WKCW
Radio station in Warrenton, Virginia, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WKCW was a classic hits formatted broadcast radio station at 1420 kHz on the AM band and is licensed to Warrenton, Virginia, serving Fauquier and Prince William counties in Virginia.[1] WKCW is owned and operated by Radio Companion, LLC.[5]
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| Broadcast area | Fauquier–Prince William County, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1420 kHz |
| Branding | 1420 WKCW |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic hits[1] |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | December 7, 1957[2] |
Last air date | July 7, 2025 |
Former call signs | WKTF (1957–1960)[3] |
| Technical information[4] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 73190 |
| Class | D |
| Power |
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Transmitter coordinates | 38°43′52.0″N 77°46′42.0″W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
History
The station originally signed on the air in 1957 as WKTF and later changed to its current WKCW call sign in 1960. For most of its history, WKCW or "Big K Radio" was one of the nation's longest-running traditional country music stations. After running the country format from 1960 to 2003 [6] it was sold and switched to a spanish variety format in 2004.[7][8] Over the years, the station went through a number of formats from spanish variety, gospel, news, oldies, adult hits to the current classic hits.
WKCW was heard during daytime hours, "From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Beltway," covering all of Northern Virginia with its 22,000 watt transmitter, among the most powerful in the Washington, DC and Fredericksburg designated market areas (DMA). At night, the station would cut their power down to 60 watts to protect other radio stations operating at 1420 kHz.
Since July 2025, the station has been off-air due to one of its broadcast towers falling.[9]
