WKEY (AM)
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| City | Covington, Virginia |
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| Broadcast area |
Covington, Virginia Clifton Forge, Virginia |
| Branding | "103.5 Big Country" |
| Slogan | "The Highland's Best Country" |
| Frequency | 1340 AM kHz |
| First air date | May 23, 1941 |
| Format | Country |
| Power | 1,000 watts (day and night) |
| Class | C |
| Facility ID | 73157 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 37°46′3.0″N 79°59′6.0″W / 37.767500°N 79.985000°W |
| Callsign meaning | Earl M. Key former owner |
| Former callsigns | WJMA (1941-1943) |
| Affiliations |
Dial Global's Mainstream Country network Fox News Radio MRN Radio PRN Radio Virginia Sports Network |
| Owner | Todd P. Robinson, Inc. (WVJT, LLC) |
| Sister stations | WJVR, WXCF |
| Webcast | WKEY Webstream |
| Website | WKEY Online |
WKEY (1340 AM) is an American radio station licensed to serve the community of Covington, Virginia. The station, which began broadcasting in 1941, is owned and operated by Todd P. Robinson, Inc. The WKEY broadcast license is held by WVJT, LLC.
The station broadcasts a country music format to the Covington/Clifton Forge area. WKEY is branded, along with its broadcast translator W278BF (103.5 FM, Covington), as "103.5 Big Country".
WKEY began broadcasting on May 23, 1941 as WJMA with 250 watts of power. WJMA was owned by John Arrington Jr. and his wife, Marcia. On May 26, 1942, WJMA was sold to Earl M. Key and the callsign changed to WKEY in 1943.
By 1964, the station's power had increased to 1,000 watts during the day, while the nighttime power remained at 250 watts. On June 1, 1973, WKEY was sold to WKEY, Inc., headed by E.H. Barr, for an undisclosed amount. WKEY increased its nighttime power in 1987 to 1,000 watts, matching its daytime power.
On December 20, 2002, WKEY was acquired by Quorum Radio Partners of Virginia, Inc. for $650,000. During 2002, WKEY switched from its longtime country format to oldies. On April 20, 2005, Quorum Radio Partners of Virginia, Inc. filed for bankruptcy and WKEY placed into debtor-in-possession status pending a sale. On January 1, 2006, WKEY was sold to Todd P. Robinson, Inc., for $100,000.
On May 1, 2008, the station changed its format from oldies to Southern Gospel, under "The Cross" branding. On January 14, 2012, WKEY began simulcasting sister station WIQO-FM, after its move to Forest, Virginia, and away from Covington. On August 9, 2012, WKEY began simulcasting full-time on translator station W278BF (103.5 FM), located in Covington, with the country format that was previously heard on WIQO.
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Wikipedia