WPTQ (105.3 FM) is a radio station licensed to Glasgow, Kentucky, United States, and serving the Bowling Green, Kentucky radio market area. The station is a classic rock-formatted radio station owned by Seven Mountains Media. Its radio signal is transmitted from a tower located along Kentucky Route 1297 in rural western Barren County near Railton, with studios located on on McIntosh Street near US 231 on the south side of Bowling Green.

History

The station originally signed on the air on July 14, 1972.[2] 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.[3]

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[3][4] 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.[5]

Last logo as WOVO

In 1997, the station, along with WHHT, WXPC, WCDS, and four other stations in Kentucky, were acquired by a new business venture named Commonwealth Broadcasting Corporation, formed by Steve Newberry and former Kentucky governor Brereton Jones.[6] WOVO programming was simulcast over WCDS from its 1998 return to the air until it became a sports radio station in 2002.

On October 22, 2012, WPTQ and its classic rock format replaced WOVO on 105.3 FM; that station and its adult contemporary format moved to the Horse Cave-licensed 106.3 FM frequency. The 103.7 MHz frequency was returned to WHHT, which had been displaced from that frequency in 1998.[7]

On February 16, 2014, WPTQ launched an active rock format on its HD2 sub channel, branded as "98.3 The Edge", which is relayed on Bowling Green-licensed FM translator W252CV, at 98.3 FM.[8]

In October 2024, it was announced that Commonwealth Broadcasting and Seven Mountains Media agreed to a station swap of several stations in the Bowling Green, and Glasgow, Kentucky area (including this station, W240CP, WOVO, and WWKU).[9]

HD digital radio

The station's HD Digital radio signal is multiplexed in the following manner.

Frequency
and subchannels 		Callsign Programming
105.3 FM
105.3-1 HD 		WPTQ
WPTQ-HD1 		Simulcast of the traditional analog FM signal / Classic rock
105.3-2 WPTQ-HD2 W252CV / 98.3 The Edge
Active rock
105.3-3 WPTQ-HD3 Simulcast of WWKU / ESPN Radio 1450

HD radio subchannel history

This station began broadcasting on February 17, 2014, as a new active rock station, branded as 98.3 The Edge. The launch of WPTQ-HD2 made WPTQ the first radio station in the Bowling Green radio market to multi-cast their HD radio signal.[10] The subchannel is simulcast over an analog low-powered FM translator W252CV to make the HD radio subchannel available to those who do not own an HD Radio set. The effective radiated power of the translator is limited to 250 watts in order to avoid interference with WQXE in nearby Elizabethtown, Kentucky, which is also run at 98.3 Megahertz.

Since February 2016, the programming of W252CV has also been simulcast at 100.1 Megahertz, on translator W261BD. That translator previously simulcast WKLX's signal. Later that year, the station also began to simulcast over translator W251BT in Glasgow over 98.1 Megahertz.

Programming

WPTQ broadcasts a classic rock music format to the Bowling Green, Kentucky, area.[11] The format features classic rock songs from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, as well as select Active Rock songs from the 1990s and 2000s. In addition to its usual music programming, WPTQ broadcasts the games of the National Football League's Tennessee Titans through the Titans Radio Network.[12] It is also the flagship radio station for WKU Hilltoppers football from the Hilltopper Sports Network.

WPTQ-HD2/W252CV

As an active rock station, the station broadcasts rock hits from the 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, and the current decade, with only the biggest acts in rock and roll from the 1970s. The Local Show, which is now run on this station on Sunday nights at 7 p.m. Central time, is a local show showcasing local rock bands in southern Kentucky.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WPTQ". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ 2010 Broadcasting Yearbook, page D-240
  3. ^ a b Nash, Francis M. (1995). Towers Over Kentucky: A History of Radio and TV in the Bluegrass State (PDF). HOST Communications. pp. 142, 143. ISBN 9781879688933 – via World Radio History.
  4. ^ Reagan, Stan (August 4, 1991). "FM radio stations making changes". Park City Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky – via Google Books.
  5. ^ "WOVO Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  6. ^ "Former governor buys radio stations". Park City Daily News. January 19, 1997. p. 11A. Retrieved June 9, 2024 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ "Stations On The Move In Glasgow, KY". RadioInsight. October 22, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  8. ^ Edge Launches in Bowling Green
  9. ^ Venta, Lance (October 4, 2024). "Commonwealth Broadcasting And Seven Mountains Media To Swap Kentucky Stations". RadioInsight. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
  10. ^ The Edge Launches in Bowling Green
  11. ^ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
  12. ^ "Titans Radio in Kentucky". Titans Radio. Archived from the original on February 17, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
  13. ^ The Edge? WHAT!?!? | 98.3 The Edge
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WPTQ
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