KYYS
Encyclopedia
KZPT is an American radio station
broadcasting a Hot AC format. It is licensed to and serves the Kansas City, Missouri
metropolitan area. It first began broadcasting in 1962 under the call sign KMBC-FM. The station is currently owned by Entercom.
) since 1974.
-wearing-hippo
in its logo
. The name "KY" was chosen to represent the first and last letter in the spelling of Kansas City.
In 1997, its owner, American Radio Systems, decided to replace KYYS with a short-lived modern adult contemporary music format, prompting dismayed fans to convince rival company Entercom to bring back the format. And with their adult contemporary station KLTH "Lite 99.7" faring even worse than KOZN's "102.1 The Zone", 99.7 became the new home for KYYS, which, no longer being on 102.1 FM, began promoting itself simply as "99-7 KY" on October 20, 1997. The first song heard on the new KY was "Back in Black
" by AC/DC
. Former KY-102 personalities Max Floyd, Tanna Gutherie, Larry Moffitt, Doug Medlock, Marty Wall, and Vaughn Mac made the move as well. Later, KY alums Slacker, T.J. Price, Paul Freddrocks, Jon Hart and Frankie also made the switch, some for just short periods of time. The station would gain the KYYS call letters in early 1998, when 102.1 changed to KOZN.
In 2000, KYYS became the sister station of KQRC, which plays a more modern and heavier mix of rock. This caused KY to become a "flanker" station for Entercom, designed to protect KQRC from competition. This worked until 2005, when Union Broadcasting signed on "97-3 Max FM," a rock station directed toward taking down KQRC. When Max FM signed on, it used the slogan "Everything that Rocks." Shortly after its sign on KY changed its slogan to "Everything that Rocks" and altered its playlist to an 80s-based classic hard rock format. This caused many longtime KY listeners to jump ship to rival KCFX
. Due to the failure of this change, KY returned to its standard classic rock format in a few months, but never seemed to recover all of its listeners.
In 2005, the station began playing Nights with Alice Cooper
, a nationally broadcast radio show hosted by the longtime rocker. The station broadcast the Dr. Demento
show at midnight on Monday morning/Sunday nights. KY hosted an annual tribute to Elvis Presley
, encouraging Elvis impersonators to parade around Barney Allis Plaza in Downtown Kansas City
on his birthday.
In 2007, KYYS started advertising its attempt to break the Guinness Book of World Records world record for Most Guitars Played at Once. The planned song was Deep Purple
's Smoke on the Water
. Pre-registration was offered on the station's website. In exchange for participating, commemorative t-shirts were offered. Online registration ceased around June 1, 2007. Finally, on Sunday, June 3, 2007, the attempt to break the record (previously held in Vancouver
, Canada
with 1,322 people) was made. The old record was beaten, with approximately 1,721 people participating in the event.
, KCJK
, KQRC, and KCMO
.
On January 11, 2008, the station flipped formats to AAA (Adult Album Alternative
) as "99-7 The Boulevard". The last song played as KY was "In the Dark
" by Billy Squier
. The first song played under the new brand was "The Boulevard" by Jackson Browne
. The station launched with 5,000 songs in a row. As of January 18, 2008, the station had started using KBLV as its official identification. Subterranean Radio, a channel which plays deep album cuts on the HD2 station, on March 13, 2008, switched to "The Delta", which plays blues
music.
At the same time the call letters KBLV took effect, Entercom successfully assigned the KYYS
letters to their Hispanic music station at 1250 AM.
The station, unfortunately, had low ratings, as it was generally at the bottom of the Kansas City Arbitron ratings.
, just days after the one-year anniversary of The Boulevard's debut, the format of the station was again changed to Hot AC as "99-7 Kiss FM", playing "hits of 90s through today." It competed on a head-to-head basis with both Top-40 outlets KMXV, known as "Mix 93.3", and as of October 2009, KCHZ
. The station adopted the call sign KKSN on January 20, 2009. The station carried syndicated programming most of the day, including Kidd Kraddick
mornings, Ryan Seacrest
middays (formerly afternoons), and Kim Iverson at night. The station had the same hot AC format as KLZR
, which was once the only hot AC station in Kansas City
since 2003
.
John Cook was brought in to be the program director for the station and local country station WDAF (106.5 the Wolf). Cook was fired from his last job programming WYSP & WPHT/Philadelphia in May 2009, along with morning guy Kidd Chris, following repeated airings of the racist song "Schwoogies" by Lady Gash Cook wouldn't last long in Kansas City, as he returned to Philadelphia a few months later.
In October 2009, KKSN named Kelly Urich its new (and only) live and local afternoon host. Urich spent many years at rival KMXV, before taking a year off to explore internet broadcasting. With this move, Ryan Seacrest's show moved to middays.
With the change to Kiss, the station's ratings went up slightly, most likely due to the addition of Kelly Urich, who is a well known on-air personality for many years in Kansas City radio. However, ratings were still staggering, usually peaking at a 2.0 share.
On May 28, 2010, KKSN changed their call letters to KGEX to go with their "Gen X Radio" branding. They also dropped any references to "Kiss FM" at this time. Tony Lorino joined the stations as Assistant PD and morning drive host from Entercom's Milwaukee cluster on August 23, 2010.
Despite adding local talent (save for Ryan Seacrest), ratings went down to a 1.9 share, making them the lowest ranked commercial station in the market.
" by NSync and "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
" by Green Day
, while the Point's first two songs were "Get The Party Started
" by P!nk
and "Firework" by Katy Perry
.
The station changed its call letters to KZPT on March 30, 2011.
Before the launch of "The Point," there was some speculation that the station would overlap with sister station KUDL. However, an hour after the launch, it was revealed that the station was actually designed to replace KUDL, as that station announced on Facebook
that it would terminate its 34 year old adult contemporary format to become a simulcast of KMBZ, with some of its on-air staff being transferred to either "The Point" or WDAF-FM
. In August 2011, KZPT shifted back to a Hot AC format, though with less emphasis on older music as compared to when it was "Kiss FM".
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
broadcasting a Hot AC format. It is licensed to and serves the Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
metropolitan area. It first began broadcasting in 1962 under the call sign KMBC-FM. The station is currently owned by Entercom.
History
The station originally signed on in October 1962 with the call sign KMBC-FM, which was changed to KMBR in 1967. On October 16, 1991 the station changed their call sign to KLTH (K-Lite), moving from its longtime MOR format to light rock. Those call letters remained until 1998 when they were changed to KYYS, which had been on cross-town 102.1 FM (now KCKC-FMKCKC-FM
KCKC is an adult album alternative station based in Kansas City, Missouri that operates at 102.1 MHz with an ERP of 100 kW. The station is licensed to and operated by Wilks Broadcasting. Its transmitter is located in Independence, Missouri...
) since 1974.
KYYS
KYYS originally debuted in 1974 at 102.1 FM and enjoyed a large fanbase. It promoted itself as "KY-102", and featured a sunglassesSunglasses
Sunglasses or sun glasses are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They can sometimes also function as a visual aid, as variously termed spectacles or glasses exist, featuring lenses that...
-wearing-hippo
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
in its logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
. The name "KY" was chosen to represent the first and last letter in the spelling of Kansas City.
In 1997, its owner, American Radio Systems, decided to replace KYYS with a short-lived modern adult contemporary music format, prompting dismayed fans to convince rival company Entercom to bring back the format. And with their adult contemporary station KLTH "Lite 99.7" faring even worse than KOZN's "102.1 The Zone", 99.7 became the new home for KYYS, which, no longer being on 102.1 FM, began promoting itself simply as "99-7 KY" on October 20, 1997. The first song heard on the new KY was "Back in Black
Back in Black
Back in Black is an album by Australian rock band AC/DC. It is the seventh Australian and sixth internationally released studio album by the band....
" by AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
. Former KY-102 personalities Max Floyd, Tanna Gutherie, Larry Moffitt, Doug Medlock, Marty Wall, and Vaughn Mac made the move as well. Later, KY alums Slacker, T.J. Price, Paul Freddrocks, Jon Hart and Frankie also made the switch, some for just short periods of time. The station would gain the KYYS call letters in early 1998, when 102.1 changed to KOZN.
In 2000, KYYS became the sister station of KQRC, which plays a more modern and heavier mix of rock. This caused KY to become a "flanker" station for Entercom, designed to protect KQRC from competition. This worked until 2005, when Union Broadcasting signed on "97-3 Max FM," a rock station directed toward taking down KQRC. When Max FM signed on, it used the slogan "Everything that Rocks." Shortly after its sign on KY changed its slogan to "Everything that Rocks" and altered its playlist to an 80s-based classic hard rock format. This caused many longtime KY listeners to jump ship to rival KCFX
KCFX
KCFX is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. Licensed to the suburb of Harrisonville, Missouri, it serves the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. It first began broadcasting under the call sign KRYP...
. Due to the failure of this change, KY returned to its standard classic rock format in a few months, but never seemed to recover all of its listeners.
In 2005, the station began playing Nights with Alice Cooper
Nights with Alice Cooper
Nights with Alice Cooper is a radio show hosted by rock and roll artist and shock rock pioneer Alice Cooper. It is syndicated by United Stations Radio Networks and broadcast on over 100 radio stations in the US, seven in Canada, and is also available in the UK , Germany , Ireland, Australia ,...
, a nationally broadcast radio show hosted by the longtime rocker. The station broadcast the Dr. Demento
Dr. Demento
Barret Eugene Hansen , better known as Dr. Demento, is a radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograph records to the present....
show at midnight on Monday morning/Sunday nights. KY hosted an annual tribute to Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, encouraging Elvis impersonators to parade around Barney Allis Plaza in Downtown Kansas City
Downtown Kansas City
Downtown Kansas City is the central business district of Kansas City, Missouri and the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. It is located between the Missouri River in the north, to 31st Street in the south; and from the Kansas–Missouri state line east to Troost Avenue as defined by officials of the...
on his birthday.
In 2007, KYYS started advertising its attempt to break the Guinness Book of World Records world record for Most Guitars Played at Once. The planned song was Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
's Smoke on the Water
Smoke on the Water
"Smoke on the Water" is a song by the British hard rock band Deep Purple. It was first released on their 1972 album Machine Head. In 2004, the song was ranked number 426 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, and in March 2005, Q magazine placed "Smoke on the Water"...
. Pre-registration was offered on the station's website. In exchange for participating, commemorative t-shirts were offered. Online registration ceased around June 1, 2007. Finally, on Sunday, June 3, 2007, the attempt to break the record (previously held in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
with 1,322 people) was made. The old record was beaten, with approximately 1,721 people participating in the event.
KBLV
On January 10, 2008, rumors started swirling that a format change at the station could be imminent after the on-air staff was terminated. Entercom management stated that change was necessary because too many stations in the market were playing the same music. These stations included KCFXKCFX
KCFX is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. Licensed to the suburb of Harrisonville, Missouri, it serves the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. It first began broadcasting under the call sign KRYP...
, KCJK
KCJK
KCJK is a variety hits station that serves the Kansas City metropolitan area. Broadcasting at a frequency of 105.1 MHz, KCJK adopted its Jack FM format in October 2004, after flipping from their predecessor: the retro hits station E-105...
, KQRC, and KCMO
KCMO-FM
KCMO-FM, branded 94-9 KCMO, is a Classic Hits radio station that serves the Kansas City metropolitan area. The station, owned by Cumulus Broadcasting, was acquired from Susquehanna Radio in 2006. Its transmitter is located in Independence, Missouri.-History:...
.
On January 11, 2008, the station flipped formats to AAA (Adult Album Alternative
Adult album alternative
Adult album alternative is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats....
) as "99-7 The Boulevard". The last song played as KY was "In the Dark
In the Dark (Billy Squier song)
"In the Dark" is the title of a song written and performed by American rock singer and guitarist Billy Squier. It appeared as the first track of his 1981 album Don't Say No, and was released as the second single from that album, following "The Stroke". It reached number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100...
" by Billy Squier
Billy Squier
William Haislip "Billy" Squier is an American rock musician. Squier had a string of arena rock hits in the 1980s. He is best known for the song "The Stroke" on his 1981 album release Don't Say No...
. The first song played under the new brand was "The Boulevard" by Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
. The station launched with 5,000 songs in a row. As of January 18, 2008, the station had started using KBLV as its official identification. Subterranean Radio, a channel which plays deep album cuts on the HD2 station, on March 13, 2008, switched to "The Delta", which plays blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
music.
At the same time the call letters KBLV took effect, Entercom successfully assigned the KYYS
KYYS
KZPT is an American radio station broadcasting a Hot AC format. It is licensed to and serves the Kansas City, Missouri metropolitan area. It first began broadcasting in 1962 under the call sign KMBC-FM...
letters to their Hispanic music station at 1250 AM.
The station, unfortunately, had low ratings, as it was generally at the bottom of the Kansas City Arbitron ratings.
KKSN
At 3 p.m. on January 13, 20092009 in radio
The following events occurred in radio in 2009.- Events :* January 1: Kurdish TV starts broadcasting in Turkey.* January: Michael Smerconish, morning host at talk radio WPHT Philadelphia, begins syndication of his morning show to WHFS in Washington and WOR in New York City.* January 17: Two well...
, just days after the one-year anniversary of The Boulevard's debut, the format of the station was again changed to Hot AC as "99-7 Kiss FM", playing "hits of 90s through today." It competed on a head-to-head basis with both Top-40 outlets KMXV, known as "Mix 93.3", and as of October 2009, KCHZ
KCHZ
KCHZ , known as "95.7 The Vibe", is a Contemporary Hit Radio radio station serving the Kansas City metropolitan area from Ottawa, Kansas. The Cumulus Broadcasting outlet operates at 95.7 MHz with an ERP of 96 kW. Its transmitter is located near Linwood, Kansas.-History:KCHZ began...
. The station adopted the call sign KKSN on January 20, 2009. The station carried syndicated programming most of the day, including Kidd Kraddick
Kidd Kraddick
Kidd Kraddick is an American radio host. His nationally-syndicated morning radio show, Kidd Kraddick in the Morning, is based in Las Colinas, Texas, in Irving, a suburb of Dallas, and airs throughout the United States, syndicated by Kraddick's company, Yea Network.-Early life:Kraddick was born on...
mornings, Ryan Seacrest
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan John Seacrest is an American radio personality, television host, network producer and voice actor. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks,...
middays (formerly afternoons), and Kim Iverson at night. The station had the same hot AC format as KLZR
KLZR
KLZR is a radio station in Lawrence, Kansas, broadcasting to the Topeka and Kansas City areas on 105.9 FM.KLZR-FM airs a hot adult contemporary music format branded as "Lazer 105.9".-History:...
, which was once the only hot AC station in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
since 2003
2003 in radio
The year 2003 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:* October 10 - Facing an investigation surrounding allegations of illegal drug use, American right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh publicly admits that he is addicted to prescription pain killers, and will seek treatment.-Debuts:*March...
.
John Cook was brought in to be the program director for the station and local country station WDAF (106.5 the Wolf). Cook was fired from his last job programming WYSP & WPHT/Philadelphia in May 2009, along with morning guy Kidd Chris, following repeated airings of the racist song "Schwoogies" by Lady Gash Cook wouldn't last long in Kansas City, as he returned to Philadelphia a few months later.
In October 2009, KKSN named Kelly Urich its new (and only) live and local afternoon host. Urich spent many years at rival KMXV, before taking a year off to explore internet broadcasting. With this move, Ryan Seacrest's show moved to middays.
With the change to Kiss, the station's ratings went up slightly, most likely due to the addition of Kelly Urich, who is a well known on-air personality for many years in Kansas City radio. However, ratings were still staggering, usually peaking at a 2.0 share.
Gen X Radio
On April 16, 2010, at 10 AM, immediately after Kidd Kraddick's show, the station changed formats again, this time to an 80s-90s format. While still using the "Kiss FM" moniker, they emphasized the slogan "Kansas City's Gen X Radio." With this change, syndicated personalities Kidd Kraddick and Kim Iverson were dropped.On May 28, 2010, KKSN changed their call letters to KGEX to go with their "Gen X Radio" branding. They also dropped any references to "Kiss FM" at this time. Tony Lorino joined the stations as Assistant PD and morning drive host from Entercom's Milwaukee cluster on August 23, 2010.
Despite adding local talent (save for Ryan Seacrest), ratings went down to a 1.9 share, making them the lowest ranked commercial station in the market.
99.7 The Point
On March 23, 2011, after less than a year as "Gen X", the station changed to adult contemporary and repositioned as "99-7 The Point". The final two songs on "Gen X Radio" were "Bye Bye ByeBye Bye Bye
"Bye Bye Bye" is the first single released from American boyband 'N Sync's second album, No Strings Attached. Released in early 2000, it is a reference to the group's break from their manager Lou Pearlman and their record label, RCA...
" by NSync and "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
-Charts:-Covers:* Rancid have covered the song in some acoustic performances, Matt Freeman is the lead vocalist in the cover.* Comedian Tim Hawkins plays a parody of the song entitled "These Are Things You Don't Say to Your Wife"...
" by Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
, while the Point's first two songs were "Get The Party Started
Get the Party Started
"Get the Party Started" is a song performed by Pink, and was the first single from her second album, Missundaztood . It became an international hit and reached the top ten in many countries. The song was Pink's highest selling at that time...
" by P!nk
P!nk
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
and "Firework" by Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
.
The station changed its call letters to KZPT on March 30, 2011.
Before the launch of "The Point," there was some speculation that the station would overlap with sister station KUDL. However, an hour after the launch, it was revealed that the station was actually designed to replace KUDL, as that station announced on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
that it would terminate its 34 year old adult contemporary format to become a simulcast of KMBZ, with some of its on-air staff being transferred to either "The Point" or WDAF-FM
WDAF-FM
WDAF-FM is a country music radio station based in Kansas City, Missouri, in the United States. Its current assignment to Entercom's 100,000 Watt facility licensed to Liberty, Missouri, combines the history of both the frequency and the WDAF call letters.- The Early Days :WDAF was one of the first...
. In August 2011, KZPT shifted back to a Hot AC format, though with less emphasis on older music as compared to when it was "Kiss FM".