WCLU to celebrate 80 years of local radio with anniversary event
The station, now known as WCLU 1490 AM, first went on the air in September 1946 under the call letters WKAY.
GLASGOW, Ky. — WCLU will celebrate 80 years of local radio in Glasgow this week with special broadcasts, historic interviews and a community gathering downtown.
The station, now known as WCLU 1490 AM, first went on the air in September 1946 under the call letters WKAY.
The call letters were changed to WCLU in 1988 after Henry Royse, now Glasgow’s mayor, purchased the station and chose the new call letters as a nod to his children’s initials.
Commonwealth Broadcasting, which operates the station, will mark the anniversary throughout the week of Sept. 21–25 with special on-air interviews featuring former employees, community members and others connected to the station's history.
The interviews will highlight people, stories and memories from eight decades of local radio in Glasgow and Barren County.
The celebration will culminate Friday, Sept. 25, at 2 p.m. with an anniversary broadcast and community gathering at Commonwealth Broadcasting's studios at Commerce Plaza, 113 W. Public Square, Suite 400, in downtown Glasgow.
The program will include a recreation of portions of WKAY's original 1946 sign-on broadcast, according to a notice from Barren Inc.
Community leaders also will offer remarks, followed by a ribbon cutting with Barren Inc. to mark the station's 80th anniversary.
Eight decades of local radio
When WKAY first signed on in 1946, it became Glasgow’s first radio station.
Over the decades, the station has remained a source of local news, information and community programming while changing call letters and operating under different ownership.
This week’s anniversary celebration is intended to recognize the people who have been part of that history and the listeners who have supported the station over the years.
The public is invited to attend Friday’s anniversary gathering.
The bottom line
WCLU 1490 AM is celebrating 80 years of local radio in Glasgow. The anniversary week runs Sept. 21–25, with the celebration ending with a 2 p.m. ribbon cutting and community gathering Friday at the station's downtown Glasgow studios.
