WOVO (106.3 FM) is a radio station stunting with a Wheel of formats. Licensed to Horse Cave, Kentucky, United States, the station serves the Bowling Green area. The station is currently owned by the Commonwealth Broadcasting Corporation through licensee Soky Radio, LLC.[2]
The station's studios, shared with Brownsville–licensed WKLX and Glasgow–licensed WPTQ, are located on McIntosh Street near US 231 on the south side of Bowling Green. WOVO's transmitter is located on Pine Knob along U.S. Route 68 (US 68) near Smiths Grove, Kentucky, sharing tower space with NBC/CBS/MeTV dual affiliate WNKY (channel 40) and Ion Television affiliate WNKY-LD (channel 35).
History
The early years (1972–1989)
The station originally signed on the air on July 14, 1972.[3] The station was originally a class A station located at 105.5 FM, owned by John Barrick alongside AM station WCDS (1440 AM, now WWKU; unrelated to the current WCDS). WOVO inherited a variety format from WCDS, which switched exclusively to country music upon WOVO's inception.[4]
Change of callsign and ownership (1990–1996)
In 1990, WOVO and WCDS were sold to Ward Communications. After a few months off the air due to strong winds toppling the transmission tower in 1991, the station had instituted three changes: the station changed frequencies to 105.3 FM to obtain a power increase, changed its call sign to WWWQ on March 1, and adopted a new contemporary hit radio format upon returning to the air on July 9, 1991[4][5] following a tornado that affected the station's broadcasting facility that spring. On September 23, 1996, the station reversed their 1991 change of callsign and rechristened itself as WOVO.[6]
Sale to Commonwealth Broadcasting
WOVO's logo under previous 105.3 frequency
In 1997, the station, along with WHHT, WXPC (now WPTQ), and WCDS, along with four other stations in Kentucky, were acquired by a new business venture named Commonwealth Broadcasting Corporation, formed by Steve Newberry and former Kentucky governorBrereton C. Jones.[7] WOVO programming was simulcast over WCDS from its 1998 return to the air until it became a sports radio station in 2002.
Three-way frequency swap
In October 2012, Commonwealth Broadcasting instituted a major three-way frequency and FCC license change. WHHT upgraded its signal in a move to 106.3 MHz, which would be traded to WOVO, which moved its adult contemporary format from classic rock-formatted WPTQ's previous 105.3 FM frequency. WHHT's country music format was relocated to the 103.7 FM frequency, which that station previously broadcast on from 1991 through 1998.[8]
North Pole Radio
On November 18, 2024, WOVO dropped its hot adult contemporary format and began stunting with Christmas music, branded as "North Pole Radio".[9]
Programming
HD Radio
The station's HD radio signal is multiplexed in this manner.
Freqnency (MHz-subchannel)
Callsign
Programming
106.3FM 106.3-1 HD
WOVO WOVO-HD1
Simulcast of the traditional FM signal "WOVO 106.3" / Stunting
