KQIS

Infobox Radio station
name = KQIS


city = Basile, Louisiana
area = Lafayette metropolitan area, Lake Charles
branding = "102.1 KQIS"
slogan = Acadiana's Best Soft Rock"
airdate = 1991
frequency = 102.1 (MHz)
format = Adult Contemporary
power =
erp = 100,000 watts
class = C1
callsign_meaning = K(i)SS (in reference to former brand)
former_callsigns = KBAZ, KSIG-FM
webcast =
owner = Third Partner Broadcasting
website = [http://www.kqis.com/ www.kqis.com]
affiliations =
sister_stations = KSIG (AM), KBEB-FM

KQIS is an Adult Contemporary radio station owned by Third Partner Broadcasting and serving the Lafayette and Lake Charles radio markets.

History

KQIS signed on in 1991 as Acadia Parish-focused KBAZ with a Country format. In 1994, 102.1 changed calls to KSIG-FM and became a simulcast of Adult Standards sister station 1450/KSIG, which lasted until April 10, 1997 when the signal was upgraded to 50kw and entered the Lafayette market. Upon the upgrade, the station took on the KQIS call letters and switched to Adult Contemporary as "Kiss 102.1."

Since the initial upgrade into the Lafayette market, KQIS has shifted its format several times. In 1998, KQIS dropped the "Kiss" brand and became Soft Rock 102.1 with the same adult contemporary format. Later that year, 102.1 was upgraded once more to 100kw, extending coverage west to Lake Charles and became a hybrid Adult Contemporary-Smooth Jazz "102.1 Kiss FM." In October 2000, KQIS became one of the first stations in the United States to launch an 80s Oldies format, which lasted until late 2001, when newer music was mixed in to shift the station's format to Hot AC.

In 2002, the Kiss brand was dropped once and for all when what is now KYRK became Kiss FM. KYRK provides fringe coverage into the Lafayette area, and KQIS' owners feared a cease and desist from Clear Channel, who owns KYRK. The Hot AC format was tweaked to Top 40 for a short time in 2004 before settling on the current format.

External links

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*fmq|KQIS
*FML|KQIS