- WKKF
Infobox Radio station
name = WKKF
city =Ballston Spa, New York
area =Capital District andAdirondacks
branding = 102.3 Kiss FM
slogan = All of Today's Best Music
airdate = October1991
(1968 as WKAJ-FM Saratoga Springs)
frequency = 102.3 MHz
format =Top 40
power = 4.1 kW
erp = 6 kW
class = A
callsign_meaning = W Kapitol" [sic] " Kiss FM
former_callsigns = WKAJ-FM (1968-79, Saratoga Springs)
WASM (1979-87, Saratoga Springs)
WQQY (1987-91, Saratoga Springs)
WZRQ (1991-96)
WXCR (1997-2000)
owner =Clear Channel Communications
sister_stations =WGY ,WRVE ,WHRL ,WPYX ,WTRY-FM ,WKKF
webcast =
website = [http://www.1023kissfm.com/ www.1023kissfm.com]
affiliations =WKKF "(102.3 Kiss FM)" is a
Top 40 radio station licensed toBallston Spa, New York and serving theCapital District andAdirondacks . The station is owned byClear Channel Communications and broadcasts at 102.3 FM at 4.1 kilowatts ERP from a transmitter inClifton Park, New York on a tower shared withWPTR andWTMM-FM .Since its launch as "Kiss FM" on
May 26 2000 , WKKF has been a largely successful station going after heritage Top 40WFLY with a more rhythmic, younger leaning format. This approach has allowed it to hold its own against WFLY, a station which had not seen competition for a decade prior to WKKF's launch, andWAJZ , a Rhythmic who happens to be WFLY's sister station.Programming
WKKF's playlist leans heavily on
rhythmic pop and hip-hop, however the station plays a tangible amount of straight pop and rock tracks which differs from a traditionalRhythmic Top 40 station. On the musical spectrum, it falls right between its two key rivals, sister stations WFLY andWAJZ .Much of WKKF's airstaff are transplants from other stations in the market; former Program Director/midday jock Rob Dawes previously held the same position at WFLY, current midday jock Ally Reid handled middays at FLY as well as WFLZ (93-3FLZ) in Tampa, FL. Another former FLY staff member,morning jock "Joey Kidd" (better known as Joe Rosati on
WHTZ inNew York City , who does his show viaISDN ). PM Drive jock DJ Thomas, the last original staff member from WKKF's launch, spent time atWKLI (as "K-100") and WABT. "Corey", the current night jock, previously spent time at 98 WPXY in Rochester.Special features on WKKF include the "Kiss Cafe" noon request hour, the "7 O'Clock Shorty" mixshow weeknights at 7:00 p.m., and the "9 Most Wanted" countdown weeknight at 9:00 p.m.. Additionally, WKKF broadcasts the nationally-syndicated MTV TRL Weekend Countdown with Damien every Saturday from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and
American Top 40 hosted byRyan Seacrest every Sunday from 8 a.m. to Noon.History
The 102.3 frequency originally began in
Saratoga Springs, New York in1968 as WKAJ-FM, sister to WKAJ running aneasy listening format. In1979 , WKAJ-FM was sold and changed its calls to WASM keeping the easy listening format though by the mid-1980s the station evolved to anAdult contemporary approach.In June
1987 , WASM flipped to Top 40 WQQY "(102 Double Q)" and began to make a minor wave in the Albany ratings by giving WFLY and WGFM a run for its money in Saratoga County. Among the air talent at WQQY was Rob Dawes early in his career before moving back to the frequency.With the decline of Top 40 in the early 1990s, it's limited 3000 watt signal, and a nearby station (WEQX) wishing to upgrade their facilities, WQQY began to look to the south for a better alternative. Having a construction permit to move the station down to the Albany area, WQQY moved its transmitter 12 miles south to Clifton Park (licensed to nearby Ballston Spa) and relaunched in September
1991 as WZRQ, becoming Albany's affiliate of ABC's "Z-Rock" satellitehard rock format. WZRQ remained as an affiliate of Z-Rock until the network's end in late1996 .Needing a new format, then-owner Radio Enterprises (a joint venture of Clear Channel and local investors) decided to go after heritage rock station
WPYX with aclassic rock format as WXCR. Though former WPYX morning team "Mason and Sheehan" gave the station a boost at the outset, their firing in1998 left WXCR as one of the lowest rated stations in the Capital Region. After Clear Channel acquired WPYX in2000 , the WXCR call letters were changed to WKKF, and their 'Kiss-FM' Top-40 format was adopted. WXCR personality, Steve Scott was the only one to make the transition from classic rock to Top-40 as Jeff Mrozek adopted the afternoon drive spot at sister station WQBK (The Edge) earlier that year.In
2005 , WKKF upgraded to IBOCdigital radio alongside the rest of Clear Channel's Albany stations. On August 17, 2006, WKKF began airing an HD2 channel with a pop and new music-heavy CHR format known as "KissPop" which is heard on several other Kiss stations across the United States.External links
*fmq|WKKF
* [http://www.mickontheradio.com KISS After Dark with Mick Website]
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