WREF 97.7 FM The Ref

Licensed to Sebree, Kentucky, and branded as ESPN 97.7 The Ref, this sports radio station is owned by Henson Media and operates with studios in Henderson, serving Hopkins and Webster counties as well as the broader Evansville, Indiana listening area. The station's origins date to a construction permit issued in May 1975 for a facility originally licensed to Providence, Kentucky. It first broadcast in April 1976 as WHRZ under the management of Tradewater Broadcasting Company, airing adult contemporary programming as the only station within Webster County. It transitioned to a country music format in 1983 and relocated its transmitter near Dixon, Kentucky, in 1991, adding a second studio facility in Madisonville at the same time. The station operated as WWKY beginning July 14, 2004, before going silent in March 2017. Under current ownership by Henson Media, the station relaunched in June 2017 with an ESPN Radio affiliation, rebranding as The Ref with callsign WREF. Current programming centers on ESPN's national sports radio feed supplemented by a local weekday sports talk program and live coverage of regional high school sporting events and collegiate athletics, including University of Southern Indiana basketball. Weekday morning programming features the nationally syndicated Kentucky Sports Radio. The station has established itself as a dedicated sports voice for the Kentucky-Indiana border region.