I This is Kentucky
THE WILDCATS ON RADIO
A Kentucky basketball tradition through the years has been the ability of the legions of Big Blue fans to catch the Cats on radio. Listening to Kentucky basketball has been a tradition in the Commonwealth and across the country for decades. Nearly every Kentuckian has fond memories of sitting around a radio on a cold winter night, living and dying with the fortunes of the Big Blue.
As usual, the excitement and action of Kentucky's 86th season of basketball will be broadcast to fans across the country on one of the largest college networks in the nation. The UK Basketball Network features 97 stations.
Anchoring the coverage again this season is the powerful 50,000-watt clear-channel WLW in Cincinnati. Located at 700 on the AM dial, WLW will beam the Wildcat action to at least 40 states.
The network also features WVLK in Lexington and WAVG in Louisville, as well as ten 100,000-watt FM stations throughout the state.
The rights to Wildcat basketball are held by Kentucky Network, Inc. of Louisville, which is currently in its eighth season of broadcasting UK games.
CAWOOD LEDFORD
Now in his 36th season of broadcasting Wildcats games, Cawood Ledford is truly a legend in the Commonwealth. In many drug stores and barber shops across the state, conversations in the winter begin with, "Well, Cawood said last night. . ."
His brisk, informative style has won him a spot in the hearts of Kentuckians for years and to many people who never have a chance to see the Cats in person, Cawood IS Kentucky basketball. As one station promoted him once, "When you listen to Kentucky basketball, you don't just hear it, you SEE it through the eyes of Cawood Ledford."
Ledford has made some of his phrases legendary in Kentucky, especially his traditional, "The Wildcats are moving to the right-hand side of your radio dial." When he appears at courtside at Rupp Arena, the Kentucky band salutes him in unison with a loud, "Hello, Cawood!" That's the kind of respect Kentuckians have for "their" announcer.
The native of Harlan County (actually Cawood, Ky.) has been named Best Basketball Announcer in the Nation, in addition to being named Kentucky's Sportscaster of the Year 20 times. He is president of his own Lexington-based company, Cawood Ledford Productions, and has produced many award-winning radio and television sports programs.
RALPH HACKER
Ledford's sidekick on Wildcats broadcasts is Ralph Hacker, president and general manager of radio station WVLK in Lexington. Hacker is now in his 17th season as the color analyst on the UK Network, offering his knowledge to the broadcasts, as well as handling all pregame, halftime and postgame programs.
In addition to his UK radio duties, Hacker has ventured into television in the last four years, calling games for the SEC,
the NCAA and CBS.
1988-89 UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY SPORTS NETWORK BASKETBALL AFFILIATES
STATION
WANY AM WANY FM WCMI AM WYWY FM WOKH FM WCBL AM
WCBL FM WBGN AM
WMMG AM WMMG FM WCKQ FM WKQI FM WSMJ AM WKYA FM WLW AM
WAIN AM WAIN FM
WCTT AM WCTT FM
WCPM AM WCYN AM WHIR AM WIEL AM WKXF FM WIOK FM
WFLE AM
CITY
Albany
Albany
Ashland
Barbourville
Bardstown
Benton
Benton
Bowling Green
Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Campbellsville
Catlettsville
Cave City
Central City
Cincinnati, Ohio
Columbia
Columbia
Corbin
Corbin
Cumberland
Cynthiana
Danville
Elizabethtown
Eminence
Falmouth
Flemingsburg
STATION
WASE FM WFKY AM WKWY FM WFKN AM WOVO FM WUGO FM
WLGC AM WLGC FM
WHIC AM WHIC FM
WFSR AM
' WHBN AM WHBN FM
WLLS AM WLLS FM WKCM AM WSGS FM WSON AM WKCB AM WKCB FM WKMO FM WHOP AM WHOP FM
WEKG AM WJSN FM WJRS FM
CITY
Ft. Knox/Radcliff Frankfort Frankfort Franklin Glasgow Grayson Greenup Greenup Hardinsburg Hardinsburg Harlan Harrodsburg Harrodsburg Hartford Hartford Hawesville Hazard Henderson Hindman Hindman Hodgenville Hopkinsville Hopkinsville Jackson Jackson Jamestown
STATION
WIFX FM WRNZ FM WLSK FM WKHG FM WVLK AM WVLK FM WFTG AM WAVG AM WTTL AM WWXL AM WWXL FM WCMT AM WCMT FM
WNGO AM WXID FM WFTM AM WMIK FM WKYM FM
WMOR FM
WMSK AM WMSK FM WMST FM
WLOC AM WLOC FM WSJP AM WAAW FM
CITY
Jenkins
Lancaster
Lebanon
Leitchfield
Lexington
Lexington
London
Louisville
Madisonville
Manchester
Manchester
Martin, Tenn.
Martin, Tenn.
Mayfield
Mayfield
Maysvilie
Middlesboro
Monticello
Morehead
Morganfield
Morganfield
Mt. Sterling
Munfordville
Munfordville
Murray
Murray
STATION
WBNT AM WBNT FM WOMI AM WPAD AM WDDJ FM WSIP AM WSIP FM WDHR FM WZKO FM WQHY FM
WPKY FM WHRZ FM WEKY AM WIDS AM WBVR FM
WRLV AM WSEK FM WSKV FM WXKQ FM
WEZJ AM WXCC FM
CITY
Oneida, Tenn.
Oneida, Tenn.
Owensboro
Paducah
Paducah
Paintsville
Paintsville
Pikeville
Pineville
Prestonsburg
Princeton
Providence
Richmond
Russell Springs
Russellville
Salyersville
Somerset
Stanton
Whitesburg
Williamsburg
Williamson, W.Va.
* Station carries day or selected games only.
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KENTUCKY BASKETBALL