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| Broadcast area | Jacksonville metro area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 690KHz |
| Branding | ESPN 690 |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Sports |
| Affiliations | ESPN Radio Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | October 23, 1958; 67 years ago (1958-10-23) |
Former call signs | WAPE (1958–89) WJKF (1989) WPDQ (1989–94) |
Call sign meaning | "OK" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 53601 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 50,000 watts day 25,000 watts night |
Transmitter coordinates | 30°07′56.3″N81°41′58.9″W / 30.132306°N 81.699694°W /30.132306; -81.699694 (WOKV-690 AM (day)) (day) 30°18′28.5″N81°56′22.5″W / 30.307917°N 81.939583°W /30.307917; -81.939583 (WOKV-690 AM (night tower)) (night) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live Listen live (via Audacy) |
| Website | www |
WOKV (690kHz) is acommercialAMradio station licensed toJacksonville, Florida, United States. WOKV is owned byCox Media Group and broadcasts asports format from studios in Jacksonville'sSouthside district andtransmitters inOrange Park andBaldwin.
AM 690 is a Canadian and Mexicanclear-channel frequency, on whichCKGM inMontreal, Quebec, andXEN-AM inMexico City, Mexico, shareClass A status.
AM 690 firstsigned on the air on October 23, 1958, as WAPE.[2] It was adaytimer, owned by Brennan Broadcasting. WAPE originally broadcast with 25,000 watts and was required to be off the air at night. In 1963, the station got a boost to 50,000 watts by day and it also got nighttime authorization, running 10,000 watts after sunset; a previous attempt to add 25,000 watts of night power in 1960 was dismissed as contravening theNorth American Regional Broadcasting Agreement.[3]
For more than two decades, WAPE operated as a popularTop 40 station, known as "The Big Ape". Comic actorJay Thomas started his professional career as the station's morning man.[4] The Brennan family sold the station in 1970 to Stan and Sis Atlass Kaplan for $1.48 million.[5]
Eastman Radio acquired WAPE in 1980.[6] The next year, despite a rating increase, WAPE flipped tocountry.[7] Several years later, it converted to aChristian radio format. In 1986, WAPE migrated to 95.1 MHz (which, at the time, aired arhythmic contemporary as WJAX-FM) and relaunched its Top 40 format asWAPE-FM.
In 1989, WAPE was bought by Genesis Communications, which changed thecall sign to WJKF, and then to WPDQ, and switched the format to news/talk.[8] The station carried a mix of local hosts and nationally syndicated shows, and was an affiliate of theABC Information Network.
In 1993, Prism Radio Partners bought WPDQ for $400,000.[9] The following year, Prism bought talk stationWOKV (600 AM) andoldies stationWKQL (96.9 FM) for $3.75 million.[10] The company moved the talk programming and call letters of WOKV from 600 to 690.
Cox Radio acquired WOKV and several other Jacksonville-area stations in 2000. In 2006, Cox upgraded WOKV's nighttime signal to 25,000 watts after sunset, with a broader pattern, and also added an FMsimulcast on 106.5 FM, formerly WBGB (nowWHJX). This made WOKV one of only a few large-market news/talk radio stations at the time to simulcast on both AM and FM. In 2013, the FM simulcast was upgraded when WOKV moved the simulcast tothe former WFYV-FM at 104.5, broadcasting with 100,000 watts; the 106.5 frequency returned to a music format, first assoft AC WEZI, then asalternative rock WXXJ, and now asurban adult contemporary WHJX.
WOKV was theflagship for theNFL'sJacksonville Jaguars from the team's inception in 1995 through 2013.WJXL took over that role in 2014.
In 2010, WOKV was added as a Primary Entry Point to theEmergency Alert System as part of a doubling of the number of designated PEP stations.[11]
On January 2, 2019, WOKV (AM) split from its simulcast with WOKV-FM and changed its format to sports, branded as "ESPN 690" with programming fromESPN Radio.[12]
WOKV has one of the strongest daytime AM signals in the Southeast.[13] In addition to theJacksonville metropolitan area, itsnon-directional 50,000–watt daytime signal covers the Atlantic coast, as far south asMelbourne, Florida, and as far north asCape Hatteras, North Carolina, an area that includesSavannah, Georgia, andCharleston, South Carolina. At night, the station reduces power to 25,000 watts and uses adirectional antenna to protectclear channelClass A stationCKGM inMontreal as well as older, high-power stations on the 690 frequency, includingXEWW inBaja California,Mexico, andCBU inVancouver, British Columbia,Canada.
WOKV AM 690's programming is made up primarily ofESPN Radio shows, with some live play-by-play coverage of sporting events.