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.^[4]

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; 102 years ago (1923-11-22)[1]
Former call signs	WWOK (1989–1995)
Call sign meaning	randomly assigned from a sequential list[2]
Technical information[3]
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.^[1] It was owned by the Finke Furniture Company.^[1]: 93 and became a licensed facility in 1925.^[5] It was the first station in the Evansville area.

On November 11, 1928, with the adoption of the Federal Radio Commission's General Order 40, it was assigned to 630 kHz. On this new frequency it was limited to 500 watts, a fraction of its later output, and also had to share this assignment with two Missouri stations: WOS in Jefferson City (which was deleted in 1936), and KFRU in Columbia,^[6] taking turns on broadcasting programs.^[7] The studios were at 519 Vine Street. In 1940, WGBF moved to 1250 kHz, and the following March, with the implementation of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA), WGBF moved to its final dial position of 1280 kHz.^[8] That allowed it to broadcast at all times, no longer sharing the frequency.

The station became a affiliate 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.^[9]

In December 2025, it was announced that WGBF will be taken silent at the end of the year.^[10]