Wednesday marks the 73rd anniversary of WPKY’s first broadcast, making it one of the longest-running licensed stations in Kentucky.
Twyman Boren, the former manager of the radio station, is now 92-years old and recounted during an interview the filing of the radio station’s FCC license and the first on-air employees that initiated its operation on March 15, 1950.
click to download audioBoren said that WPKY’s signal was strong enough to reach beyond the border into Canada due to favorable atmospheric conditions.
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According to Boren, he enjoyed gathering news while employed at the station.
click to download audioHe also played a role in WPKY’s sports coverage.
click to download audioHe recalled one game in which the phone lines had been switched around.
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Boren also reminisced about WPKY’s sports guru and sports historian Todd Griffin, who started at WPKY while he was in high school.
click to download audioWPKY’s original tower site was on Dawson Springs Road until it was moved when Commonwealth Broadcasting bought the station.
The station was later sold to local residents Joe and Kathy McEnaney, the owner of McDonald’s, and Dan and Lucinda Gray, the owners of Trice-Hughes Chevrolet Buick GMC. After they purchased the station, it was moved from downtown to its current location at 1035 West Main Street.
In 2018, WPKY was purchased by Edge Media Group President and CEO Beth Mann to join her other radio stations WKDZ in Cadiz and WHVO in Hopkinsville. The station in Princeton has continued to focus on the community by providing information and news, particularly following the December 2021 tornado when WPKY opened its microphones to city and county leaders, FEMA, and volunteer organizations who needed to get out vital information to survivors.
This morning’s guests for WPKY’s 73rd Anniversary celebration included former employees Ken Cummins, Shirley Gray, Tom Rogers, former station manager Twyman Boren, and Todd Griffin.
