On December 11, 1963, Bowling Green Broadcasters, Inc., a subsidiary of Bahakel Communications and owner of WLBJ (1410 AM), received a construction permit to build a new FM radio station in Bowling Green on 96.7 MHz.[3][4] WLBJ-FM began broadcasting in May 1965.[5] This was the first time WLBJ had offered an FM service since the early 1950s, when it owned WBON, later WLBJ-FM.[6]
In 1987, the station's callsign was changed to WCBZ, resulting in the rebranding to "Z-97".
In 1991, Bahakel announced it would sell WCBZ to Target Communications;[8] it retained the AM, which it opted to shut down for good in December, with the FM station remaining silent until Target completed the sale.[9]
As a mainstream rock station (1992–1994)
After an upgrade to 25,000 watts, WCBZ returned to the air in 1992 as rock station WBZD "Buzzard 96.7".[10] The format then changed again when the station rebranded itself "Magic" with the callsign changing to WMJM in 1993.
In July 1994, the Beaver brand and format moved to WMJM, which became the new WBVR-FM, and to a second station, WVVR (100.3 MHz) in Hopkinsville.[11] Keymarket Communications, which shared some ownership with Target, had simultaneously acquired the previous Beaver station, 101.1 MHz from Russellville, along with WLAC and WLAC-FM in Nashville; the Beaver move freed up the 101.1 facility to gear itself toward Nashville as R&B-formatted WJCE-FM "The Juice".[12]
The 25,000-watt upgrade was finally approved in 2001; as a result, the city of license for the station was changed from Bowling Green to Auburn, Kentucky.
In an unknown year, the station was bought by Forever Communications.
Seven Mountains Media acquisition
In September 2023, it was announced that Seven Mountains Media would acquire 4 Forever Communications stations in the Bowling Green area for just over $1.1 million.[13] The other stations include WBGN, WLYE-FM, and WUHU.
Frequency swap with WBVR-FM, and Bigfoot Country (2025–present)
On January 10, 2025, Seven Mountains Media swapped frequencies with this station and WBVR-FM (formerly WOVO) and that station flipped to a country format.[14]
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^"WLBJ Offering FM Broadcasts". The Park City Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. May 23, 1965. p. 29. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^"WCBZ-FM sale pending approval". The Park City Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. August 21, 1991. p. 3-A. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^"BG radio stations sign off the air". The Park City Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. December 8, 1991. p. 4-A. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Where Did 101.1 FM Go?". News-Democrat and Leader. Russellville, Kentucky. July 28, 1994. p. 2. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved February 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
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