WKUS

Infobox Radio Station
name = WKUS


city = Norfolk, Virginia
area = Norfolk/Virginia Beach
branding = 105-3 KISS-FM
slogan = "The Best R&B And Old School"
airdate =
frequency = 105.3 (MHz) HD Radio
105.3 HD-2 for Classic Soul
format = Urban AC
erp = 50,000 watts
class = B
owner = Clear Channel Communications
sister_stations = WCDG,WJCD,WOWI
webcast = [http://www.1053kiss.com/cc-common/streaming_new/index.html Listen Live]
website = [http://www.1053kiss.com/ http://www.1053kiss.com]
callsign_meaning = W-Ki(U)sS

WKUS, 105.3 Kiss-FM is a Urban AC outlet serving the Hampton Roads region. The station is a part of Clear Channel's cluster in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach market and is licensed to Norfolk, Virginia.

History

Back in the late 40s, the station (105.3) hit the airwaves for the first time as WSAP-FM in Portsmouth, co-owned with WSAP-AM. Eventually it went dark for a number of years. It came back on the air August 1962 in an abandoned garage in Chesapeake as WXRI featuring a religious format, when it was purchased by Pat Robertson of "700 Club" fame (along with Channel 27, then WYAH). (The WXRI call letters now reside on a Southern Gospel station in the Greensboro area).

Initially, WXRI employed a format of teaching, preaching, and traditional Christian music. The station was non commercial until the early 1970's. After going commercial during the music segements, the station still remained traditional Christian. As Contemporary Christian Music began in the early 1970's, WXRI began playing this music for several hours on Saturdays. By 1976, WXRI began mixing softer contemporary songs in with their traditional format evolving into more of a Christian MOR format. By 1979, the station was playing music for about 15 hours a day and teaching the remaining nine hours a day. In 1981, WXRI segued into a Contemporary Christian format eliminating the traditional songs. By 1985, WXRI was playing music about 20 hours a day. They remained Contemporary Christian until the station was sold in 1989.

In May 1989, Robertson sold the station to ML Media Partners and it flipped to WZCL as 'Cool 105.3' and was in direct competition with 'Oldies 95.7' WLTY ( Robertson briefly was able to kove WXRI's original christian music format to 96.1, WKSV via an LMA, but that didn't last long ). Then in August 1990 it switched briefly switched to Country , in what most media observers view as a stunt, and just a few days later flipped formats again to Hot Adult Comtemporary as WMXN, " Mix 105 ", with "Eagle . This stunting and format switch happened about the same time as WGH-FM switch from Mainstream Top 40 to country.

Later on, the station was purchased by Ragan Henry Broadcasting, and it bemame WJCD as a smooth jazz format. When Clear Channel bought out the station, it swapped frequencies with co-owned but lower powered WSVY "Vibe 107.7", then a Jammin R&B Oldies station . This happened in June 2001, and it proved to be the right decision because by the time WSVY upgraded its format to Urban AC, it competed better with WVKL. "The Tom Joyner Morning Show" and drive-time addition " The Michael Baisden Show" collectively helped to gain better coverage of the market. Now known as "Vibe 105.3" until March 2004, WSVY changed its name and calls to WKUS "105.3 KISS FM" while retaining the format. This station is frequently in the Top 5 of Norfolk radio stations.

External links

* [http://www.1053kiss.com 105.3 KISS-FM Website]
*fmq|WKUS