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| Broadcast area | Evansville, Indiana |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 860kHz |
| Branding | 860-AM & 96.5-FM, WSON |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic hits |
| Affiliations | NBC Radio News Tennessee Titans Radio Network Westwood One Sports |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | December 17, 1941; 83 years ago (1941-12-17)[1] |
Call sign meaning | W HenderSON[2] |
| Technical information[3] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 26946 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 500watts |
Transmitter coordinates | 37°51′11″N87°32′12″W / 37.85306°N 87.53667°W /37.85306; -87.53667 |
| Translator(s) | 96.5 W243CU (Sebree) 107.9 W300ED (Henderson) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | wsonradio.com |
WSON (860AM) is aradio station inHenderson, Kentucky broadcasting a classic hits format. The station is currently owned by Henson Media and features news, sports, weather and music features programming fromNBC Radio News andWestwood One, as well as locally produced programming.[4] The station can be heard during daylight hours in neighboringEvansville, Indiana andOwensboro, Kentucky.
The station's construction permit was issued by the FCC to Paducah Broadcasters, Inc., the station's first owner, in June 1941.[5] On December 17, 1941, ten days after theattack on Pearl Harbor, WSON first signed on the air under direction by Henderson businessman Hecht Lackey, who previously launched and managedWPAD inPaducah andWHOP inHopkinsville.[1]: 36 The station originally broadcast from studios on Zion Road. For most of its first four decades on the air, WSON was a 250 watt daytime-only station, signing off at sunset in order to protectRadio-Canada flagship stationCJBC inToronto, Ontario, Canada. However, a treaty between the United States and Canada signed in the mid-1980s allowed WSON and other daytimers that went off the air to protect Canadianclear-channel stations, to begin nighttime operations as well. WSON must use adirectional antenna from sunset to sunrise, with the signal oriented to the southwest; this protects theskywave signal of CJBC as860 AM is a Canadianclear-channel frequency.
In 1943, the station was sold to Henderson Broadcasting Co., Inc.[5] The next year, the station affiliated with theMutual Broadcasting System (MBS) and doubled its transmitter power to 500 watts.[1]: 36 In 1947, the station's FM companion station was launched as WSON-FM (nowWKDQ); it began simulcasting its AM programming until sometime in 1971,[5] at which point the FM station became a separate entity.[1]: 92
The station relocated to new studios on North Main Street in 1955; the station would return to its original facility in 1967. The following year, the station disaffiliated with MBS to become independent once again. The station picked up an affiliation withABC Radio in 1961, but switched toCBS Radio two years afterwards.[1]: 92
WSON would eventually become affiliated withNBC Radio.
In July 2010, owner Henry Lackey, the son of station founder Hecht Lackey, announced that he had agreed to sell WSON to Ed Henson, which ownsWMSK-AM-FM inMorganfield andSturgis, Kentucky. The deal received FCC approval and was consummated soon thereafter.[5][6]
In September 2011, WSON began simulcasting on an FM translator, W243CU (96.5 FM), which is licensed toSebree, Kentucky. W243CU, which has aneffective radiated power of 250 watts, can be heard up to 30 miles in any direction from its transmitter site in the Wolf Hills north of Henderson. It allows listeners in Evansville and surrounding communities to listen to WSON's programming after nightfall, when the AM station has to adjust its coverage.
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