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WSEK-FM (93.9
MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...
) is a
radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...
broadcasting a
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
format. Licensed to
Burnside, Kentucky Burnside is a home rule-class city in Pulaski County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 611 at the 2010 census. In 2004, Burnside became the only town in Pulaski County or any adjoining county to allow the sale of alcoholic beverages ...
, it serves the south-central region of the state, specifically the
Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
and
Lake Cumberland Lake Cumberland is a reservoir in Clinton, Russell, Wayne, Pulaski and Laurel counties in Kentucky. The primary reasons for its construction were a means for flood control and the production of hydroelectric power. Its shoreline measures 1 ...
areas. It can also be received in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
and Corbin, and as far north as the Lexington area. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and features programming from
Premiere Networks Premiere Networks, Inc. (formerly Premiere Radio Networks, shortened as PRN) is an American media company, a subsidiary of iHeartMedia, for which it currently serves as its main original radio content distribution and production arm. It is th ...
.


History

The station went on the air as WJDJ on August 16, 1985, and was launched by sister
AM station AM broadcasting is radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation (AM) transmissions. It was the first method developed for making audio radio transmissions, and is still used worldwide, primarily for medium wave (also known as "AM band") transm ...
WKEQ (910; now WSEK), with a
Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...
/
CHR CHR or chr may refer to: Organisations * Canadians for Health Research, a national not-for-profit organisation * Centre for Human Rights, an organisation promoting human rights in Africa * Christ Church Secondary School, a government-aided school ...
format with some oldies and local sports coverage blending in, and was an affiliate of
NBC Radio Network The National Broadcasting Company's NBC Radio Network (also known as the NBC Red Network from 1927 to 1942) was an American commercial radio network which was in continuous operation from 1926 through 1999. Along with the NBC Blue Network, it wa ...
's
The Source The Source may refer to: Film and television * ''The Source'' (1918 film), 1918 American drama directed by George Melford * ''The Source'' (1999 film), a 1999 documentary film about the Beat generation * ''The Source'' (2002 film), a 2002 scienc ...
network. The station quickly became the only CHR station in the area but was mixed in with local high school sports coverages as well. Prior to the station's launch, Top 40 titles were previously played on
adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
station
WCTT-FM WCTT-FM (107.3 FM, "T-107") is a Classic Adult Hits– formatted radio station licensed to Corbin, Kentucky, United States. The station is currently owned by the Eubanks family as part of a quadropoly with adult standards station WCTT (680 ...
in Corbin within a 35-mile radius and a strong signal, as well as a moderate signal of AC station WVLK-AM in Lexington. In 1984, Corbin received another adult contemporary station with a strong signal to the Somerset market, former MOR station WYGO-FM, which around the same time, WYGO also became affiliates with both Dan Ingram's Top 40 Satellite Survey, and
Casey Kasem Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem (April 27, 1932 – June 15, 2014) was an American disc jockey, actor, and radio presenter who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably ''American Top 40'', as well as the weekly syndicated televi ...
's (later
Shadoe Stevens Shadoe Stevens (born Terry Ingstad; November 3, 1946) is an American radio host, voiceover actor, and television personality. He was the host of ''American Top 40'' from 1988 to 1995. He currently hosts the internationally syndicated radio sho ...
')
American Top 40 ''American Top 40'' (abbreviated to ''AT40'') is an internationally radio syndication, syndicated, independent song countdown radio programming, radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds, and Ron Jacobs (broadcaster), Ron Jaco ...
despite being an AC station. This lasted until WYGO dropped the AC format in March 1989. This left WCTT the only AC station in the Somerset market and WJDJ the only CHR station in the Somerset market. However, before the launch of WJDJ in 1985, Mainstream Top 40 listeners at the time were either easily directed to listen to WLAP-FM or WFMI in Lexington in the north or
WOKI WOKI (98.7 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Oliver Springs, Tennessee, and serving the Knoxville metropolitan area. It is owned by Cumulus Media and it broadcasts a news/talk format. The studios and offices are on Old Kingston ...
in
Knoxville Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...
in the southeast, both of which have a radius of 60 miles. Knoxville would later have another Mainstream Top 40 station, WTNZ-FM, the following year in 1986. The Top 40/CHR format WJDJ had lasted until mid-January 1991 when the station dropped Top 40 and flipped to an AOR format, leaving the Somerset area without a Top 40 station but titles from the format can still be heard in AC stations in the area, neighboring Corbin's WCTT-FM and the moderate signal of Lexington's WVLK-AM. Once again, this led Top 40 listeners in the Somerset area to direct either to WLAP-FM in Lexington or WOKI in Knoxville. WJDJ's AOR format lasted for only a couple of years until it flipped to an
oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as well as for a radio format playing this music. Since 2 ...
format during the second half of the 1990s, featuring programming from
Westwood One Westwood One, Inc. is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming. The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1976. The co ...
. In October 1996, the station ultimately became an all-1970s format. On September 14, 1998, the station changed its
call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...
to WWZB as an adult contemporary station; it changed to WLLK on April 10, 2001, to WLLK-FM on August 2, 2005, to WSEK on August 9, 2005, as a country station, and to WSEK-FM on June 1, 2016.


References


External links

* {{IHeartMedia SEK-FM Country radio stations in the United States IHeartMedia radio stations Radio stations established in 1985 1985 establishments in Kentucky