WKYS
Encyclopedia
WKYS, the "Station for Interactive Hip Hop and R&B", is an American radio station
broadcasting an Urban Contemporary
radio format, that serves the greater Washington metropolitan area
. Its transmitter is located on the same tower as WRC-TV
. The station broadcasts from a class B signal with an effective radiated power
of 24,500 watt
s (24.5 kilowatts(kW) on 93.9 MHz frequency. WKYS has a city of license
of Washington, D.C.
, and is owned by Radio One.
. During its early days it was known as WRC-FM, with a jazz
format. The transition from the beautiful music
format into what is now WKYS occurred when NBC moved the Top 40 format that was on sister station WRC/980 to WKYS to make way for an all news format on the AM station. For a short time in 1975, the two stations simulcast the Top 40 format.
Shortly after the simulcast was discontinued, the original AM Top 40 format continued for a short while on the FM station, but later, seeing the coming boom in disco music
, WKYS adopted a highly successful disco format in the late 1970s and branded itself as WKYS, "Disco 93.9". DJs during the disco era included Donnie Simpson
, Stoney Richards, Joe Cipriano
, Eddie Edwards, Bill Bailey, Jeff Leonard, Chuck Davis, Candy Shannon and Max Kinkel.
The disco format eventually evolved into the present urban contemporary format, WKYS, "93.9 Kiss FM
" under the guidance of Donnie Simpson .
When NBC divested all of its radio properties in 1988, WKYS was sold to Albimar Communications. Some years later, amid financial difficulties, the station was sold to Radio One. In the mid 1990s, WKYS was forced to drop the "Kiss FM" name and changed it to "93.9 WKYS" because Clear Channel
held ownership of the name. However, WKYS has recently reintroduced the "Kiss FM" name with its over-the-air branding.
From the 1970s to 1993, WKYS was home to the legendary radio personality Donnie Simpson
. The station is now the flagship of the nationally syndicated Russ Parr
Morning Show.
, Urban AC station WMMJ
(sister station thereof) and Howard University's WHUR.
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 an Urban Contemporary
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
radio format, that serves the greater Washington metropolitan area
Washington Metropolitan Area
The Washington Metropolitan Area is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The area includes all of the federal district and parts of the U.S...
. Its transmitter is located on the same tower as WRC-TV
WRC-TV
WRC-TV, channel 4, is an owned and operated television station of the NBC television network, located in the American capital city of Washington, D.C...
. The station broadcasts from a class B signal with an effective radiated power
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
of 24,500 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s (24.5 kilowatts(kW) on 93.9 MHz frequency. WKYS has a city of license
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
of Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and is owned by Radio One.
History
Originally, the station was owned by NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. During its early days it was known as WRC-FM, with a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
format. The transition from the beautiful music
Beautiful music
Beautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
format into what is now WKYS occurred when NBC moved the Top 40 format that was on sister station WRC/980 to WKYS to make way for an all news format on the AM station. For a short time in 1975, the two stations simulcast the Top 40 format.
Shortly after the simulcast was discontinued, the original AM Top 40 format continued for a short while on the FM station, but later, seeing the coming boom in disco music
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
, WKYS adopted a highly successful disco format in the late 1970s and branded itself as WKYS, "Disco 93.9". DJs during the disco era included Donnie Simpson
Donnie Simpson
Donnie Simpson is a longtime American radio DJ as well as a television and movie personality. He hosted The Donnie Simpson Morning Show on Washington, D.C. radio station WPGC-FM from March 1993 to January 29, 2010. Simpson is the first urban-format radio personality to have an annual salary over...
, Stoney Richards, Joe Cipriano
Joe Cipriano
Joe Cipriano is an American voice over actor.-Career:Joe Cipriano began his career as a broadcaster in Waterbury, Connecticut , while still in high school. Since then he has worked for the NBC, ABC, Fox and CBS TV and radio networks...
, Eddie Edwards, Bill Bailey, Jeff Leonard, Chuck Davis, Candy Shannon and Max Kinkel.
The disco format eventually evolved into the present urban contemporary format, WKYS, "93.9 Kiss FM
KISS-FM (brand)
KISS-FM is the brand name of a Top 40 music format heard on FM radio stations in many cities in the United States . Clear Channel Communications claims ownership of the KISS-FM brand and operates most KISS-FM formatted stations, though not KISS-FM in San Antonio, Texas itself .-Origin and...
" under the guidance of Donnie Simpson .
When NBC divested all of its radio properties in 1988, WKYS was sold to Albimar Communications. Some years later, amid financial difficulties, the station was sold to Radio One. In the mid 1990s, WKYS was forced to drop the "Kiss FM" name and changed it to "93.9 WKYS" because Clear Channel
Clear channel
A clear-channel station is an AM band Radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. Usually known as class A stations since 1982, they are occasionally still referred to by their former...
held ownership of the name. However, WKYS has recently reintroduced the "Kiss FM" name with its over-the-air branding.
From the 1970s to 1993, WKYS was home to the legendary radio personality Donnie Simpson
Donnie Simpson
Donnie Simpson is a longtime American radio DJ as well as a television and movie personality. He hosted The Donnie Simpson Morning Show on Washington, D.C. radio station WPGC-FM from March 1993 to January 29, 2010. Simpson is the first urban-format radio personality to have an annual salary over...
. The station is now the flagship of the nationally syndicated Russ Parr
Russ Parr
Russ Parr is an American radio and television personality.-Career:Parr began as a Production Services Director at ABC TV....
Morning Show.
Competitors
WKYS competes with rival rhythmic crossover station WPGC-FMWPGC-FM
WPGC-FM is one of the most popular among Washington, D.C.'s urban format radio station's, and has been ranked as one of its top rated radio stations for over 20 years, according to the Arbitron ratings. It has a city of license of Morningside at the 95.5 MHz frequency on the FM dial...
, Urban AC station WMMJ
WMMJ
WMMJ is a top rated station Urban Adult Contemporary radio station owned by Radio One in the Washington, D.C. market. It is licensed to Bethesda, but its transmitter is located in Tenleytown...
(sister station thereof) and Howard University's WHUR.