KKSS

KKSS (97.3 FM) is a commercial radio station located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, broadcasting to the Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico, area. KKSS airs an urban-leaning rhythmic Top 40 music format branded as "Kiss 97.3". Owned by American General Media, its studios are located in Northeast Albuquerque (a mile north of Central Avenue) and the transmitter tower is located west of Los Alamos.

For the radio station in St. Louis, Missouri at 107.7 FM known as KKSS from 1972-1979, see KSLZ.
KKSS
CitySanta Fe, New Mexico
Broadcast areaAlbuquerque metropolitan area
Frequency97.3 MHz
BrandingKISS 97.3
SloganThe Most Hip-Hop and R&B
Programming
FormatRhythmic Top 40
Ownership
OwnerAmerican General Media
(AGM Nevada, LLC)
Sister stationsKABG, KJFA, KJFA-FM, KIOT, KKRG-FM, KLVO
History
First air date1969 (as KAFE-FM)
Former call signsKAFE-FM (1969-1985)
Call sign meaningKISS (the second K substitutes for the I)
Technical information
Facility ID63928
ClassC
ERP100,000 watts
HAAT572 meters
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitemykiss973.com

History

KKSS signed on with the format on September 16, 1985 after upgrading the signal and acquiring new broadcasting equipment.[1] The station was owned by New Mexico Broadcasting Inc. In 1986 KKSS and AM sister station KAFE 810 were sold to SunGroup Broadcasting for $2.2 million.[2] In 1998 SunGroup had planned to sell KKSS to Trumper Communications which owned the 94.1, 100.3, 104.1 and 107.9 signals in the market for $6 million. However Trumper would later withdraw from the deal and KKSS would then be sold to Simmons Media Group for $5.5 million in November 1998.[3] KKSS had detoured to mainstream Top 40 a few times, mostly when they got new competition (most of them short-lived) and would do so again in early 2001. But that all changed when Univision bought the station in late 2002 from Simmons Media Group and flipped it back to its current Rhythmic Top 40 direction after its former owners tried to make it a mainstream Top 40 again.

Today KKSS has managed to do successfully well with its mix of R&B-hip hop and rhythmic pop product, despite the competition it is getting from mainstream Top 40 rival KOBQ. Since its launch as a Rhythmic, the Albuquerque/Santa Fe had the distinction of having the most Top 40s competing in one medium-sized market, and KKSS have managed to outlast them.

On April 4, 2014, three KKSS of airstaff, including program director and midday host DJ Lopez, Johnny V, and MQ, had left the station to join KAGM (the three were later let go in December 2015 when KAGM revamped its direction) along with former KJFA personality Julian Robles who moves to KLVO at American General Media. This all came amidst restructuring at Univision Radio which then had KKSS sharing on-air personalities and programming with sister station KBBT in San Antonio, Texas.[4] KKSS would return to mostly local programming after it was sold in 2017.

On June 14, 2017, Univision announced that it would sell KKSS (as well as sister stations KIOT and KKRG-FM) to American General Media, which had attempted repeatedly to challenge KKSS over the years.[5] AGM would pay $5 million for the Univision cluster that its predecessor paid $22.5 million for in 2002 (which also included 101.7), showing a significant drop in value over 15 years.[6] The sale was approved by the FCC on August 23, 2017, and was consummated on September 1, 2017.

Current staff

Mornings: Gina Lee Fuentez and Ando
Middays: The Dana Cortez Show (syndicated)
Afternoons: DJ Animal
Nights:

Weekends:

  • Kyzer Sozay

Former staff

Mornings: Cadillac Jack, Chaz Malibu (now at KABG), Brody Scott
Middays: Brody Scott
Middays: Randy Savage
Middays: DJ Lopez (until April 2014)
Afternoons: Johnny V (until April 2014)
Afternoons: JJ Morgan
Afternoons: Kumbia Show (Until March 2016)
Nights: The 'Bad Boys' Carlos D (now at KOBQ), Big Moon & DJ Trauma
Nights: Joe Mama
Nights: MQ's Neighborhood (until April 2014)
Overnights: Kandi O

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References
  1. https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/582422613/
  2. https://mirror.thelifeofkenneth.com/sites/www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1986/BC-1986-03-17.pdf page 97
  3. https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Radio-Business-Report/Radio-Business-Report/1998/RBR-1998-11-30.pdf page 12
  4. http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/88275/albuquerque-staffers-cross-the-street-en-masse
  5. "American General Media Acquires Univision Albuquerque; Spins Four" from Radio Insight (June 14, 2017)
  6. https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2002/11/04/daily2.html

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