WBVR-FM

WBVR-FM (96.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. The station, which is licensed to Auburn, Kentucky, United States, and serving the Bowling Green area, is owned by Forever Communications, Inc.[2]

Not to be confused with WVVR.
WBVR-FM
CityAuburn, Kentucky
Broadcast areaBowling Green area
Frequency96.7 MHz
BrandingBeaver 96.7
Slogan#1 Country
Programming
FormatCountry
Ownership
OwnerForever Communications, Inc.
WBGN, WLYE-FM, WUHU
History
First air date
March 28, 1965 (1965-03-28)
Former call signs
WRUS-FM (1965-1976)
WAKQ (1976-1984)
Former frequencies
92.1 MHz (1965-1976)
101.1 MHz (1976-1994)
Call sign meaning
BeaVeR [1]
Technical information
Facility ID71244
ClassC2
ERP45 kWs
HAAT129 metres (423 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
36°50′35″N 86°15′30″W
Links
Websitewww.beaverfm.com

The station's transmitter is located in northwestern Allen County just east of Alvaton.

History

The station began broadcasting on March 28, 1962 at 92.1 MHz as WRUS-FM. It was a part-time repeater of WRUS-AM until 1976, simulcasting news programming, but plays a different format of music.

The station moved to the 101.1 FM frequency upon the callsign change to WAKQ around 1976. Along with the frequency and callsign changes, the station began broadcasting a Top 40/CHR format. It became known on air as "KQ-101". The station's current callsign of "WBVR-FM" was adopted in 1984.[3] The station continued with the Top 40/CHR format until at least 1987, when the station began branding itself as "Beaver 101 FM", and switching to their current country music format.[4]

On September 1, 1994, the station moved to its current 96.7 FM frequency after the permanent sign-off of the previous 96.7 occupant, WMJM (the former WLBJ-FM) in Bowling Green.[5] Upon the frequency change, the station changed its branding to "96.7 The Beaver". Other nicknames the station had include "Big Money Beaver" (usually uttered by winners of the station's contests) and "Gen-U-Wine Country."

Prior to WBVR's move down the dial, the license for the 101.1 FM frequency in Russellville was sold to Nashville, Tennessee-based Clear Channel Communications (now part of iHeartMedia). That is also when that company began to use that frequency to sign on WJZC-FM (now WUBT), which is still licensed to Russellville, but the station is based in downtown Nashville along with Clear Channel's other Nashville-area stations (e.g. WLAC, WNRQ, WRVW, and WSIX-FM). In that same year, though a few months earlier, WVVR in Clarksville, Tennessee (licensed to Hopkinsville, Kentucky) ceased their oldies format and became a similarly branded and formatted station serving the Clarksville, Tennessee radio market.

At some time in the early 2000s, WBVR-FM's broadcasting license was moved to Auburn, Kentucky, but the studios remained in Bowling Green, sharing office space with WUHU and WBGN. In 2009, WBVR's branding was re-arranged and is now known as "Beaver 96.7". As a country station, WBVR's main competitor is WGGC, but the station secondarily competes with two other country stations within the Bowling Green market, as well as the four country stations that are based in Nashville that can be easily heard from southern Kentucky.

On-air personalities

Current
  • Preston Green
  • Shannon Presley
  • Alan Austin
  • Bailey Brooks
  • Travis Lee

Former
  • Scooter Davis, weekday mornings (199?-2014), deceased 2016 [6]

During the KQ-101 era, the main on-air personality was Lon Sash, a.k.a. "Big Daddy Bobaloo".

References
  1. "Call Letter Origins". Radio History on the Web.
  2. "WBVR-FM Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. 1985 Broadcasting Yearbook, page B-112
  4. 1987 Broadcasting Yearbook, page 120
  5. "WBVR Callsign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  6. WBKO News Staff (June 24, 2016). "Scooter Davis Passes Away". WBKO. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
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