Hello, all!
With the recent conversations taking place, regarding the changes at WSKT-FM, I thought I would share this brief history of Spencer's only radio station (as I recall it):
92.7 FM first signed on the air as WLSO; I can't believe anyone would want those calls. The station began as an A/C station, but, that didn't last long. The station was originally broadcasting from a tiny, tiny building, located at 201 North Vandalia Avenue, in Spencer, just off of Highways 46 & 231. If you are familiar with Spencer, drive West on 46/231, down through the middle of town and as you approach the Speedway gas station on your right, turn right and take the street that angles to the left, immediately after you turn right, off of 46/231. You will want to make this turn, before you actually pass the Speedway station. I believe the street signs are still there and they should indicate Vandalia Avenue, as the street that you want. You will not have to drive far, between 100 & 200 feet, maybe, when you should see the very small, incredibly small, beige concrete block building that houses the "studios" of WSKT-FM. The microwave relay is located there and used to point to the original tower site, located toward Freedom, IN. The building existed before the birth of WLSO, as, I think, an insurance office, possibly the local Farm Bureau insurance office.
I believe local Spencer resident Leonard White erected the radio station and owned it at least through the early to mid 1990s. The station did not keep its original call letters for long, possibly only a year or so, deciding to switch to WSKT, taking the moniker "Hot Kickin' Country – KT-93!" Either at the same time as the call letter switch or shortly thereafter, in an attempt to garner new business with surrounding communities (Ellettsville & Bloomington), Mr. White, in conjunction with his daughter Katie, moved the station to Jack's Defeat Creek Mall, immediately off of Highway 46, in Ellettsville. The station was there for quite some time; however, I do not believe it was there in the early 1980s or even in the middle '80s, as I can't recall if the station even existed at that time. But, I do know that the station was in Ellettsville in the early 1990s. Unfortunately, instead of erecting another microwave relay at the Ellettsville location, the owner decided to use the local telephone company and lease a direct telephone connection between the Ellettsville studios and the microwave relay site (original studio location on Vandalia Avenue) in Spencer, whereby the "telephoned" signal was then relayed, via microwave signal, to the original tower location, once it arrived in Spencer, via the leased telephone line. The signal quality was terrible and the carrier wave had a constant low-noise hum on it. It was not a good arrangement.
After being in Ellettsville for a while, the station was moved back to Spencer, into its original location, on Vandalia Avenue, where it had begun. There were rumors that the station was going to move from Jacks’ Defeat Creek Mall to a location on Curry Pike, between the intersection at 46 and the old Westinghouse factory location; but, that never materialized. I believe there was a small grocery store there and still may be there, today. At this time, I also do not know if Leonard White had already sold the station to Mid-America Radio Group just yet, but, I do not believe anyone else owned the station between the current owner (Mid-America) and Mr. White. Of course, once the station moved back to its original location on Vandalia Avenue, the low-noise hum, the bad “fidelity,” and the leased telephone line that carried the signal from the Ellettsville location to the microwave facility on Vandalia Avenue, were gone—THANK GOD!!! WSKT has remained in this location since then. And, on Monday, as we know, the station switched call letters from WSKT to WCLS and frequencies from 92.7 FM to 97.7 FM. Hopefully, a format change is also in the works, soon!
I hope this little piece of “history” is both entertaining and informative. Thanks for allowing me to share.
--Bomba
With the recent conversations taking place, regarding the changes at WSKT-FM, I thought I would share this brief history of Spencer's only radio station (as I recall it):
92.7 FM first signed on the air as WLSO; I can't believe anyone would want those calls. The station began as an A/C station, but, that didn't last long. The station was originally broadcasting from a tiny, tiny building, located at 201 North Vandalia Avenue, in Spencer, just off of Highways 46 & 231. If you are familiar with Spencer, drive West on 46/231, down through the middle of town and as you approach the Speedway gas station on your right, turn right and take the street that angles to the left, immediately after you turn right, off of 46/231. You will want to make this turn, before you actually pass the Speedway station. I believe the street signs are still there and they should indicate Vandalia Avenue, as the street that you want. You will not have to drive far, between 100 & 200 feet, maybe, when you should see the very small, incredibly small, beige concrete block building that houses the "studios" of WSKT-FM. The microwave relay is located there and used to point to the original tower site, located toward Freedom, IN. The building existed before the birth of WLSO, as, I think, an insurance office, possibly the local Farm Bureau insurance office.
I believe local Spencer resident Leonard White erected the radio station and owned it at least through the early to mid 1990s. The station did not keep its original call letters for long, possibly only a year or so, deciding to switch to WSKT, taking the moniker "Hot Kickin' Country – KT-93!" Either at the same time as the call letter switch or shortly thereafter, in an attempt to garner new business with surrounding communities (Ellettsville & Bloomington), Mr. White, in conjunction with his daughter Katie, moved the station to Jack's Defeat Creek Mall, immediately off of Highway 46, in Ellettsville. The station was there for quite some time; however, I do not believe it was there in the early 1980s or even in the middle '80s, as I can't recall if the station even existed at that time. But, I do know that the station was in Ellettsville in the early 1990s. Unfortunately, instead of erecting another microwave relay at the Ellettsville location, the owner decided to use the local telephone company and lease a direct telephone connection between the Ellettsville studios and the microwave relay site (original studio location on Vandalia Avenue) in Spencer, whereby the "telephoned" signal was then relayed, via microwave signal, to the original tower location, once it arrived in Spencer, via the leased telephone line. The signal quality was terrible and the carrier wave had a constant low-noise hum on it. It was not a good arrangement.
After being in Ellettsville for a while, the station was moved back to Spencer, into its original location, on Vandalia Avenue, where it had begun. There were rumors that the station was going to move from Jacks’ Defeat Creek Mall to a location on Curry Pike, between the intersection at 46 and the old Westinghouse factory location; but, that never materialized. I believe there was a small grocery store there and still may be there, today. At this time, I also do not know if Leonard White had already sold the station to Mid-America Radio Group just yet, but, I do not believe anyone else owned the station between the current owner (Mid-America) and Mr. White. Of course, once the station moved back to its original location on Vandalia Avenue, the low-noise hum, the bad “fidelity,” and the leased telephone line that carried the signal from the Ellettsville location to the microwave facility on Vandalia Avenue, were gone—THANK GOD!!! WSKT has remained in this location since then. And, on Monday, as we know, the station switched call letters from WSKT to WCLS and frequencies from 92.7 FM to 97.7 FM. Hopefully, a format change is also in the works, soon!
I hope this little piece of “history” is both entertaining and informative. Thanks for allowing me to share.
--Bomba
