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WOVO

Auburn, Kentucky
Broadcast area	Bowling Green area
Frequency	96.7 MHz
Branding	Bigfoot Legends 96.7 FM
Programming
Format	Country
Affiliations	Compass Media Networks
Ownership
Owner	Seven Mountains Media (Southern Belle Media Family, LLC)
Sister stations	W240CP, WBGN, WBVR-FM, WPTQ, WUHU, WWKU
History
First air date	May 1965; 59 years ago (1965-05)
Former call signs	WLBJ-FM (1965–1987) WCBZ (1987–1992) WBZD (1992–1993) WMJM (1993–1994) WBVR-FM (1994–2025)
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	71244
Class	C2
ERP	45,000 watts
HAAT	129 metres (423 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	36°50′35″N 86°15′30″W / 36.84306°N 86.25833°W / 36.84306; -86.25833
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen live
Website	bigfootlegendsky.com

WOVO (96.7 MHz) is a country music–formatted radio station licensed to Auburn, Kentucky, United States, and serving the Bowling Green area. The station is owned by Seven Mountains Media. The station share studios on Scottsville Road in southern Bowling Green, and the station's transmitter is located in northwestern Allen County just east of Alvaton.

History

As WLBJ-FM (1963–1987)

On December 11, 1963, Bowling Green Broadcasters, Inc., a subsidiary of Bahakel Communications and owner of WLBJ (1410 AM), received a construction permit to build a new FM radio station in Bowling Green on 96.7 MHz. WLBJ-FM began broadcasting in May 1965. This was the first time WLBJ had offered an FM service since the early 1950s, when it owned WBON, later WLBJ-FM.

By the late 1970s, the station was airing an album-oriented rock format known as "Natural 97 FM". This shifted to contemporary hit radio "BJ-97" in 1980.

Final years of Bahakel ownership (1987–1992)

In 1987, the station's callsign was changed to WCBZ, resulting in the rebranding to "Z-97".

In 1991, Bahakel announced it would sell WCBZ to Target Communications; it retained the AM, which it opted to shut down for good in December, with the FM station remaining silent until Target completed the sale.

As a mainstream rock station (1992–1994)

After an upgrade to 25,000 watts, WCBZ returned to the air in 1992 as rock station WBZD "Buzzard 96.7". The format then changed again when the station rebranded itself "Magic" with the callsign changing to WMJM in 1993.

As the "Beaver" (1994–2025)

In July 1994, the Beaver brand and format moved to WMJM, which became the new WBVR-FM, and to a second station, WVVR (100.3 MHz) in Hopkinsville. Keymarket Communications, which shared some ownership with Target, had simultaneously acquired the previous Beaver station, 101.1 MHz from Russellville, along with WLAC and WLAC-FM in Nashville; the Beaver move freed up the 101.1 facility to gear itself toward Nashville as R&B-formatted WJCE-FM "The Juice".

The 25,000-watt upgrade was finally approved in 2001; as a result, the city of license for the station was changed from Bowling Green to Auburn, Kentucky.

In an unknown year, the station was bought by Forever Communications.

Seven Mountains Media acquisition

In September 2023, it was announced that Seven Mountains Media would acquire 4 Forever Communications stations in the Bowling Green area for just over $1.1 million. The other stations include WBGN, WLYE-FM, and WUHU.

Frequency swap with WBVR-FM, and Bigfoot Country (2025–present)

On January 10, 2025, Seven Mountains Media swapped frequencies with this station and WBVR-FM (formerly WOVO) and that station flipped to a country format.

Previous logo

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References

1. "WBVR-FM Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
2. "Facility Technical Data for WOVO". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
3. "History Cards for WBVR-FM". Federal Communications Commission. (Guide to reading History Cards)
4. "WLBJ Gets Approval For FM Station". Park City Daily News. December 13, 1963. p. 2 – via Google Books.
5. "WLBJ Offering FM Broadcasts". The Park City Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. May 23, 1965. p. 29. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "WLBJ's FM Station, WBON, Resumes Broadcasting". The Park City Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. December 10, 1950. p. 2. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
7. Ribar, Richard (November 2, 1979). "Mr. Natural: Four and a half years after 97, Preston is leaving Bowling Green". The Park City Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. p. 7-B. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "WCBZ-FM sale pending approval". The Park City Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. August 21, 1991. p. 3-A. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "BG radio stations sign off the air". The Park City Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. December 8, 1991. p. 4-A. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Radio stations' rock'n'roll formats are missed". The Park City Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. January 27, 1993. p. 4-A. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Where Did 101.1 FM Go?". News-Democrat and Leader. Russellville, Kentucky. July 28, 1994. p. 2. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Stark, Phyllis (July 30, 1994). "Apocalypse Soon, Says Family Radio Chief; Clinton Backs Off Broadcaster Spectrum Tax" (PDF). Billboard. p. 122. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
13. Venta, Lance (September 15, 2023). "Seven Mountains Media Acquires Bowling Green KY Cluster". RadioInsight. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
14. Venta, Lance (January 10, 2025). "Seven Mountains Completes Bowling Green Format Shuffle". RadioInsight. Retrieved January 11, 2025.

External links

• Facility details for Facility ID 71244 (WOVO) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WOVO in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
• Station Website

• Country radio stations in the United States
• Radio stations in Kentucky
• Seven Mountains Media
• Radio stations established in 1965
• 1965 establishments in Kentucky
• Logan County, Kentucky