WQKS-FM (96.1

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...

), also known as Kiss-FM 96.1, is a United States

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...

formatted

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...

that serves the

Montgomery Metropolitan Area The Montgomery, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area (commonly known as the Tri-Counties or the River Region) is a metropolitan area in central Alabama. As of 2020, the MSA had a population of 386,047, ranking it 142nd among United States Metrop ...

, licensed to

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

. The station is locally owned and operated by Bluewater Broadcasting Company, LLC. The station's

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter (often abbreviated as XMTR or TX in technical documents) is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna with the purpose of sig ...

is located in Montgomery. The station's studios are located on Wall St. in Midtown Montgomery. WQKS-FM also participates in Montgomery rating survey by

Nielsen Audio Nielsen Audio (formerly Arbitron) is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio broadcasting audiences. It was founded as the American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by mergin ...

(Market #157).

Programming

WQKS-FM broadcasts an

music format and features news and weather updates from CBS 8

WAKA WAKA (channel 8) is a television station licensed to Selma, Alabama, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the Montgomery area. It is owned by Bahakel Communications alongside Tuskegee-licensed CW+ affiliate WBMM (channel 22); B ...

, national news updates from

Fox News Radio Fox News Radio is an American radio network owned by Fox News. It is syndicated to over 500 AM and FM radio stations across the United States. It also supplies programming for three channels on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. History In 2003, ...

, and traffic from ''Montgomery Skywatch Traffic''.

WQKS-HD2

On August 17, 2011 WQKS-HD2 launched a

soft AC Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, ...

format, branded as "Lite 100.5", using the frequency of FM translator W263BX in its branding. On December 26, 2014, 100.5/96.1 HD2 flipped to classic hip hop, with the old format and name of 107.1/96.1 HD, as "Yo! 100.5".

WQKS-HD3

On August 17, 2011 WQKS-HD3 launched a classic

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

format branded as "Yo! 107.1", using the frequency of FM translator W296AI in its branding. On September 25, 2013, the station changed formats to

album oriented rock Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the late 1960s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock. US radi ...

as "107.1 The Vault". On September 17, 2015 the station flipped to Top 40/CHR as "Hits 107.1". On August 9, 2017 the station flipped back to classic rock, branded as "107.1 The Vault".

WQKS-HD4

On June 5, 2013 WQKS-HD4 launched a classic country format branded as "103.9 The Possum", using the frequency of FM translator W280EI in its branding.

History

WQKS-FM has featured several sets of call letters and various formats over the past two decades. This station received its original

construction permit Planning permission or building permit refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. House building permits, for example, are subject to bu ...

from the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

on December 4,

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

. The new station was assigned the call letters WLNE-FM by the FCC on December 21, 1990. WLNE-FM received its license to cover from the FCC on February 1, 1991. From its origins in the early 1990s, the station was created and owned by Al Stroh and the now-defunct Montgomery Broadcast Properties. This frequency began as WLNE-FM ("We're Light N Easy") with beautiful music and standards in 1991. Later, 96.1 moved towards Lite AC as "Lite FM 96". In March 1995, the station switched to the popular "Arrow" (All Rock and Roll Oldies) format and changed the calls to WRWO. The station dropped oldies in 1997 and became known as "Kiss 96" with an urban contemporary format. The station debuted another new format in late 1998, this time all 1980s music with the slogan "The 80's Channel, Kiss 96.1". In June 1999, the call letters officially changed to WQKS-FM to match the "Kiss" branding. WQKS-FM made yet another format tweak in early 2000 into "Rockin' hits of the 80's, 90's and 70's" with the slogan "Alice 96.1". Alice was a successful station for most of its eight years, particularly on weekends with its popular "Alice Shuffle" format—the musical predecessor of Q 96.1. On August 26, 2008 WQKS-FM dropped its rockin' hits format for oldies, adopting the moniker "Q 96.1". On July 2, 2010 WQKS-FM shifted their format from oldies to classic hits. On March 9, 2016 WQKS-FM flipped to AC as "Kiss-FM 96.1".

Ownership

In March 2004, Montgomery Broadcast Properties Ltd. (Allan Stroh, CEO) reached an agreement to sell this station to Bluewater Broadcasting LLC. The sale was part of a four-station deal valued at a reported $15.3 million. The deal was approved by the FCC on April 21, 2004, and the transaction was consummated on June 21, 2004. At the time of the sale, WQKS-FM was broadcasting a classic hits music format.

Technical information

WQKS broadcasts in HD with a 2.5 kW

Nautel Nautel Ltd. is a Canadian manufacturer of AM and FM radio broadcast transmitters, navigational radio beacons, Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) transmitters, NOAA Weather Radio, NOAA weather radio transmitters, LF PNT/Loran-C#eLORAN, ...

transmitter into an Dielectric DCRM-2 non-directional antenna. The antenna is multi-station capable and also broadcasts FM translators W285AJ, W280EI and W263BX.

Translators

WQKS-FM's

HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. HD radio generally simulcast, simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD R ...

subchannels are transmitted by individual

broadcast translator A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tran ...

stations in analog format, which also provide their numerical branding.

References

External links

WQKS official website

WQKS coverage map
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Bluewater Broadcasting Company, LLC
{{Adult Contemporary Radio Stations in Alabama QKS-FM Mainstream adult contemporary radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1990 1990 establishments in Alabama