WSKY (AM)
| City | Asheville, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Asheville |
| Slogan | "Radio That Changes the Way You Live" |
| Frequency | 1230 kHz |
| Format | Religious |
| Power | 1,000 Watts |
| Class | C |
| Transmitter coordinates | 35°37′8″N 82°34′19″W / 35.61889°N 82.57194°W |
| Owner | Wilkins Communications Network |
| Website | WSKY 1230AM website |
WSKY (1230 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a religious format. Licensed to Asheville, North Carolina, USA. The station is currently owned by Wilkins Communications Network.
For almost 50 years, Zeb Lee ran WSKY, including serving as an announcer for high-school football games. He was the first to introduce rock and roll to Asheville when he sponsored an Elvis Presley concert in 1955.
Zeb Lee was a pioneer in Asheville broadcasting. First he loved radio and honestly cared about the community; he produced many great radio programs, including "The Man on the Street" a daily talk show live in front of the S & W Cafeteria in downtown Asheville. For many years Zeb and his engineer "Buddy" Resienburg did a live broadcast of every Asheville High football game. Zeb Lee hired and trained many DJ's who went on to have great careers in large market radio.
WSKY was a Top 40 station in the 1970s and early 1980s.
In March 1994, Lee sold WSKY in order to put WZLS on the air.
Later, the station switched to oldies and then talk radio. Rick Howerton was brought in to manage the station and host the local morning show under the name of "Dolby James." Howerton also switched the format to 24 hour News and Talk, where it was a hybrid Talk/Oldies station. It was the first Asheville station to air Rush Limbaugh. Howerton tried to purchase the station to no avail, however he was able to secure the rights to an old Southern Railway frequency (AM 880) that was eventually sold to a local businessman/entrepreneur - while WSKY was sold to Wilkins Communications and changed to Christian programming. After several months of trying to get the station on the air, Howerton was asked back and to assist and signed on WTZY in the summer of 1997. Subsequently, most of the programming on WSKY was added to the new WTZY (now WPEK). WTZY also shared simulcast duties with WTZK (formerly WZQR in Black Mountain, North Carolina) which was also purchased by the local businessman. Howerton went on to form Zybek Media Group with his wife Beth and they purchased WAAK (WZRH and WCRU) in Dallas, NC and WWRN (WZNN and WZGM) in Black Mountain, NC.
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