WOKV (AM)
| Company type | Commercial AM radio station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | 1958-10-23 |
| Headquarters | Jacksonville, Florida , United States |
Area served | Jacksonville metropolitan area, Atlantic coastline from Melbourne, FL to Cape Hatteras, NC |
| Products | Sports radio programming |
| Owner | Cox Media Group |
WOKV (690 kHz) is a commercial AM broadcaster licensed in Jacksonville, Florida, under the ownership of Cox Media Group. The station delivers a sports format from its studios located in Jacksonville’s Southside area, with transmission facilities situated in Orange Park and Baldwin.
The 690 AM frequency is designated as a Canadian and Mexican clear-channel frequency, shared by Class A stations CKGM in Montreal and XEN-AM in Mexico City.
The Big Ape
The station on AM 690 commenced operations on October 23, 1958, originally known as WAPE and functioning as a daytimer under Brennan Broadcasting’s ownership. It began with a daytime power of 25,000 watts and no nighttime service, later increasing to 50,000 watts during the day and obtaining authorization for 10,000 watts at night by 1963.
For more than twenty years, WAPE earned recognition as a prominent Top 40 outlet branded "The Big Ape," helping launch careers such as that of comedian Jay Thomas. In 1970, the Brennan family sold the station to Stan and Sis Atlass Kaplan for $1.48 million.
In 1980, Eastman Radio took ownership of WAPE. Despite gaining better ratings, the station switched formats to country music in 1981 before eventually adopting a Christian programming format. By 1986, WAPE transitioned to 95.1 MHz as WAPE-FM, reintroducing its Top 40 format on the FM band.
News/talk
Genesis Communications acquired WAPE in 1989, changing the call letters first to WJKF and then to WPDQ. The station adopted a news/talk format featuring both local personalities and syndicated programs through its affiliation with the ABC Information Network.
In 1993, Prism Radio Partners purchased WPDQ for $400,000. The following year, Prism expanded its portfolio by acquiring talk station WOKV (600 AM) and oldies WKQL (96.9 FM) for $3.75 million, subsequently moving WOKV’s talk format and call sign from 600 AM to 690 AM.
Cox Radio became the owner of WOKV along with other Jacksonville stations in 2000. In 2006, Cox improved WOKV’s nighttime transmission power to 25,000 watts and introduced an FM simulcast on 106.5 FM (previously WBGB, now WHJX), making it one of the few major-market news/talk stations broadcasting simultaneously on both AM and FM bands. In 2013, the simulcast shifted to 104.5 FM (formerly WFYV-FM), which broadcasts at 100,000 watts; meanwhile, 106.5 FM returned to various music formats including soft adult contemporary, alternative rock, and urban adult contemporary.
From their inception in 1995 until 2013, WOKV served as the flagship station for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars; beginning in 2014, this role was assumed by WJXL.
In 2010, WOKV was designated as a Primary Entry Point station for the Emergency Alert System amid an expansion of PEP stations.
Flip to sports
On January 2, 2019, WOKV (AM) discontinued its simulcast with WOKV-FM and transitioned to a sports format under the brand "ESPN 690," featuring programming from ESPN Radio.
AM 690 facilities
WOKV boasts one of the most powerful daytime AM signals across the Southeast region. Operating non-directionally at 50,000 watts during daylight hours, its coverage spans the Jacksonville metropolitan area and extends along the Atlantic coastline from Melbourne, Florida up to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina—encompassing cities such as Savannah and Charleston. During nighttime hours, power is reduced to 25,000 watts employing a directional antenna system designed to protect Class A clear-channel stations CKGM (Montreal), XEWW (Baja California), and CBU (Vancouver).
Programming
WOKV AM 690 mainly broadcasts content from ESPN Radio, complemented by live commentary and play-by-play broadcasts of various sports events.