WKSW

Infobox Radio station


name = WKSW
airdate = 1979
frequency = 101.7 MHz
city = Urbana, Ohio
area =
format = Country
owner = Main Line Broadcasting
sister_stations = WDHT, WGTZ, WING, WROU
erp = 3,200 watts
branding = "Kiss Country 101.7"
slogan = "Clark & Champaign County's Hometown Country Station"
class = A
website = [http://www.kisscountry.com kisscountry.com]
callsign_meaning = |

WKSW (101.7 FM, "Kiss Country 101.7") is a Country radio station in Urbana, Ohio, serving the Dayton area,. The station is owned by Main Line Broadcasting.

Early history

The station began in the mid 1960s as WCOM, the name coming from the founder and original licensee, Champaign COMmunications, the DBA of parent company Brown Publishing, owners of the Urbana Daily Citizen newspaper. It aired a mix of beautiful music and traditional middle of the road throughout the 1960s and 70s, when the station was managed by Jim Bissey. In the early 70s, it became FM stereo to liken itself with WHIO-FM and WPTW-FM at 99.1 and 95.7 FM, respectively. Religious programming was aired on Sunday evenings, until a gradual format change to adult contemporary began in 1979. The station studios were located across the street from the downtown cinema on south Main Street, in an old brick building that also housed a local printing business. The building was razed in the 1990s, after the studios and offices moved to Springfield.

WCOM becomes light rock WKSW

As the new format came into being, a new image emerged with and it along with a new owner, USA Broadcasting. The call letter changed in 1985 to WKSW as "Light Rock and Less Talk...Kiss FM". John Hall (previously with WIZE in Springfield) became its new morning personality and program director during this time. After the format switch to country, Hall later moved on to WLW in Cincinnati,WGRR in Hamilton and WBNS (AM) in Columbus. Before Hall's death in 2004, he was at the former WCLR Piqua/WZLR Xenia "Oldies 95", with his last stop at the former WBLY in Springfield. He became the first station manager and program director of the present day WULM. Interestingly enough, WULM broadcasts from the old WIZE studios, which were named in Hall's memory in 2005, following a major renovation and upgrade. As of 2008, WKSW-FM is now the only surviving commercial station to broadcast locally in the Urbana and Springfield area.

Kiss Country

WKSW switched to its present format in 1987, after a brief period with a contemporary hit format. The studios moved to Derr Road, south of Villa Road, on the north edge of Springfield, while its transmitter remains on Dugan Road, off east U.S. Route 36 in Urbana. The afternoon personality and program director is Lee Riley, who was at WONE (AM) in Dayton throughout the late 70s and 80s, during its country music years. Chris Daniels is the morning host, while longtime favorite, Andy Lawrence, is the midday personality and APD. Andy Lawrence has been with the station since 1992.

It has been speculated that WKSW will be moving its frequency to 101.5 FM and its city of license to Enon, The move and construction permit has been approved by the FCC. As of 2007, the 101.5 frequency has been used up to this point by W268AX, the Dayton translator of WSWO, a low power FM station in Huber Heights. Radio One applied for the move prior to the sale of the station to the new owners. As of June 2008 according to posts at Radio-Info.com the WSWO-LP translator will be moving to 101.1 in the latter part of this summer as will WCWT in Centerville moving to 107.3 having been granted a construction permit to accommodate the WKSW move to 101.5 mHz.

The WCOM call sign is currently used by a low power FM station in Carrboro, North Carolina, after being used as the call sign for Channel 68 in Mansfield, Ohio in the late 1980s, now WMFD-TV.

ource

* [http://home.cinci.rr.com/cincyradio/history.html Greater Cincinnati Radio Guide]

External links

* [http://www.kisscountry.com Kiss Country 101.7 WKSW official website]
*FMQ|WKSW
*FML|WKSW
*FMARB|WKSW