WNKU affiliate sold to country music station; format TBD

While WNKU will switch to religious content soon, a different fate awaits its Middletown affiliate.

That's because a Grant County, Kentucky, country music station announced Thursday it bought WNKN (105.9 FM) from Northern Kentucky University for $5.3 million. 

The future format for WNKN is still undecided. 

WNKN, a repeater station for 89.7 FM WNKU, broadcasts the same programs as WNKU in the Middletown area. 

Bible Broadcasting Network out of Charlotte bought WNKU for $1.9 million in February, touching off a wave of anger among fans of the station's adult album alternative format. That means the music of artists like Big Star, Elvis Costello and the Velvet Underground will give way to Bible readings.

That change will happen once the Federal Communications Commission approves the sale, something NKU officials expect to happen in August or September. 

Dry Ridge-based Grant County Broadcasters, which operates classic country music station WNKR-FM (106.7 FM), purchased WNKN for more than its parent station because its signal was stronger and had more listeners, NKU officials said.

Just because the buyer is a country music station doesn't mean WNKN will also be country. Grant County Broadcasters has yet to decide the format, President Jeff Ziesmann said in a statement. 

"The company will convert the station back to a for-profit, commercial operation and is doing research that will determine the format that will present the best possible ratings and revenue opportunity for the station," Ziesmann said. 

The adult album alternative format is an option, Ziesmann said. 

Grant County Broadcasters was the highest of four bids on WNKN. NKU won't release the names of the other bidders but Louisville Public Radio had announced earlier they were interested in buying the station and keeping its public radio format.

"We want to focus on what's best for the students," said Rich Boehne, chairman of NKU's Board of Regents. "It gets us out from the ongoing operating losses the stations had. It means the students are no longer subsidizing the radio operation."

WNKN's sale must also go through the same FCC approval process as WNKU. WNKN will continue WNKU's current format until its sale goes through.