WRKS-FM
Encyclopedia
WRKS known by its on-air branding 98.7 Kiss FM, is an Urban Adult Contemporary
radio station in New York City
, owned by Emmis Communications
. WRKS shares studio facilities with sister stations WQHT (97.1 MHz) and WEMP (101.9 MHz) in New York's West Village
neighborhood, and its broadcast transmitter is atop the Empire State Building
.
The 98.7 FM facility in New York City began as WOR-FM in 1948 and was owned by the Bamberger Broadcasting Service, which was a division of R.H. Macy and Company
. Like most early FM stations, WOR-FM initially simulcast
ed AM sister station
WOR
(710 kHz). Macy's/Bamberger sold the WOR stations (who launched a television station
in October 1949) to the General Tire and Rubber Company in 1952. General Tire reorganized its broadcasting division into RKO General
in 1957.
In 1965 the Federal Communications Commission
ordered AM stations in large markets to end continuous simulcasting on co-owned FM frequencies, a move made to spark development of FM stations as individuals. On July 30, 1966 WOR-FM began running a freeform
-based progressive rock
format for most of its broadcast day, though the station continued to simulcast WOR radio's Rambling with Gambling
morning show for sometime afterwards. Under the leadership of legendary disc jockey
Murray "the K" Kaufman
, and featuring other notable disc jockeys such as Scott Muni
and Rosko
, the freeform format was the first of its kind in New York City radio.
However, this programming quickly evolved into an Adult Top 40 format by the end of 1967, and Muni and Rosko departed for WNEW-FM where the progressive format would become a huge success.
Initially, the Top 40-formatted WOR-FM played new songs but in less of a rotation than WABC
, which was then New York's big Top 40 station. WOR-FM played more oldies from the 1950s and early '60s than its competitors. Some of their notable early personalities included Bill Brown (who left for WCBS-FM
in 1969), Joe McCoy (who would eventually run WCBS-FM for 23 years), Johnny Donovan
(who would go to WABC in 1972), Tommy Edwards, and Al Brady (who would program WABC in 1979) among others. As time progressed, WOR-FM played too many oldies to justify being called a Top 40 station. By 1972 the station eliminated 1950s and early 60s music almost completely, and by 1973 they focused on a playlist spanning 1964 to the then-present.
On October 23, 1972, RKO General changed the station's call letters to WXLO and starting in April 1974 became known as "99X," a reference to the WXLO frequency's close proximity on the FM dial to 99 Mhz. This was a version of what was known as the "Q" format, so named because it was modeled after station KCBQ in San Diego. The format featured a very tight playlist, often just 10-15 currents, with a heavy emphasis on constant contests and promotions. Still, it was considered Adult Top 40, similar to what WNBC evolved to. WXLO held on to this Adult Top 40 format and the "99X" moniker until 1980, when it became "FM 99." This iteration had decent ratings for a while, but by 1981, the ratings fell dramatically. RKO General phased out the Top 40 format, and brought in new Program Director Don Kelly from successful sister soft adult contemporary WFYR in Chicago in an attempt to duplicate that format's success on WXLO. The station at first attempted a call letter change back to WOR-FM, but an FCC challenge from competing crosstown WRFM (now WWPR-FM
) prevented the call letter change from happening. Still, Kelly attempted to make the station the same soft adult contemporary format he had in Chicago. These changes did not gain any new listeners for WXLO, and ratings sank even lower. Later, Kelly adjusted the music and very slowly and gradually began mixing more disco and soul into the format. In the Fall of 1980.Kelly, in counseltation with RKO General, decided to go after WBLS-FM's urban audience by bringing in new music director
Barry Mayo
. Mayo shortly before his arrival, suggested a new format for the station to Kelly and then-general manager
Lee S. Simonson after he received a surprising lambasting from his idol, WBLS Program Director Frankie Crocker
(who would later become his rival). Mayo would later become WXLO's Program Director when Kelly left to start his own consultancy.
By May 1981, WXLO was nearly all rhythmic, playing almost all disco, soul, and rhythmic-friendly pop. Almost all the rock and AC crossovers were gone. By today's standards, this station would be called "Rhythmic CHR
", but that term did not exist back in 1981. Therefore, the station was classified as "Urban Contemporary
" (which today would be considered as a strictly R&B
-type format whether Rap
or Soul
).
WXLO once held an all-Elton John
weekend. Listeners had to count how many Elton songs were played and win his Greatest Hits Vol. 1
album. Another weekend they held a "No Bee Gees" weekend, where they asked their listeners to request Bee Gee songs that they didn't want played. "I'll be sure to not get that on the air for you" a DJ said on that weekend.
The WXLO
call sign now belongs to a station in Fitchburg, Massachusetts
, chosen in tribute by station management.
format was completed by that August. Early on, Kiss-FM played a great deal of R&B and dance music
, and became an almost instant hit with listeners, as its ratings skyrocketed from 22nd place to third. Notable Kiss FM Mixmasters at the time were Shep Pettibone
and the Latin Rascals, who relied heavily on freestyle music
. Longtime urban contemporary
leader WBLS
was caught off-guard by the sudden rise of the new station, which represented its first direct competition in that format.
Around mid-1983, Kiss-FM approached Afrika Bambaataa
about an underground rap
music show. He liked the idea and appointed DJ Jazzy Jay
, a fellow member of Zulu Nation
. He then passed the gig on to his cousin, DJ Red Alert
. In Fall 1983, Kiss FM became the first station in the United States
to play rap regularly. Also in 1983, non-R&B dance music and disco were phased out, as the station played strictly music catering only to an African-American audience. WBLS responded by hiring Mr. Magic
to conduct a weekend rap show, which helped WBLS reach number-three in the ratings that year, beating out Kiss FM.
By 1984, the station had promoted Barry Mayo
as the first black general manager
in the RKO radio chain. Kiss FM would incorporate rap artists such as Kurtis Blow
, Run DMC, the Fat Boys, Newcleus
, and LL Cool J
into the same rotation as such established acts as Ashford & Simpson
, Kool and the Gang, and Gladys Knight
. In 1986, Emmis Broadcasting launched WQHT-FM
, which had a huge emphasis on dance music. Kiss FM and rival WBLS then each added more dance music to their playlists again. In 1988, Mayo left to organize a new broadcasting company with Lee S. Simonson and Bill Pearson, and RKO appointed Charles Warfield (former general manager of WBLS) as the new general manager of Kiss FM. During his tenure, the station reached first place for six years.
By the late 1980s, however, RKO General was forced out of the broadcasting business when the FCC began revoking its licenses to its stations in New York, Boston and Los Angeles because of gross misconduct by its corporate parent, the General Tire and Rubber Company and by RKO General's lack of candor with the FCC about its corporate parent. RKO General—having been stripped in 1980 of its license to WNAC-TV in Boston -- owned three stations in New York that would be sold to different companies. In 1987, WOR-TV would be sold to MCA
(and renamed WWOR-TV
). On June 26, 1989, RKO sold Kiss FM to the Summit Communications Group
of Atlanta. Around the same time as Kiss FM's sale, WOR was sold to Buckley Broadcasting
. Several radio stations began to use the moniker "Kiss FM
" name as well as the format. For years Kiss FM was number one on the Arbitron
ratings due to its hip hop
-influenced format. That same year, WBLS
lured on-air personality Mike Love (formerly of the original Kiss Wake-Up Club) to their morning drive time. Kiss immediately formulated a new morning show featuring Ken Webb
and Jeff Foxx along with then-unknown Wendy Williams
. The show became a hit.
In 1994, WQHT-FM
("Hot 97") changed formats from dance music
to strictly rap, thus competing directly with Kiss FM. The station responded by adding Mixmaster shows, producing remixes unheard on other urban stations and formulating a new morning show featuring Wendy Williams. Emmis Broadcasting, which owned Hot 97 agreed to purchase Kiss FM from Summit in December 1994, forming the market's first FM duopoly
. Notable DJ's such as Wendy Williams
and Red Alert (previously returned to Kiss and now heard on WWPR-FM
) moved from Kiss FM to Hot 97, which continued with its new format; Kiss stopped playing rap and focused on an Urban Adult Contemporary
(Urban AC) format using the slogan "Smooth R&B and Classic Soul
".
In 1999, Kiss FM switched from a classic soul-music format to current R&B. That same year Frankie Crocker
(formerly of rival station WBLS) was hired as an announcer and a weekend DJ. The station slowly began to reintroduce rap back on its playlists in 2000. When WWPR-FM
was launched in March 2002 the station slightly switched back to classic soul. In 2003 Barry Mayo
briefly returned as general manager for Kiss FM, Hot 97 and WQCD-FM.
In 2007, Kiss returned to its Urban Contemporary
roots, thus competing directly with sister station Hot 97, WBLS
and Power 105.1.
In early September 2010, Kiss' Old School & Today's R&B changes slogan to '80s, '90s & Today's R&B without using the '70s.
On January 31, 2011, Kiss returned by playing '80s Artist/Band before '70s.
Urban Adult Contemporary
Urban adult contemporary is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have rap music on their playlists. The format was designed by Barry Mayo when he, Lee S. Simonson and Bill Pearson organized Broadcast...
radio station in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, owned by Emmis Communications
Emmis Communications
Emmis Communications is a media conglomerate based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company owns radio stations and magazines in the United States, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria.-History:...
. WRKS shares studio facilities with sister stations WQHT (97.1 MHz) and WEMP (101.9 MHz) in New York's West Village
West Village, Manhattan
The West Village is the western portion of the Greenwich Village neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The area is usually defined as bounded by the Hudson River on the west and either Sixth Avenue or Seventh Avenue on the east, extending from 14th Street down to Houston Street...
neighborhood, and its broadcast transmitter is atop the Empire State Building
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story landmark skyscraper and American cultural icon in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet , and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454 ft high. Its name is derived...
.
As WOR-FM
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
. Like most early FM stations, WOR-FM initially simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
ed AM sister station
Sister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio and/or television stations operated by the same ownership....
WOR
WOR (AM)
WOR is a class A , AM radio station located in New York, New York, U.S., operating on 710 kHz. The station has a talk format and has been owned by Buckley Broadcasting since 1987, after the station was sold by RKO. The station has conservative, or right-of-center hosts.Its call letters have no...
(710 kHz). Macy's/Bamberger sold the WOR stations (who launched a television station
WWOR-TV
WWOR-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the flagship station of the MyNetworkTV programming service, licensed to Secaucus, New Jersey and serving the Tri-State metropolitan area. WWOR is owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is a sister station to Fox network flagship...
in October 1949) to the General Tire and Rubber Company in 1952. General Tire reorganized its broadcasting division into RKO General
RKO General
RKO General was the main holding company through 1991 for the noncore businesses of the General Tire and Rubber Company and, after General Tire's reorganization in the 1980s, GenCorp. The business was based around the consolidation of its parent company's broadcasting interests, dating to 1943, and...
in 1957.
In 1965 the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
ordered AM stations in large markets to end continuous simulcasting on co-owned FM frequencies, a move made to spark development of FM stations as individuals. On July 30, 1966 WOR-FM began running a freeform
Freeform (radio format)
Freeform, or freeform radio, is a radio station programming format in which the disc jockey is given total control over what music to play, regardless of music genre or commercial interests. Freeform radio stands in contrast to most commercial radio stations, in which DJs have little or no...
-based progressive rock
Progressive rock (radio format)
Progressive rock is a radio station programming format that prospered in the late 1960s and 1970s, in which the disc jockeys are given wide latitude in what they may play, similar to the freeform format but with the proviso that some kind of rock music is almost always what is played...
format for most of its broadcast day, though the station continued to simulcast WOR radio's Rambling with Gambling
Rambling with Gambling
Rambling with Gambling was a news and talk radio program aired on WOR 710 from 1925 until 2000. It was hosted by three generations of people named John Gambling throughout its entire 75-year run.-History:...
morning show for sometime afterwards. Under the leadership of legendary disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
Murray "the K" Kaufman
Murray the K
Murray Kaufman , professionally known as Murray the K, was an influential rock and roll impresario and disc jockey of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s...
, and featuring other notable disc jockeys such as Scott Muni
Scott Muni
Scott Muni was an American disc jockey, who worked at the heyday of the AM Top 40 format and then was a pioneer of FM progressive rock radio.-Biography:...
and Rosko
William (Rosko) Mercer
William Roscoe Mercer , better known to millions of radio listeners simply as Rosko, was an American news announcer and disc jockey. He is best known for his stints on New York's WOR-FM and WNEW-FM in the 1960s...
, the freeform format was the first of its kind in New York City radio.
However, this programming quickly evolved into an Adult Top 40 format by the end of 1967, and Muni and Rosko departed for WNEW-FM where the progressive format would become a huge success.
Initially, the Top 40-formatted WOR-FM played new songs but in less of a rotation than WABC
WABC (AM)
WABC , known as "NewsTalkRadio 77 WABC" is a radio station in New York City. Owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media, the station broadcasts on a clear channel and is the flagship station of Cumulus Media Networks...
, which was then New York's big Top 40 station. WOR-FM played more oldies from the 1950s and early '60s than its competitors. Some of their notable early personalities included Bill Brown (who left for WCBS-FM
WCBS-FM
WCBS-FM is a CBS-owned radio station in New York City. The station's studios are in the combined CBS Radio facility at 345 Hudson Street in Manhattan, and its transmitter is located on the Empire State Building....
in 1969), Joe McCoy (who would eventually run WCBS-FM for 23 years), Johnny Donovan
Johnny Donovan
Johnny Donovan is an American radio announcer and producer at New York's WABC .He grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York, nicknamed "Sarge," after his father's former rank in the United States Army...
(who would go to WABC in 1972), Tommy Edwards, and Al Brady (who would program WABC in 1979) among others. As time progressed, WOR-FM played too many oldies to justify being called a Top 40 station. By 1972 the station eliminated 1950s and early 60s music almost completely, and by 1973 they focused on a playlist spanning 1964 to the then-present.
As WXLO
WWPR-FM
WWPR-FM, also known as "Power 105.1", is an urban contemporary radio station that features hip hop and R&B licensed to New York City that serves the Greater New York area....
) prevented the call letter change from happening. Still, Kelly attempted to make the station the same soft adult contemporary format he had in Chicago. These changes did not gain any new listeners for WXLO, and ratings sank even lower. Later, Kelly adjusted the music and very slowly and gradually began mixing more disco and soul into the format. In the Fall of 1980.Kelly, in counseltation with RKO General, decided to go after WBLS-FM's urban audience by bringing in new music director
Music director
A music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
Barry Mayo
Barry Mayo
Barry Mayo is a United States radio executive. In 1981 he helped launch WRKS-FM in New York as the first station to play rap music on a regular basis. The station's success led him to be promoted as the first black general manager of RKO General....
. Mayo shortly before his arrival, suggested a new format for the station to Kelly and then-general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
Lee S. Simonson after he received a surprising lambasting from his idol, WBLS Program Director Frankie Crocker
Frankie Crocker
Frankie "Hollywood" Crocker was a famous New York radio DJ...
(who would later become his rival). Mayo would later become WXLO's Program Director when Kelly left to start his own consultancy.
By May 1981, WXLO was nearly all rhythmic, playing almost all disco, soul, and rhythmic-friendly pop. Almost all the rock and AC crossovers were gone. By today's standards, this station would be called "Rhythmic CHR
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
", but that term did not exist back in 1981. Therefore, the station was classified as "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...
" (which today would be considered as a strictly R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
-type format whether Rap
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
or Soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
).
WXLO once held an all-Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
weekend. Listeners had to count how many Elton songs were played and win his Greatest Hits Vol. 1
Elton John's Greatest Hits
Elton John's Greatest Hits is the ninth album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released on MCA Records, catalogue MCA 2128, in November 1974. Spanning the years 1970 to 1974, it compiles ten of John's singles, with one track variation for releases in North America and for Europe and Australia...
album. Another weekend they held a "No Bee Gees" weekend, where they asked their listeners to request Bee Gee songs that they didn't want played. "I'll be sure to not get that on the air for you" a DJ said on that weekend.
The WXLO
WXLO
WXLO is a Hot Adult Contemporary radio station that serves the Worcester, Massachusetts market, broadcasting on the FM band at a frequency of 104.5 MHz. The station is licensed in Fitchburg, Massachusetts to Cumulus Media...
call sign now belongs to a station in Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Fitchburg is the third largest city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,318 at the 2010 census. Fitchburg is home to Fitchburg State University as well as 17 public and private elementary and high schools.- History :...
, chosen in tribute by station management.
As WRKS-FM
In June 1981, the station was known on-air as "FM 99 WXLO making its move to 98.7". By the end of the month, the station's call letters changed to WRKS-FM (the meaning of which originally referred to its being an RKO Station) and the station was called "98.7 Kiss FM", as the station's transition to this new urban contemporaryUrban 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...
format was completed by that August. Early on, Kiss-FM played a great deal of R&B and dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
, and became an almost instant hit with listeners, as its ratings skyrocketed from 22nd place to third. Notable Kiss FM Mixmasters at the time were Shep Pettibone
Shep Pettibone
Robert E. Pettibone, Jr. is a record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s. His earliest work known to the public was for one of New York City's top disco/dance radio stations, WRKS 98.7 "Kiss" FM, and later as remixer/producer for the disco label Salsoul...
and the Latin Rascals, who relied heavily on freestyle music
Freestyle music
Freestyle or Latin freestyle, sometimes referred to as Latin hip hop, is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in the early 1980s. Mostly popular during the mid 80s to the early 90s...
. Longtime 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...
leader WBLS
WBLS
WBLS is an urban adult contemporary FM radio station in New York City, operating on 107.5 MHz. WBLS is owned by Inner City Broadcasting Corporation along with sister station WLIB...
was caught off-guard by the sudden rise of the new station, which represented its first direct competition in that format.
Afrika Bambaataa
Afrika Bambaataa is an American DJ from the South Bronx, New York who was instrumental in the early development of hip hop throughout the 1980s. Afrika Bambaataa is one of the three originators of break-beat deejaying, and is respectfully known as the "Grandfather" and the Amen Ra of Universal...
about an underground rap
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
music show. He liked the idea and appointed DJ Jazzy Jay
Jazzy Jay
Jazzy Jay born in Beaufort, South Carolina, United States, November 18, 1961), also known as The Original Jazzy Jay or DJ Jazzy Jay, is a pioneering American hip hop DJ and producer. He has collected roughly 400,000 records.-Background:...
, a fellow member of Zulu Nation
Universal Zulu Nation
|rightThe Universal Zulu Nation is an international hip hop awareness group formed and headed by hip hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa. Originally known simply as the Organization, it arose in the 1970s as reformed New York City gang members began to organize cultural events for youths, combining local...
. He then passed the gig on to his cousin, DJ Red Alert
DJ Red Alert
DJ Red Alert is a disc jockey on 98.7 Kiss-FM, N.Y.C., and has been recognized as a hip hop pioneer...
. In Fall 1983, Kiss FM became the first station in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to play rap regularly. Also in 1983, non-R&B dance music and disco were phased out, as the station played strictly music catering only to an African-American audience. WBLS responded by hiring Mr. Magic
Mr. Magic
John "Mr. Magic" Rivas, was an important figure in the world of hip hop radio.-Biography:Mr. Magic debuted in 1981 on WHBI-FM in New York City with the first exclusive rap radio show to be aired on a major station...
to conduct a weekend rap show, which helped WBLS reach number-three in the ratings that year, beating out Kiss FM.
By 1984, the station had promoted Barry Mayo
Barry Mayo
Barry Mayo is a United States radio executive. In 1981 he helped launch WRKS-FM in New York as the first station to play rap music on a regular basis. The station's success led him to be promoted as the first black general manager of RKO General....
as the first black general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
in the RKO radio chain. Kiss FM would incorporate rap artists such as Kurtis Blow
Kurtis Blow
Kurt Walker , better known by his stage name Kurtis Blow, is an American rapper and record producer. He is one of the first commercially successful rappers and the first to sign with a major record label...
, Run DMC, the Fat Boys, Newcleus
Newcleus
Newcleus is an American electro and old school hip hop group that gained popularity in the early 1980s. They are primarily known for their 12-inch singles "Jam-On's Revenge", re-released as "Jam on Revenge " , and "Jam on It" ....
, and LL Cool J
LL Cool J
James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
into the same rotation as such established acts as Ashford & Simpson
Ashford & Simpson
Nickolas Ashford , and Valerie Simpson , were a husband and wife songwriting/production team and recording artists....
, Kool and the Gang, and Gladys Knight
Gladys Knight
Gladys Maria Knight , known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author...
. In 1986, Emmis Broadcasting launched WQHT-FM
WQHT-FM
WQHT is a high-profile American radio station in New York City under the corporate ownership of Emmis Communications. The station broadcasts on 97.1 MHz FM...
, which had a huge emphasis on dance music. Kiss FM and rival WBLS then each added more dance music to their playlists again. In 1988, Mayo left to organize a new broadcasting company with Lee S. Simonson and Bill Pearson, and RKO appointed Charles Warfield (former general manager of WBLS) as the new general manager of Kiss FM. During his tenure, the station reached first place for six years.
By the late 1980s, however, RKO General was forced out of the broadcasting business when the FCC began revoking its licenses to its stations in New York, Boston and Los Angeles because of gross misconduct by its corporate parent, the General Tire and Rubber Company and by RKO General's lack of candor with the FCC about its corporate parent. RKO General—having been stripped in 1980 of its license to WNAC-TV in Boston -- owned three stations in New York that would be sold to different companies. In 1987, WOR-TV would be sold to MCA
Music Corporation of America
MCA, Inc. was an American talent agency. Initially starting in the music business, they would next become a dominant force in the film business, and later expanded into the television business...
(and renamed WWOR-TV
WWOR-TV
WWOR-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the flagship station of the MyNetworkTV programming service, licensed to Secaucus, New Jersey and serving the Tri-State metropolitan area. WWOR is owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is a sister station to Fox network flagship...
). On June 26, 1989, RKO sold Kiss FM to the Summit Communications Group
Summit Communications Group
The Summit Communications Group is an Atlanta-based communications company which once owned 16 radio stations around the United States. The company now concentrates on technology and internet services....
of Atlanta. Around the same time as Kiss FM's sale, WOR was sold to Buckley Broadcasting
Buckley Broadcasting
Buckley Radio owns and operates twenty radio stations in seven markets. In addition, the WOR Radio Network is operated as an independent syndicated programming provider with affiliates in over 400 markets.-New York:*WOR - New York, NY...
. Several radio stations began to use the moniker "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...
" name as well as the format. For years Kiss FM was number one on the Arbitron
Arbitron
Arbitron is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio audiences. It was founded as American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by merging with L.A. based Coffin, Cooper and Clay in the early 1950s...
ratings due to its hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
-influenced format. That same year, WBLS
WBLS
WBLS is an urban adult contemporary FM radio station in New York City, operating on 107.5 MHz. WBLS is owned by Inner City Broadcasting Corporation along with sister station WLIB...
lured on-air personality Mike Love (formerly of the original Kiss Wake-Up Club) to their morning drive time. Kiss immediately formulated a new morning show featuring Ken Webb
Ken Webb
Ken Webb is an English cyclist who at 42 claimed the world record for distance cycled in a year. He calculated he passed the 75,065 miles set by another Briton, Tommy Godwin on 7 August 1972 and that he finished the year with 80,647. He rode on to claim the record for 100,000 miles in 448 days...
and Jeff Foxx along with then-unknown Wendy Williams
Wendy Williams (radio host)
Wendy Williams Hunter is an American media personality and New York Times bestselling author. She calls herself the "Queen Of All Media" and hosts her own syndicated talk show, The Wendy Williams Show. Williams has gained notoriety for her on-air spats with celebrities...
. The show became a hit.
In 1994, WQHT-FM
WQHT-FM
WQHT is a high-profile American radio station in New York City under the corporate ownership of Emmis Communications. The station broadcasts on 97.1 MHz FM...
("Hot 97") changed formats from dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
to strictly rap, thus competing directly with Kiss FM. The station responded by adding Mixmaster shows, producing remixes unheard on other urban stations and formulating a new morning show featuring Wendy Williams. Emmis Broadcasting, which owned Hot 97 agreed to purchase Kiss FM from Summit in December 1994, forming the market's first FM duopoly
Duopoly (broadcasting)
In United States broadcast television and radio, duopoly is a term used to describe a single company which owns two or more stations in the same city or community....
. Notable DJ's such as Wendy Williams
Wendy Williams (radio host)
Wendy Williams Hunter is an American media personality and New York Times bestselling author. She calls herself the "Queen Of All Media" and hosts her own syndicated talk show, The Wendy Williams Show. Williams has gained notoriety for her on-air spats with celebrities...
and Red Alert (previously returned to Kiss and now heard on WWPR-FM
WWPR-FM
WWPR-FM, also known as "Power 105.1", is an urban contemporary radio station that features hip hop and R&B licensed to New York City that serves the Greater New York area....
) moved from Kiss FM to Hot 97, which continued with its new format; Kiss stopped playing rap and focused on an Urban Adult Contemporary
Urban Adult Contemporary
Urban adult contemporary is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have rap music on their playlists. The format was designed by Barry Mayo when he, Lee S. Simonson and Bill Pearson organized Broadcast...
(Urban AC) format using the slogan "Smooth R&B and Classic Soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
".
In 1999, Kiss FM switched from a classic soul-music format to current R&B. That same year Frankie Crocker
Frankie Crocker
Frankie "Hollywood" Crocker was a famous New York radio DJ...
(formerly of rival station WBLS) was hired as an announcer and a weekend DJ. The station slowly began to reintroduce rap back on its playlists in 2000. When WWPR-FM
WWPR-FM
WWPR-FM, also known as "Power 105.1", is an urban contemporary radio station that features hip hop and R&B licensed to New York City that serves the Greater New York area....
was launched in March 2002 the station slightly switched back to classic soul. In 2003 Barry Mayo
Barry Mayo
Barry Mayo is a United States radio executive. In 1981 he helped launch WRKS-FM in New York as the first station to play rap music on a regular basis. The station's success led him to be promoted as the first black general manager of RKO General....
briefly returned as general manager for Kiss FM, Hot 97 and WQCD-FM.
In 2007, Kiss returned to its 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...
roots, thus competing directly with sister station Hot 97, WBLS
WBLS
WBLS is an urban adult contemporary FM radio station in New York City, operating on 107.5 MHz. WBLS is owned by Inner City Broadcasting Corporation along with sister station WLIB...
and Power 105.1.
In early September 2010, Kiss' Old School & Today's R&B changes slogan to '80s, '90s & Today's R&B without using the '70s.
On January 31, 2011, Kiss returned by playing '80s Artist/Band before '70s.
Notable station radio personalities
- Barry MayoBarry MayoBarry Mayo is a United States radio executive. In 1981 he helped launch WRKS-FM in New York as the first station to play rap music on a regular basis. The station's success led him to be promoted as the first black general manager of RKO General....
(1981) - Shep PettiboneShep PettiboneRobert E. Pettibone, Jr. is a record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s. His earliest work known to the public was for one of New York City's top disco/dance radio stations, WRKS 98.7 "Kiss" FM, and later as remixer/producer for the disco label Salsoul...
(Mastermixer) (1981–1984) - DJ Red AlertDJ Red AlertDJ Red Alert is a disc jockey on 98.7 Kiss-FM, N.Y.C., and has been recognized as a hip hop pioneer...
(Mastermixer) (1983-1994; 2007-present) - Jonathan TaylorJonathan TaylorJonathan F Taylor CBE is the former Chair of the School of Oriental and African Studies , Board of Governors, Chairman of the Booker Prize Foundation, the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission and Chair of the Trustees of the International Prize for Arabic Fiction.-References:...
aka "J.T. Wellington III" (1985–1988) - Wendy WilliamsWendy Williams (radio host)Wendy Williams Hunter is an American media personality and New York Times bestselling author. She calls herself the "Queen Of All Media" and hosts her own syndicated talk show, The Wendy Williams Show. Williams has gained notoriety for her on-air spats with celebrities...
(1989–1994) - Roberta FlackRoberta FlackRoberta Flack is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who is notable for jazz, soul, R&B, and folk music...
(1995–1999) - Ashford & SimpsonAshford & SimpsonNickolas Ashford , and Valerie Simpson , were a husband and wife songwriting/production team and recording artists....
(1995–1999) - Isaac HayesIsaac HayesIsaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
(1996–2001) - Tom JoynerTom JoynerThomas "Tom" Joyner is an American radio host, host of the nationally syndicated The Tom Joyner Morning Show, and also founder of REACH Media Inc., the Tom Joyner Foundation, and BlackAmericaWeb.com.-Early life:...
(2001–2003; 2011–present) - Michael BaisdenMichael BaisdenMichael Baisden is an American author, motivational speaker, host of the TV One talk show Baisden After Dark, and host of his own nationally-syndicated radio show.-Career:...
(2003–present) - Ed LoverEd LoverJames Roberts , better known as Ed Lover, is an African-American rapper, actor, musician, radio personality, and former MTV VJ.-Biography:...
(2011-present) - DJ Cocoa ChanelleDJ Cocoa ChanelleDJ Cocoa Chanelle is an American hip hop DJ, rapper and producer on New York City's radio station Kiss FM.-Early life:Chanelle was born in Brooklyn, New York but raised in Bluefield, West Virginia by her grandmother after the death of both of her parents...
(Mastermixer) (2011-present)