WVJS

WVJS

City	Owensboro, Kentucky
Branding	WVJS 1420 & 100.5
Slogan	Your Greatest Hits
Frequency	1420 kHz
Translator(s)	100.5 W263BG (Owensboro)
First air date	November 26, 1947[1]
Format	Oldies
Power	980 watts (day) 20 watts (night)
Class	B
Facility ID	51071
Transmitter coordinates	37°46′32″N 87°09′31″W / 37.77556°N 87.15861°W / 37.77556; -87.15861
Callsign meaning	initials of founder Vincent Joseph Steele
Affiliations	Timeless (Citadel)
Owner	Cromwell Radio Group (The Cromwell Group, Inc., of Kentucky)
Sister stations	WBIO, WKCM, WLME, WTCJ, WCJZ, WXCM
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	WVJS Online

WVJS (1420 AM) is an American radio station licensed to serve the community of Owensboro, Kentucky. The station is owned and operated by Hancock Communications, Inc., doing business as the Cromwell Radio Group, and the station's broadcast license is held by The Cromwell Group, Inc., of Kentucky.

Programming

WVJS broadcasts an oldies and classic hits music format to the greater Owensboro, Kentucky, area. Programming features the "Kool Gold" syndicated format from Dial-Global.^[2]

WVJS GENERAL MANAGERS (1947-1997) Malcolm Greep, Ray Wettstain, Corky Norcia and Steve Cooke.

WVJS COMMERCIAL MANAGERS (1947-1997) Jack McLean, John Rutledge, Parker Smith, Joe Fife, Dennis Keller, Corky Norcia.

WVJS PROGRAM DIRECTORS (1947-1997) Lee Meredith, Earl Fisher, Jim Orton, Joe Lowe.

WVJS NEWS DIRECTORS (1947-1997) Joe Bell, Gerry Wood, Joel Utley, Jim Parr, Mike Whitsett, Scott Douglas, Jerry Birge.

STATION SLOGANS (1947-1997) "Radio Center"; "Sparkle Radio"; "The Big Sound"; "Radio-One"; "The Station You Depend On"; "Oldies 1420"; "The News Station".

Ownership

WVJS programming began November 27, 1947, from studios located at 324 Allen St in downtown Owensboro. The station's transmitter building and multi tower directional array were located on a 26-acre tract of land on U.S. Highway 60, just west of the Owensboro city limits. The station operated at 1420 kc with 1,000 watts of power. The following year WVJS-FM went on the air at 96.1 mc.

The stations were owned and operated by Owensboro on the Air, Incorporated. Owensboro developer Vincent J. Steele was majority owner. Owensboro radio veteran Malcolm Greep, who was a driving force in starting WVJS, was named general manager of the new station.

In early 1960, WVJS closed its downtown studios on Allen St and consolidated all of its operations at the company's transmitting site on Highway 60. In 1962, WVJS was granted FCC approval to boost daytime power to 5,000 watts. In 1963, the station's FM call letters were changed to WSTO and it became Kentucky's first full-time stereo broadcasting station.

In 1973, Owensboro on the Air was granted a franchise by the city to provide cable television service to Owensboro and a new building to house Owensboro Cablevision was constructed at the company's Highway 60 site.

In 1983, V.J. Steele's heirs sold WVJS, WSTO and the cable TV operations to Century Communications Corporation of New Canaan, Connecticut.

At the end of 1996, Century sold WVJS and WSTO to Brill Media which already owned Owensboro stations WOMI and WBKR. WSTO was later sold to South Central Communications of Evansville, Indiana.

In 2002, WVJS was purchased by its current owner, Cromwell Radio Group, and shares facilities at 1115 Tamarack Rd, Owensboro, with Cromwell stations WBIO, WXCM, WKCM, WLME, WCJZ and WTCJ.

Translators

WVJS programming is also carried on a broadcast translator station to extend or improve the coverage area of the station.

References

External links

• WVJS official website
• Query the FCC's AM station database for WVJS
• Radio-Locator Information on WVJS
• Query Nielsen Audio's AM station database for WVJS
• Query the FCC's FM station database for W263BG
• Radio-Locator information on W263BG