WGBF (AM)

For the FM radio station in Henderson, Kentucky, United States, see WGBF-FM.

WGBF (1280 AM) is a commercial radio station broadcasting a talk radio format in Evansville, Indiana. The station is owned by Townsquare Media with studios on NW 3rd Street in Evansville.^[3]

WGBF

Evansville, Indiana
Broadcast area	Evansville metropolitan area
Frequency	1280 kHz
Branding	Newstalk 1280
Programming
Format	Talk Radio
Network	Fox News Radio
Affiliations	Compass Media Networks Premiere Networks Radio America Westwood One
Ownership
Owner	Townsquare Media (Townsquare Media of Evansville/Owensboro, Inc.)
Sister stations	WDKS, WGBF-FM, WJLT, WKDQ
History
First air date	November 22, 1923; 101 years ago (1923-11-22)[1]
Former call signs	WWOK (1989–1995)
Call sign meaning	"G. B. Finke Furniture Co."
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	660
Class	B
Power	5,000 watts (days) 1,000 watts (nights)
Transmitter coordinates	37°59′45.00″N 87°28′36.00″W
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen live
Website	newstalk1280.com

By day, WGBF is powered at 5,000 watts. But to protect other stations on 1280 AM from interference, WGBF reduces power at night to 1,000 watts, using a directional antenna. It broadcasts from a two-tower array near the intersection of Morgan Avenue and Burkhardt Road in Evansville. Only one tower is used for daytime non-directional operation.

Programming

Most programs on WGBF are nationally syndicated shows. Weekdays on WGBF begin with The Ramsey Show with Dave Ramsey. That's followed by The Glenn Beck Radio Program, The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, The Sean Hannity Show, The Mark Levin Show, America at Night with Rich Valdés and Coast to Coast AM with George Noory.

The Purdue University Boilermakers, Indianapolis Colts and local high school football broadcasts can also be found on WGBF. Most hours begin with an update from Fox News Radio.

History

WGBF signed on the air on November 22, 1923; 101 years ago (1923-11-22).^[1] It was owned by the Finke Furniture Company.^[1]: 93 and became a licensed facility in 1925.^[4] It is the oldest station in the Evansville area.

In its early years, it broadcast on 620 kilocycles. It was limited to 500 watts, a fraction of its current output. And it had to share its frequency with another station, each taking turns on broadcasting programs.^[5] The studios were at 519 Vine Street. The North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA) was enacted in 1942. At that point, WGBF moved to its current dial position of 1290 kHz.^[6] That allowed it to broadcast at all times, no longer sharing the frequency.

The station became a affliate of the NBC Red Network, carrying its dramas, comedies, news and sports during the "Golden Age of Radio." It was acquired by the Leich family in the 1940s. The station was purchased by Metro Radio of Evansville, headed by Vernon Nolte, who converted the station into a Top 40 outlet in 1975.^[1]: 93

The station changed its call sign to WWOK on October 23, 1989, following the station's purchase by Aiken Communications.^[1]: 93 Then, on August 28, 1995, the station returned to its original WGBF call letters.^[7]