WRIL

WRIL
City of license Pineville, Kentucky
Branding "The Big One"
Frequency 106.3 MHz
Format Top 40
ERP 1,150 watts
HAAT 228 m (748 ft)
Class A
Facility ID 52625
Transmitter coordinates 36°45′15.00″N 83°42′23.00″W / 36.7541667°N 83.7063889°W
Callsign meaning W "R e a (I) L Country" (former format)
Former callsigns WZKO (1984-1993)
Owner Pine Hills Broadcasting, Inc.
Webcast Listen Live
Website thebig1063.com

WRIL (106.3 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a Top 40 music format to Southeast Kentucky, USA, parts of southwest Virginia as well as uppereast Tennessee. The city of license is Pineville, Kentucky. The station was put on the air in 1973 by Bell County resident and owner John McPherson. Other managers included Monty Macanally. Lester Adkins was a top DJ and sales person and Rick Nelson handled the sports from 1975 until the station went off the air in 2006.[1]

History

WRIL offices in Middlesboro

The station went on the air as WTJM in 1973. In the 1980s the call letters were changed to WZKO. On November 1, 1993 the station changed its call sign to the current WRIL. The station adopted a format called Real-Country which matched its new call letters.

At one time WRIL was one of the most powerful stations in southeastern Kentucky. Although only having around 1000 watts, the station's antenna was on top of the mountain overlooking Pineville, which allowed its signal to reach out into many counties.[2]

December 21, 2008, the station was brought back to life by Brian O'Brien. The live format is underway with O'Brien and News Director Larry Posner. O'Brien has taken control and is broadcasting "The Bigger, Better, Big-Time Morning Show" with news, weather and sports including celebrity interviews. They also broadcast a "Big Swap & Tradio" show (which does a simulcast on WCXZ 740 AM.) "The Big One" as it is now known, has been declared by the Bell County School Board as "The Voice Of The Bell County Bobcats" and airs their football and basketball games. The Big One is also covering Middlesboro and Pineville games via media partners IMS (Channel 7 Pineville & Channel 13 Middlesboro) and provides the background music for both Public-access television cable TV stations. Also running "The Big One Sports Network" through WMIK and WMIK-FM.

References

  1. ↑ "WRIL Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  2. ↑ "WRIL Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.

External links