. The one-hour newscasts, branded as News Edge, are broadcast at 12 Noon and 5:00 p.m. Central Time over all three Ham Broadcasting-owned stations. Shorter newscasts are run at 6, 7, and 8 a.m. CT.[8] Hourly national news updates are provided by Fox News Radio at the top of each hour.

Awards and recognitions

WKDZ-FM has been recognized many times for its community service. The station also has won a Marconi Award for "Small Market Station Of The Year" in 2008, 2013, and 2017. WKDZ-FM has also been consistently nominated for the coveted NAB Crystal Award for Community Service, which they won in 2013.

References
  1. 2010 Broadcasting Yearbook, page D-237
  2. "Radio station to move to new facility". Cadiz Record. Retrieved May 5, 2004.
  3. 1979 Broadcasting Yearbook, page C-86
  4. Nash, Francis M. (1995). Towers Over Kentucky: A history of Radio and TV in the Bluegrass State.
  5. "Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
  6. "Titans Radio in Kentucky Archived 2009-02-17 at the Wayback Machine". Titans Radio. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  7. "Radio Network Information & Affiliates". University of Kentucky Athletics.
  8. WKDZ & WHVO Media Kit

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.