WSON FM 96.5

An FM station associated with the WSON brand in Henderson, Kentucky, operating under Henson Media ownership. The WSON call sign has deep roots in the Henderson market, with the AM counterpart having signed on December 17, 1941 — ten days after the attack on Pearl Harbor — under the direction of Henderson businessman Hecht Lackey, who had previously launched stations in Paducah and Hopkinsville. The AM station's early decades were defined by a 250-watt daytime-only operation, required to sign off at sunset to protect the clear-channel signal of Radio-Canada's CJBC in Toronto, Ontario, as both occupy 860 kHz. A bilateral treaty signed in the mid-1980s allowed WSON and similar daytime-only stations to begin nighttime broadcasting, though a directional antenna remains required after sunset to protect CJBC's skywave coverage. The station affiliated with the Mutual Broadcasting System in 1944 and doubled its transmitter power to 500 watts. An FM companion station launched in 1947 and simulcast AM programming until 1971, when it became an independent entity — that FM outlet is now known as WKDQ. The WSON AM station adopted a classic hits format and currently features programming from NBC News Radio and Westwood One alongside locally produced content covering news, sports, and weather relevant to the Henderson and greater Evansville, Indiana market.