WOKV
Encyclopedia
WOKV and WOKV-FM (106.5 FM
) are a pair of American radio station
s in the Jacksonville, Florida
, area. WOKV-AM/FM is owned by Cox Radio
of Atlanta, Georgia
, and simulcasts a conservative talk
radio format.
WOKV is the only AM radio station in the Jacksonville market to remain in the top 10 in the Arbitron ratings since 1996. After its locally produced morning news program, "Jacksonville's Morning News", WOKV airs syndicated talk with locally-anchored news, traffic and weather reports. WOKV also is the Jacksonville Jaguars
flagship radio station.
WOKV-AM 690 has one of the strongest daytime AM signals on the East Coast, in addition to the Jacksonville, Floirda market, it covers the entire coast from Melbourne, Florida
all the way to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, an area that includes Savannah, Georgia
, and Charleston, South Carolina
markets. The station is directional to the east at night, to protect clear channel Class-A stations XEWW-AM
in Tijuana
and the now-silent CINF in Montreal
(vacated in early 2010 but the allocation is still protected by terms of the NARBA treaty).
Until 1994, the station operated on a different frequency, AM-600, at 5,000 watts day and night. The station moved to AM-690 for its bigger signal (50,000 watts day and 10,000 at night).
From the 1950s to the 1980s, AM-690 was the original home to top 40 station WAPE ("The Big Ape"). In the early 1980, the station went country; by the mid '80s, it was religious; and in 1986, WAPE migrated to the FM-95.1 frequency (formerly urban WJAX) and re-started its Top 40 format as WAPE-FM.
In 2006, the station upgraded its nighttime signal to 25,000 watts at night, with a broader pattern, and also added a simulcast on 106.5 FM, formerly WBGB; making it one of the first news/talk radio stations in the country to simulcast on both AM and FM.
Other such stations that "simulcast" include are WSB
in Atlanta, Georgia
, WBT
in Charlotte, North Carolina
, WWL in New Orleans, WDBO in Orlando, Florida
, WHIO
in Dayton, Ohio
, and KRMG in Tulsa, Oklahoma
.
The station changed calls to WTLK in October 1996, and was known as Real Radio 106.5, with a talk format. The most notable event during this part of the station's history was the return of The Greaseman
to Jacksonville's airwaves. (Ironically, the Greaseman's previous time in Jacksonville had been on WAPE when it was on AM 690 - the current home of WOKV-AM.)
WTLK flipped to classic rock in January, 1998, becoming known as Big 106.5, and changing to the WBGB calls in March, 1998. At this time, the station was owned by Clear Channel
.
WBGB was divested by Clear Channel, along with sister stations WZNZ
, WZAZ
, and WJGR
, in the fall of 1999 to Concord Media Group. From there, it came under the ownership of Jacor Broadcasting, who in turn sold the station to Caron Broadcasting (a division of Salem Communications
) in 2003.
Caron flipped WBGB to Contemporary Christian, branding the station as 106.5 The Promise. Based on ratings, it was the most popular station of its genre in Jacksonville.
On July 6, 2006, Salem Communications entered into an agreement to sell WBGB-FM to Cox Radio
for $7.7 million in cash. The last day the station broadcast as 106.5 The Promise was Monday, September 18, 2006. The format then moved to non-commercial religious broadcaster WCRJ-FM (88.1), who adopted The Promise name as well as a number of on-air staffers.
In the afternoon on Tuesday, September 19, Cox began stunting
, letting listeners know that The Promise had moved to 88.1, and promising something "new and exciting" to come to 106.5 on Thursday, September 21. Part of the stunt included listening in on a "board meeting", with various ideas being thrown out for the new format - including dance, "really redneck radio", "ultra-lite" (a jab at WEJZ
), all-commercials (a blatant shot at Clear Channel
), women's radio, and an alternative "Jack" format. However, the true fate of WBGB was revealed on Cox's Investor Relations website on September 20.
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
) are a pair of American radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s in the Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, area. WOKV-AM/FM is owned by Cox Radio
Cox Radio
Cox Radio, Inc. is a division of Cox Enterprises that holds a number of radio stations. Cox Radio is headquartered at 6205 Peachtree Dunwoody Road in Sandy Springs, Georgia....
of Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, and simulcasts a conservative talk
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
radio format.
WOKV is the only AM radio station in the Jacksonville market to remain in the top 10 in the Arbitron ratings since 1996. After its locally produced morning news program, "Jacksonville's Morning News", WOKV airs syndicated talk with locally-anchored news, traffic and weather reports. WOKV also is the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
flagship radio station.
WOKV-AM 690 has one of the strongest daytime AM signals on the East Coast, in addition to the Jacksonville, Floirda market, it covers the entire coast from Melbourne, Florida
Melbourne, Florida
Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. As of 2009, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 78,323. The municipal area is the second largest by size and by population in the county. Melbourne is a principal city of the Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville, Florida...
all the way to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, an area that includes Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
, and Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
markets. The station is directional to the east at night, to protect clear channel Class-A stations XEWW-AM
XEWW-AM
XEWW-AM are the call letters of a border-blaster radio station licensed to the Tijuana / Rosarito area of Baja California, Mexico, with additional studio facilities in Burbank, California, United States. They are a high-power station, with their 77,500 watt signal sometimes reaching as far as the...
in Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...
and the now-silent CINF in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
(vacated in early 2010 but the allocation is still protected by terms of the NARBA treaty).
Until 1994, the station operated on a different frequency, AM-600, at 5,000 watts day and night. The station moved to AM-690 for its bigger signal (50,000 watts day and 10,000 at night).
From the 1950s to the 1980s, AM-690 was the original home to top 40 station WAPE ("The Big Ape"). In the early 1980, the station went country; by the mid '80s, it was religious; and in 1986, WAPE migrated to the FM-95.1 frequency (formerly urban WJAX) and re-started its Top 40 format as WAPE-FM.
In 2006, the station upgraded its nighttime signal to 25,000 watts at night, with a broader pattern, and also added a simulcast on 106.5 FM, formerly WBGB; making it one of the first news/talk radio stations in the country to simulcast on both AM and FM.
Other such stations that "simulcast" include are WSB
WSB (AM)
WSB — branded AM 750 and 95.5 FM News/Talk WSB — is a commercial radio station licensed to Atlanta, Georgia broadcasting a news/talk format. The station transmits with 50,000 watts of nondirectional power day and night, enjoying clear-channel status on its broadcast frequency according to the U.S...
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, WBT
WBT (AM)
WBT is a radio station in Charlotte, North Carolina, broadcasting on the AM dial at 1110 kHz. A 50,000-watt clear-channel station, it can be heard across most of the eastern half of North America at night. It simulcasts on WBT-FM, at 99.3 MHz in Chester, South Carolina. It is owned by Greater...
in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, WWL in New Orleans, WDBO in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, WHIO
WHIO (AM)
WHIO is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Dayton, Ohio, USA, the station serves the Cincinnati and Dayton area...
in Dayton, Ohio
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
, and KRMG in Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
.
FM history
According to the FCC's Call Sign History, 106.5 MHz signed on as WPVJ in July 1994.The station changed calls to WTLK in October 1996, and was known as Real Radio 106.5, with a talk format. The most notable event during this part of the station's history was the return of The Greaseman
The Greaseman
Doug "The Greaseman" Tracht is an American radio, television, and movie personality. Tracht is best known for his morning show on WWDC-FM in Washington, D.C., during the 1980s where he took over the morning drive time slot from Howard Stern and his controversial comments made on that show.Tracht...
to Jacksonville's airwaves. (Ironically, the Greaseman's previous time in Jacksonville had been on WAPE when it was on AM 690 - the current home of WOKV-AM.)
WTLK flipped to classic rock in January, 1998, becoming known as Big 106.5, and changing to the WBGB calls in March, 1998. At this time, the station was owned by Clear Channel
Clear channel
A clear-channel station is an AM band Radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. Usually known as class A stations since 1982, they are occasionally still referred to by their former...
.
WBGB was divested by Clear Channel, along with sister stations WZNZ
WQOP
WZNZ is a radio station broadcasting a Christian radio format. Licensed to Atlantic Beach, Florida, USA, the station serves the Jacksonville area. The station is currently owned by Queen of Peace Radio, Inc.-History:...
, WZAZ
WZAZ
WZAZ is a Gospel music formatted radio station in Jacksonville, Florida. It is the flagship station for Edward Waters College football.-In the media:...
, and WJGR
WJGR
WJGR 1320AM was a conservative talk radio station owned by Salem Communications. It was licensed to Jacksonville, Florida, United States.The station carried all the usual hosts from Salem, like Michael Medved, Laura Ingraham, Hugh Hewitt, and Dennis Prager....
, in the fall of 1999 to Concord Media Group. From there, it came under the ownership of Jacor Broadcasting, who in turn sold the station to Caron Broadcasting (a division of Salem Communications
Salem Communications
Salem Communications is a U.S. radio broadcaster, Internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher specializing in evangelical Christian and conservative political talk radio. It owns 99 commercial radio stations, 65 of which are in the top 25 markets. Salem is the fifth largest U.S....
) in 2003.
Caron flipped WBGB to Contemporary Christian, branding the station as 106.5 The Promise. Based on ratings, it was the most popular station of its genre in Jacksonville.
On July 6, 2006, Salem Communications entered into an agreement to sell WBGB-FM to Cox Radio
Cox Radio
Cox Radio, Inc. is a division of Cox Enterprises that holds a number of radio stations. Cox Radio is headquartered at 6205 Peachtree Dunwoody Road in Sandy Springs, Georgia....
for $7.7 million in cash. The last day the station broadcast as 106.5 The Promise was Monday, September 18, 2006. The format then moved to non-commercial religious broadcaster WCRJ-FM (88.1), who adopted The Promise name as well as a number of on-air staffers.
In the afternoon on Tuesday, September 19, Cox began stunting
Stunting (broadcasting)
In radio broadcasting, stunting occurs when a station abruptly airs programming that is seemingly uncharacteristic compared to what they normally play...
, letting listeners know that The Promise had moved to 88.1, and promising something "new and exciting" to come to 106.5 on Thursday, September 21. Part of the stunt included listening in on a "board meeting", with various ideas being thrown out for the new format - including dance, "really redneck radio", "ultra-lite" (a jab at WEJZ
WEJZ
WEJZ is a radio station broadcasting a Light Adult Contemporary music format. Licensed to Jacksonville, Florida, USA, the station serves the Jacksonville area. The station is currently owned by Renda Broadcasting.-History:...
), all-commercials (a blatant shot at Clear Channel
Clear channel
A clear-channel station is an AM band Radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. Usually known as class A stations since 1982, they are occasionally still referred to by their former...
), women's radio, and an alternative "Jack" format. However, the true fate of WBGB was revealed on Cox's Investor Relations website on September 20.
Airstaff
As of September 19, 2011, the current lineup is as follows:- Morning Show: Jacksonville's Morning News - Rich Jones, Roxy Tyler, Jeremy Ratliff, Kevin Rincon, Andrew Greenstein, Jamie Dupree, Jay Gray
- Afternoon News Team:-Tiffany Griffith, Matt Augustine, Alyssa Spirato
- Late Morning: - Neal BoortzNeal BoortzNeal A. Boortz, Jr. is an American Libertarian radio host, author, and political commentator. His nationally syndicated talk show, The Neal Boortz Show, airs throughout the United States on Dial Global . It is ranked seventh in overall listeners, with 4.25+ million per week...
- Mid-Days: - Rush LimbaughRush LimbaughRush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
- Afternoon Drive: - Sean HannitySean HannitySean Hannity is an American radio and television host, author, and conservative political commentator. He is the host of The Sean Hannity Show, a nationally syndicated talk radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks. Hannity also hosts a cable news show, Hannity,...
- Evenings: - Clark Howard
- Nighttime: - America Now with Andy Dean
- Overnights: - Rusty HumphriesRusty HumphriesRalph E. "Rusty" Humphries is an American radio host, conservative political commentator, and songwriter. Humphries' nationally-syndicated radio show, The Rusty Humphries Show, based in Atlanta, Georgia, airs on over 250 stations through Talk Radio Network.-Career:Humphries has hosted as a...
(12am-1am)
Coast To Coast with George NooryGeorge NooryGeorge Ralph Noory is a Lebanese-American radio talk show host.As of 2010, he is the weekday host of the late-night radio talk show Coast to Coast AM. He is heard across the United States and Canada on many AM and FM stations as well as on XM Satellite Radio. His show is one of the most listened...
(1am-5am) - Traffic:- Coty White, Mandy Navarro, and Chasey Carlson