The above post is almost correct regarding why the signal just sits there. It's is owned by the Anderson family. They own lots of Muhlenberg County including the paper, a bank, soft drink distributorship, lots of property and 1050 WNES and 101.9. When the patriarch of the Anderson clan died the empire continued operating, but radio was sidelined. Ironically in the last ten years, the family purchased the Lloyd Spivey stations (105.5 Greenville, 106.3 Beaver Dam and 1600 Hartford) but does little with any of them; 1600 has been dark for years. They won't sell them either because they know what they are worth, especially 101.9 and big offers have been made and the Anderson's have past on them.
At one time WNES and 101.9 (then WKYA) were profitable. The AM was sold from sign on to sign off but one day the family pulled the plug and that was it. WNES just sits there. WKYA was a different story. The big signal of 101.9 happened at the same time as WSTO's upgrade but the Steele's pursued the potential of 96.1 while the Anderson's focused on their corner of the universe.
Everyone, including myself, have tried to talk them into making something of 101.9 but the answer is "not interested". As long as makes just enough money to pay the electric bills they are happy. In the words of Floyd Hubbard, the engineer who put WVJS on the air, "It's their little red wagon and if they want to haul s**t, that their business."