WLBQ

WLBQ (1570 AM), known locally on air as "BeechTree Radio," is a radio station broadcasting a Classic Hits format. Licensed to Morgantown, Kentucky, United States. The station is currently owned by Beech Tree Publishing. Its transmitter is located along south Main Street (US 231/KY 79) [2][3] The studios are located at 210 South Main Street in downtown Morgantown.

WLBQ
CityMorgantown, Kentucky
Broadcast areaButler County, Kentucky
Morgantown, Kentucky
Beaver Dam, Kentucky
Bowling Green
Frequency1570 kHz
BrandingBeech Tree Radio
The Q: 103.5 North, 101.5 South (for W278DA and W268CE)
SloganLocal Radio the Way it Should Be
Programming
FormatFull service
(Featuring Classic Hits)
AffiliationsKentucky News Network
ABC News Radio
Ownership
OwnerBeech Tree Publishing
History
First air date
1976 (on AM 1570)
August 21, 2014 (on FM 101.5)
December 26, 2018 (on FM 103.5)
Call sign meaning
W Lincoln Broadcasting Q
(derived from a previous owner)
Technical information
Facility ID7904
ClassAM & FM: D
PowerAM: 1,000 watts day
150 watts night
ERPFM: 250 watts
Transmitter coordinates
37°13′9″N 86°41′21″W
Translator(s)W268CE (101.5 FM) Morgantown[1]
W278DA (103.5 FM) Caneyville
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitewlbq1015.com
beechtreenews.com

History

The station first signed on the air sometime in August 1976 when it became fully licensed by the FCC.[4] Its original owner was Joseph W. Meyers, the controller of Lincoln Broadcasting of Hodgenville, Kentucky. The station was operated under the licensee name of Lincoln Broadcasting until the license was reassigned to Butler County Broadcasting in the 1977-1978 winter season.[5] In April 1978, the station was under ownership of the late Charles Black, who was also mayor of Morgantown at the time.[6] Butler County Broadcasting was renamed BeechTree Publishing sometime in the 2000s, hence the previous branding that was used by the station until 2015.

On May 20, 2014, WLBQ-AM was granted a construction permit for a new FM translator, W268CE, licensed to Morgantown, broadcasting at 101.5 on the FM dial, operating on 250 watts of effective radiated power, transmitting from a tower along Veterans Way near the Charles Black City Park in Morgantown.[7][8][9][10] The new translator signed on the air on the morning of August 21, 2014 during WLBQ's morning program, Out On A Limb. The station began branding by their FM frequency as soon as September 2014. After launching their FM translator, the station now occasionally competes with WXMZ in nearby Hartford, in Ohio County due to that station's oldies format.

In Fall 2015, WLBQ, in conjunction with the Butler County High School, began the Broadcasting and Media Class at the high school, providing high school students an opportunity to learn the behind-the-scenes work in the radio industry, This included how to write for radio, including commercials, promos, and newscasts. That class took part in WLBQ's broadcast of senior night activities during a BCHS basketball broadcast, including pre- and post-game programming, and color analogy during the game.[11]

In December 2018, in order to broaden its FM coverage, WLBQ launched a second low-power translator, W278DA, licensed to Caneyville, in neighboring Grayson County, broadcasting at 103.5 megahertz, with transmission tower located at the junction of State Highway 79 and Brooklyn Road (KY 340) near Welchs Creek.[12][13]

Local news and programming

WLBQ's news department is Butler County's only news source without stories from other areas. Their news department uses the moniker "Beech Tree News."

Out On a Limb is the local radio show that focuses on current issues and public affairs in Butler County. The show is hosted by John Embry, and is broadcast on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays at 7:00 am, with replays at 10:00 am and 7:00 pm.[14][15] The Leadership Limb, a "leadership Edition" of Out on A Limb is broadcast on Wednesdays at 7 a.m., with same replay times, with Jim Green and Landon Hampton hosting.

The local news at 12 noon every day consists of these segments in broadcast order: Local news, obituaries, local sports, community news, swap shop, and weather. WLBQ also broadcast statewide news updates from the Kentucky News Network, a statewide network that brings news headlines from across Kentucky. On Sundays, WLBQ also broadcast locally based religious radio shows, including broadcasts of worship services from local churches.[16]

As of 2015, the station broadcasts a full-service format with local news, and the station plays music from four genres of music, including Classic Top 40, Hot Adult Contemporary, Classic Country, and Classic Rock, with all songs played released no later than the mid-1990s. Except for news and classic rock, this practice is also followed by WIFX-FM of Jenkins, Kentucky. WLBQ is the exclusive radio home of sporting events involving the teams of Butler County High School, home of the Butler County Bears. Sporting Events include football, boys and girls basketball, baseball, and softball. Additional sports-related content is provided by the Kentucky News Network's sports division.

In December 2015, WLBQ began providing hourly national news updates from ABC News Radio.

List of local programs

The following is a list of locally produced programs broadcast by WLBQ outside of music programming:

  • News at Noon
  • News at Four
  • Out on A Limb
  • Butler County Ag Connections
  • Butler County Sports Jam - a sports-talk programming devoted to Butler County High School sports, along with Kentucky, Louisville, and WKU sports, and national sports happenings

Advertising

WLBQ Beech Tree Radio also offers ads to local businesses in Butler and surrounding counties. Business owners can contact the station by phone or email to place an ad to attract customers. Listeners of the station can also place an ad to be displayed on the web site and in the "Swap Shop" segment of the 12 noon local news that is broadcast every day (including weekends).[17]

On-air staff [18]
  • Landon Hampton - Staff meteorologist at WLBQ [19] [also a morning weatherman at WNKY-TV/Bowling Green and produces weather-casts for The Edmonson Voice of Brownsville (since 2017)]
  • John Embry - Vice Manager and host of Out On A Limb.
  • Diane Dyer - Local news updates at 12 noon Central time weekdays
  • Joe K. Morris (a.k.a. Smokin' Joe) - Weekday mornings from 6-10 am
  • Josh Hampton - Weeknights 8–12 am; host of Out On a Limb Leadership Edition on Wednesdays
  • Don Thomason (a.k.a. Don the Midday Rider) - weekdays 10 am–3 pm and Saturday late afternoons
  • Kathy Thomason - Weekday afternoons 3-6 pm, including late afternoon newscast; also previously hosted the now-canceled Coffee with Kathy
  • James White - host of the Butler County Sports Jam

Coverage area

WLBQ's AM signal covers mainly the Butler County, Kentucky area during the night hours. During the daytime hours, when the signal consumes more power, its signal would cover the same areas as at night, but also reach parts of, if not all, of nearby sections of neighboring counties, like Edmonson, Grayson, Logan, Muhlenberg, Ohio, and Warren counties. Under the right conditions during the daytime, the signal may also reach northern Todd County, and parts of Simpson County.[20] But for best quality when listening to this station, listeners can listen online at the station's website.

Translators

In addition to the main station at 1570 on the AM dial, WLBQ is relayed by an additional translator on the FM dial to widen its broadcast area and to provide a better quality radio signal to listeners within the regular WLBQ coverage area.

Call signFrequency
(MHz)		City of licenseERP
(W)		ClassFCC info
W268CE101.5Morgantown, Kentucky250DFCC
W278DA103.5Caneyville, Kentucky250DFCC

BeechTree News

The station management is also in charge of a local online news website, BeechTree News. As an alternative to the county's printed newspaper, it was established in 2009 to provide much local news information, along with select news stories from the rest of the state to its online users.

References
  1. http://radio-locator.com/info/W268CE-FX
  2. "WLBQ Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. WLBQ-AM Radio Station Information
  4. For The Record -- New Stations. Broadcasting, August 23, 1976, page 89.
  5. For The Record -- Ownership changes. Broadcasting, January 16, 1978, page 65.
  6. For The Record -- Changing Hands. Broadcasting, October 1, 1979, page 64.
  7. WLBQ: About Us
  8. http://radio-locator.com/info/W268CE-FX
  9. WLBQ Contour Map on Google Maps
  10. RadioInsight -- FCC Applications 6/4
  11. Dyer, Diane (June 6, 2016). "BCHS & WLBQ 101.5 Broadcasting Class". BeechTreeNews.com. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  12. https://radio-locator.com/info/W278DA-FX?loc=37.21946%2C-86.69251&locn=Morgantown%2C%20Kentucky
  13. Embry, John (December 31, 2018). "WLBQ Expands Coverage with New FM Translator on North Side". BeechTreeNews.com. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  14. https://www.facebook.com/wlbq1570
  15. https://www.facebook.com/beechtreenews
  16. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=251456468314286&set=pb.233327250127208.-2207520000.1391102385.&type=3&theater
  17. Contact | BeechTree News Network
  18. WLBQ: Staff
  19. BeechTree Weather
  20. http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WLBQ&service=AM&status=L&hours=D
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