WLEZ (FM)

WLEZ
Broadcast areaLouisville metropolitan area
Frequency99.3 MHz
Programming
FormatChristian AC
NetworkK-Love
Ownership
OwnerEducational Media Foundation
History
First air date
October 17, 1979 (1979-10-17)
Former call signs
  • WOKH (1978–2002)
  • WTHX (2002–2008)
  • WKMO (2008–2022)
  • WLEZ-FM (2022)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID48245
ClassA
ERP6,000 watts
HAAT95.0 meters (311.7 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
37°44′26″N 85°49′28″W / 37.74056°N 85.82444°W / 37.74056; -85.82444
Links
Public license information
Websitehttps://www.klove.com

WLEZ (99.3 FM) is a radio station branded as K-Love, a non-commercial Christian adult contemporary radio station format. Licensed to Lebanon Junction, Kentucky, United States, the station is currently owned by Educational Media Foundation.[2]

History

The station went on the air October 17, 1979, as WOKH on 96.7 MHz in Bardstown.[3] Befitting its call letters, the first song played on the station was My Old Kentucky Home.[4] The station was initially broadcasting an adult contemporary format, but it would later become a sports radio station.[5] While an AC station, the station also aired large blocks of local news programming. In 1979, the station once broadcast then-U.S. President Jimmy Carter's town hall visit to Bardstown, and providing live feeds to other stations nationwide.[5]: 132 

The station changed its call sign to WTHX on October 2, 2002. On August 4, 2008, the station changed its call sign to WKMO, and on June 18, 2022, it switched to WLEZ-FM.[6]

In 2015, the station adopted the Nash Icon brand.[7] It later reverted to its previous name of "KMO Country 99.3".

In 2022, Commonwealth Broadcasting filed to sell WKMO, which was renamed WLEZ-FM before the sale, to the Educational Media Foundation for $410,000. WKMO's programming and call sign moved to the former WVKB at 101.5 MHz.[8] On November 1, the last song on WKMO was “Country Girl (Shake It For Me) by Luke Bryan”. The sale to Educational Media Foundation was consummated on November 1, 2022, and the station changed its call sign to WLEZ on November 10, 2022..

References

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WLEZ". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "WLEZ Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. ^ "WOKH(FM)" (PDF). Broadcasting Yearbook. 1983. p. B-95 – via World Radio History.
  4. ^ "A new wave for Bardstown: FM station goes on the air". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. October 18, 1979. p. B3. Retrieved June 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b Nash, Francis M. (1995). Towers Over Kentucky: A History of Radio and TV in the Bluegrass State. p. 131. ISBN 9781879688933.
  6. ^ "WLEZ Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  7. ^ Venta, Lance (February 20, 2015). "Nash Icon Brand Spreads Through Kentucky". RadioInsight.
  8. ^ Venta, Lance (July 1, 2022). "Station Sales Week Of 7/1". RadioInsight. Retrieved July 1, 2022.


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