It’s a sad day in Cincinnati. Northern Kentucky University, has authorized the sale of WNKU (89.7 FM) to Bible Broadcasting Corporation for $1.9 million. WNKE (104.1 FM) has been sold for $700k to Educational Media Foundation (owners of K-LOVE & Air1). The sale is subject to FCC approval and that process could take months. WNKU will stay on the air in the meantime, they will continue to discover new music, support local music, and bring you new discoveries every day.
After the board approved the sale, Rich Boehne, chair of the Board of Regents made a statement, “It’s painful to let go of something that has reflected so well on our deep commitment to this region. Hearing those call letters for me personally, the voices and of course the music has helped weave the NKU brand into our core geographic market. However, the media world is shifting dramatically and these terrestrial voices no longer provide access to our most important constituents.”
WNKU has been a beacon for discovering new music – especially local music for the past 30 years. We learned of the possibility of a sale over a year ago and launched the Save WNKU campaign. To date it has received almost 3500 signatures including those from Heartless Bastards, Walk The Moon, and Tyler Ramsey of Band of Horses.
We had hoped that the Board of Regents at Northern Kentucky University would listen to us. To understand that WNKU is much more than a radio station. WNKU is a champion for our region - for our music, our arts and culture, our neighborhoods, and our community organizations. WNKU celebrates diversity, brings people together, and encourages community engagement as we do. It’s our heart in the Cincinnati music community. And today our heart has been broken.
