WCTT (AM)
{{for|the FM radio station in Corbin, Kentucky, United States|WCTT-FM}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name = WCTT
| logo = 150px
| city = Corbin, Kentucky
| area =
| branding = Great 68
| frequency = 680 kHz
| repeater =
| translator = 105.3 W287DL (Corbin)
| airdate = 1947 (first license granted, at 1400)
| format = Adult standards
| power = 770 watts day
830 watts night
| class = B
| facility_id = 14361
| coordinates = {{coord|36|54|9|N|84|4|50|W|region:US_type:city}}
| callsign_meaning = Corbin Times-Tribune
(original owner)
| former_callsigns =
| former_frequencies = 1400 kHz (1947–1951)
| affiliations =
| owner = Eubanks family
| licensee = Encore Communications, Inc
| sister_stations = WCTT-FM, WKDP (AM), WKDP-FM
| webcast =
| website = [http://www.wctt.com/ wctt.com]
| licensing_authority= FCC
}}
WCTT (680 AM) is a radio station broadcasting an adult standards format known as Great 68. Licensed to Corbin, Kentucky, United States. The station is currently owned by the Eubanks family as part of a quadropoly with CHR/Top 40 station WCTT-FM (107.3 FM), Talk radio station WKDP (1330 AM), and country music station WKDP-FM (99.5 FM).{{cite web|url=http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?call=WCTT |title=WCTT Facility Record |work=United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division }} All four stations share studios on Adams Road northwest of Corbin near the intersection of I-75 and US 25E, while WCTT's transmitter facilities are located in the nearby Woodbine community. The station maintains an FM translator: W287DL (105.3 FM). The translator's transmitter is located at the studios on Adams Road.
History
WCTT went on-the-air May 5, 1947, at 2:00 p.m., inaugurating its broadcast with a performance of The Star-Spangled Banner by the Corbin Chapel Choir. The station was owned by J. Springer Robinson, owner of The Harlan Daily Enterprise, and John L. Crawford.{{cite news|last=Edwards|first=Kellee|title=WCTT's Golden Glory: A look at 50 years in radio history|url=https://www.newspaperarchive.com/us/kentucky/corbin/corbin-times-tribune/1997/05-03/page-28/|date=3 May 1997|newspaper=The Times-Tribune|page=28|via=NewspaperArchive|access-date=15 May 2023|ref=none}} Per the FCC history cards, the station was first licensed on 1400 kilohertz to the local newspaper, the Corbin Times-Tribune. The transmitter was located 0.7 miles south of the Corbin city limits on US-25 North. In 1951, the frequency was changed to the current 680 kHz.{{cite web|url=https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=51313|title=Broadcasting Station License Record|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|access-date=22 July 2022}}
In its early days, WCTT served as an important outlet for local music. One program that highlighted musicians was a Sunday night barn dance program titled Minstrels, which ran through the mid-1950s.{{cite web|url=https://libraryguides.berea.edu/c.php?g=212767&p=1403722|title=Community History, Music, & Radio in Kentucky's Cumberland Plateau|last=Sears|first=William|publisher=Berea College|date=9 March 2023|access-date=12 May 2023}} Another important feature of early WCTT was a weekday morning show that aired from 8:30 to 9 a.m. and originated from local business Bailey's Country Store in nearby Williamsburg. The program covered a variety of topics, including serving as a local tradio outlet.{{cite book|last=Nash|first=Francis M.|date=1995|title=Towers over Kentucky: A History of Radio and TV in the Bluegrass State|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/History/Towers-Over-Kentucky-Nash-1995.pdf|location=Lexington, KY|publisher=Host Communications|pages=186–7|isbn=1-879688-93-X}}
In 1960, the license was transferred to Tri-County Broadcasting, and in 1980 to Crawford Enterprises, under the control of Mary Heath Robinson. The WCTT stations were sold to its current owners, the Eubank family under the licensee Encore Communications, Inc in 1995.{{cite web|url=https://www.thetimestribune.com/news/long-time-voice-of-wctt-radio-dies-thursday/article_0c87bfb0-a795-11e5-91ba-5f54bb814607.html|title=Long-time voice of WCTT radio dies Thursday|last=Wyatt|first=Timothy|work=Corbin Times-Tribune|date=21 December 2015|access-date=22 July 2022}}
As of 1989, the station broadcast a country music format.{{cite web|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-M-Street/1989/AL-MT-M-Street-1-1989.pdf|title=The M Street Radio Directory: 1989 Edition|page=128|publisher=RadioPhiles, Inc|date=1989|access-date=22 July 2022}}
According to the FCC ownership reports from 1999 through 2019, the licensee (Encore Communications, Inc) is owned by Eubanks Electrical Supply on South Main Street, which is owned by Dallas and Peggy Eubanks, who are husband and wife. They also own WKDP (AM) and WKDP-FM, which are licensed in Corbin.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{AM station data|14361|WCTT}}
- {{FCC-LMS-Facility|202120|W287DL}}
- {{FXL|W287DL}}
Category:Adult standards radio stations in the United States
Category:Radio stations established in 1947
Category:1947 establishments in Kentucky
{{Kentucky-radio-station-stub}}