On July 19, 2017, the NKU Board of Trustees approved the sale of the WNKN repeater to Grant County Broadcasters, Inc., owners of classic country WNKR, which is licensed to Williamstown, Kentucky and has studio space in nearby Dry Ridge, for $5.3 million. The price included $4 million in cash and $1.3 in advertising airtime for the University. The sale included all assets of WNKN, as well as the equipment and supplies of WNKU. Upon FCC approval of the purchase, Grant County Broadcasters stated they intended to revert the station back to a locally owned, for-profit, commercial model with a then yet to be determined on-air format.