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WCLU (1490 AM) is a radio station licensed to Glasgow, Kentucky, United States, and serving Bowling Green, and the Caveland area of south-central Kentucky. The station is owned by Commonwealth Broadcasting and airs in a adult contemporary format.

History

The station has an estimated sign on date of September 23, 1946 as WKAY, the first of two radio stations originally owned by Glasgow Broadcasting, Inc., along with WGGC (95.1 FM) when it signed on in 1961. As one of the first new radio stations to sign on after the second world war, WCLU's original studios were located at 510 Happy Valley Road in Glasgow, which was demolished in November 2014 to make room for a new drug store. The station's original transmitting tower was made entirely of 170 feet (52 m) worth of cast iron oil well casing, due to the unavailability of structural steel during World War II and its immediate aftermath; a real tower wasn't erected until 1963. After completing that tower in 1963, the station increased their broadcast power to 1,000 watts by day, and 250 watts by night.

In 1971, both WKAY and WGGC went under ownership of the Sadler Family, which had been involved in operating the station since 1948. Shortly before this happened, WKAY switched to a middle-of-the-road format. Around this time, the station upgraded its signal power to 1,000 watts by day and 250 watts by night. WGGC was simulcasting WKAY until sometime in the early 1970s, when the former of which became one of the first country music stations to be broadcast from southern Kentucky.

In 1988, the AM station was purchased by its current owner, Royse Radio, presided by former WCDS employee Henry Royce, who changed the station's call letters to the current WCLU, which stood for Royce's children afterwards. In 1991, WCLU moved into a new facility on West Main Street in downtown Glasgow, with the AM station's transmission tower and WGGC studios remaining at the old studios; WGGC would relocate its studios and broadcasting license to Bowling Green in 2000 and 2002, respectively.

Sometime in the mid-2010s, the station launched a low-powered FM translator, W276DO, to make the station's programming available to FM listeners.

In August 2024, it was announced that Seven Mountains Media had closed a $450,000 deal to buy this station and WLLI (102.3) from Royse Radio. Two months later in October 2024, Seven Mountains announced that they and Commonwealth Broadcasting agreed to swap stations, including this one.

Programming format

The station's current oldies format is also accompanied with local talk radio programming, including local newscasts, and local sports coverage. Top-of-hour national newscasts alternate between affiliations with CBS Radio News and ABC News Radio. News updates from the Kentucky News Network are also provided by the station.

Sports programming

WCLU is also home to sports games of the Glasgow High School football and basketball teams. In the 1960s and parts of the 1970s, the station also aired radio coverage of football and basketball games of the Kentucky Wildcats and the WKU Hilltoppers, as well select games of Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds, which were shared with WGGC.

References

1. "Facility Technical Data for WCLU". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
2. ^ Nash, Francis M. (1995). Towers Over Kentucky: A History of Radio and TV in the Bluegrass State (PDF). HOST Communications. ISBN 9781879688933 – via World Radio History.
3. ^ Overstreet, Melinda J. (November 21, 2014). "Ely Drugs plans new location, will take over spot where radio stations once were". Glasgow Daily Times. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
4. "Deal Digest - August 8, 2024". Inside Radio. August 8, 2024. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
5. Venta, Lance (October 4, 2024). "Commonwealth Broadcasting And Seven Mountains Media To Swap Kentucky Stations". RadioInsight. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
6. "WKAY Glasgow KY Sales Brochure." WorldRadioHistory.com. Retrieved April 18, 2022.

External links

• Facility details for Facility ID 57895 (WCLU) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WCLU in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
• Facility details for Facility ID 201239 (W276DO) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• W276DO in Nielsen Audio's FM station database

• Radio stations established in 1946
• Adult contemporary radio stations in the United States
• Radio stations in Kentucky
• Glasgow, Kentucky