Wikipedia

WJOK

For the AM radio station in Gaithersburg, Maryland, that held the WJOK call letters from 1980 until 1984, see WMET.

WJOK
Broadcast areaGreen Bay-Appleton-Oshkosh
Frequency1050 kHz
Programming
FormatChristian radio
NetworkRelevant Radio
Ownership
Owner
  • Relevant Radio
  • (Relevant Radio, Inc.)
History
First air date
September 25, 1965 (1965-09-25)
Former call signs
  • WKAU (1965–1984)
  • WQWM (1984–1993)
  • WSGC (1993–1999)
Call sign meaning
  • "Jesus Our King"
  • "Jock" (former sports format)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID19879
ClassB
Power
  • 1,000 watts (day)
  • 500 watts (night)
Transmitter coordinates
44°14′51″N 88°18′0.4″W / 44.24750°N 88.300111°W / 44.24750; -88.300111
Translators
  • 95.7 W239CV (Oshkosh)
  • 107.9 W300CM (Appleton)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websiterelevantradio.com

WJOK (1050 AM) is a Roman Catholic Christian formatted radio station licensed to Kaukauna, Wisconsin, that serves the Green Bay and Appleton-Oshkosh areas. The station is owned by the Green Bay-based Relevant Radio network. To improve its local reach, the station broadcasts via FM translators W239CV (95.7 FM) in Oshkosh and W300CM (107.9 FM) in Appleton.

History

[edit]

The station first signed on the air on September 25, 1965, using the call letters WKAU.[2] During this era, it operated with a Top 40 format and was frequently associated with its FM sister station, WKAU-FM. [3] In 1984, Milwaukee-based broadcaster Quinn Martin purchased the station and changed the call letters to WQWM (reflecting his initials) to launch an oldies music format.[4]

Ownership changed again in 1993, at which point the call sign was updated to WSGC to accommodate a "Positive Country" music format.[5] By 1999, the station pivoted to an all-sports identity branded as "1050 The Jock" under the call letters WJOK.[6] During its time as a sports station, it carried syndicated programming from the Sports Fan Radio Network and served as the local affiliate for Wisconsin Timber Rattlers baseball.[7]

In 2000, the station was acquired by Starboard Broadcasting, a group of Catholic businessmen that included Bob Atwell and John Cavil.[8] On November 26, 2000—the Solemnity of Christ the King—WJOK broadcast a Catholic Mass from the Cathedral of St. Francis Xavier in Green Bay, marking the official start of the Relevant Radio network.[9] The station is often cited as the "birthplace" of the network, which has since grown to more than 200 stations across the United States. [10][11]

After switching to Catholic programming, the station owners re-designated the "WJOK" call sign to stand for "Jesus Our King," a religious interpretation of the letters originally chosen for the former "Jock" sports format.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WJOK". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "WJOK Facility Details". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  3. ^ "Radio & Records: June 3, 1983" (PDF). World Radio History. June 3, 1983. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  4. ^ Klister, Eric (November 29, 2000). "Kaukauna radio station is sold, switches formats". The Post-Crescent. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  5. ^ "The M Street Journal: January 2001" (PDF). World Radio History. January 2001. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  6. ^ "National Radio Club DX News: Volume 91, Issue 6" (PDF). National Radio Club. March 10, 2024. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  7. ^ "WJOK - Sports Format Archive". Zippia. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  8. ^ "Changing Hands: May 2001". Broadcasting+Cable. May 27, 2001. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  9. ^ "Relevant Radio History". Relevant Radio. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  10. ^ "Relevant Radio and Immaculate Heart Radio complete merger". Angelus News. July 5, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
  11. ^ Klister, Eric (November 29, 2000). "Kaukauna radio station is sold, switches formats". Appleton Post-Crescent. ProQuest 437128553.
[edit]