WOVK (98.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a country format. Licensed to Wheeling, West Virginia, United States, it serves the Wheeling area. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc.

WOVK
Broadcast areaWheeling metro area
Frequency98.7 MHz
Branding98.7 WOVK
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatCountry music
AffiliationsPremiere Networks
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
September 1, 1947; 77 years ago (1947-09-01)
Former call signs
WWVA-FM (1947–1977)
WCPI (1977–1984)
Call sign meaning
Ohio Valley K(C)ountry
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID44048
ClassB
ERP50,000 watts
HAAT119 meters (390 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
40°04′58″N 80°46′18″W / 40.08278°N 80.77167°W / 40.08278; -80.77167
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live (via iHeartRadio)
Websitewovk.iheart.com

WOVK is one of the Local Primary 1 Emergency Alert System stations in the Wheeling area.

History

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The 98.7 MHz frequency in Wheeling was originally assigned to WWVA-FM, which began broadcasting September 1, 1947. It was licensed to West Virginia Broadcasting Corporation.[2]

As of 2022, local programming on the station consists of a daily live afternoon program hosted by cluster Program Director Corey Klug, as well as weekly broadcasts of OVAC high school football, which feature Klug as play-by-play announcer and Brad Mitchell as color commentator. Additionally, the station airs The Bobby Bones Show, After MidNite with Granger Smith, Country Top 30 with Bobby Bones, and The Crook & Chase Countdown from Premiere Networks, and utilizes the Premium Choice “Country Favorites” network during all other hours, which is hosted out of Baltimore, Milwaukee, Colorado Springs, New Orleans, Nashville, and St. Louis.[3]

In their 1990s and 2000s heyday, the station boasted an impressive lineup of local on-air talent and programming. Former disc jockeys include Steve Crow, Otis, Ken "Big K" Andrews, "Coffee Boy" Chad Tyson, Jamie Lynn, Skip Kelly, Rich Biela, Traci Fulton, Don Anthony, Scott Fisher, David Demarest, Kari Brooks, Charlie Mitchell, Michael St. James, and longtime Program Director & Music Director Jimmy Elliott.[4] The station’s former flagship morning program, Morning Madness, was consistently the #1-ranked morning program in the Ohio Valley from 1993 until its cancellation in November 2020.[5]

WOVK also served as the official radio station of Jamboree in the Hills for many years until its cancellation in 2018, broadcasting live audio of the entire country music festival. While the station is heavily involved in the festival's successor, Blame My Roots Festival, it does not broadcast live audio of the performing acts.

References

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  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WOVK". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "WWVA-FM Opens" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 8, 1947. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  3. ^ "Find 98.7 Country WOVK's Sunday Live On-Air Schedule". 98.7 Country WOVK. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  4. ^ "98.7 WOVK - The Valley's Country Leader". 2008-01-11. Archived from the original on 2008-01-11. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  5. ^ "More Names From iHeartMedia's Cuts Continue To Come Forward". RadioInsight. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
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