WKY
radio station in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
WKY (930 AM) is a commercial radio station in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, owned by Cumulus Media. It was the first, therefore is the oldest, broadcasting station in Oklahoma, and among the oldest in the nation. WKY airs a sports radio format. The station's studios and offices are in northwest Oklahoma City.
WKY's transmitter and its single tower are located on NE 91st Street in Oklahoma City. WKY is powered at 5,000 watts by day, using a 961-foot (293 m) non-directional antenna that is the tallest AM radio tower in the United States. It once broadcast at night with a 5,000-watt directional signal, using a multiple tower array. Ownership decided to switch to non-directional nighttime operation, which allows WKY to need only one antenna, but required the station to drop to 510 watts at night.
History
Early years
Although Federal Communications Commission (FCC) records list WKY's "date first licensed" as March 16, 1922, station histories have generally traced its founding to earlier activities, beginning as early as January 1920 according to WKY co-founder Earl Clement Hull.
After the end of World War I, Hull was posted at Fort Sill in Oklahoma, where he taught radio communication classes.
The public source identifies “WKY” as radio station in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around radio, station and Oklahoma.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “WKY”, the useful work is to connect “radio station in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 4, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7952040. VIAF identifies the subject as 155176126. The Library of Congress control number is no2009153801. Authority coordinates are 35.562, -97.507. 3 of 5 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1922 and 1920.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “WKY”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow WKY primary sources, WKY archive and radio research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “WKY”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “WKY” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.