KRBB
 | |
| Broadcast area | Wichita metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 97.9MHz(HD Radio) |
| Branding | B98 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult contemporary |
| Subchannels | HD2:Contemporary hit radio"Kiss Radio" |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KTHR,KZCH,KZSN | |
| History | |
First air date | September 19, 1948(as KFH-FM) |
Former call signs | KFH-FM (1948–1971) KBRA (1971–1982) KLZS (1982–1989) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 39902 |
| Class | C0 |
| ERP | 100,000watts |
| HAAT | 313 meters (1,027 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 37°46′41″N97°30′40″W/ 37.778°N 97.511°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | FM/HD1:Listen Live HD2:Listen Live |
| Website | b98fm.iheart.com |
KRBB(97.9FM,"B98" ) is acommercialradio stationinWichita, Kansas.It is owned byiHeartMedia, Inc.,and it broadcasts anadult contemporaryradio format,switching toChristmas musicfor much of November and December. KRBB carries severalnationally syndicatedshows, including "Murphy, Sam and Jodi" in morningdrive time,"Delilah"in evenings, and"Ellen K"fromKOSTinLos Angeleson Saturday mornings.
KRBB's studios are located on East Douglas Avenue in Downtown Wichita. KRBB has aneffective radiated power(ERP) of 100,000watts;theirtransmitteris located outsideColwich, Kansas.KRBB broadcasts usingHD Radiotechnology; its HD2digital subchannelcarries acontemporary hit radioformat, known as "Kiss Radio."
History
[edit]KFH-FM and KBRA
[edit]On September 19, 1948, the stationsigned onthe air as KFH-FM, and was located at 100.3 MHz. It is Wichita's oldest FM outlet. Like most FM stations at the time, it largelysimulcastedits AM counterpart,KFH(then at 1330 AM, now at 1240 AM). In 1965, KFH-FM relocated to its current frequency. Two years later, KFH-FM broke from the AM simulcast and flipped toprogressive rockas "Channel 97." The station was affiliated withABC's American FM Radio Network.
In October 1971, KFH-FM flipped tobeautiful musicasKBRA.It played quarter hour sweeps of mostly soft instrumentalcover versionsof popular songs.[2]On July 28, 1982, KBRA adjusted its format tosoft adult contemporaryas "KB-98."[3][4][5]On November 6, 1984, KBRA changed its call letters toKLZS,and rebranded as "Class FM 98". On March 23, 1987, KLZS rebranded as "Magic 98", and tweaked its format to include morenew age musicandsmooth jazz.[6][7]The long association with KFH-AM was discontinued in 1988, as the two stations were sold to separate owners.
B98 FM
[edit]On October 12, 1989, at Noon, the station adopted its current format as "B98 FM" (which would later be renamed as simply “B98” in the late 2010s). The call sign switched to KRBB to go along with the new identity.[8]The station's morning show was long hosted by Brett Harris and Tracy Cassidy. Harris was released from the station in July 2012, while Cassidy was let go in May 2014.[9][10]Lukas Cox replaced Harris in September 2012, while formerMiss KansasTheresa Vailjoined the show as a co-host for a time before being replaced by Careth Beard.[11][12]In April 2019, Cox and Beard were let go, and were replaced by the syndicated "Murphy, Sam and Jodi", who are based atBaton Rougesister stationKRVE.[13][14]
Tornado coverage
[edit]KRBB, along with other iHeartRadio stations, partner withKSNW,the localNBCNetwork affiliate,whentornadowarnings are issued in the Wichita area. During an emergency, KRBB simulcasts the audio of KSNW's severe weather coverage.[15]
References
[edit]- ^"Facility Technical Data for KRBB".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
- ^"Public forum",The Wichita Eagle-Beacon,October 17, 1971.
- ^Bob Curtright, "No More 'Beautiful Music' for Wichita's KBRA",The Wichita Eagle-Beacon,May 25, 1982.
- ^Bob Curtright, "KBRA Builds Format to Replace Stalled ABC Plan",The Wichita Eagle-Beacon,June 23, 1982.
- ^Bob Curtright, "So Much for Those Ratings",The Wichita Eagle-Beacon,July 30, 1982.
- ^Bob Curtright, "Name that station",The Wichita Eagle-Beacon,October 24, 1984.
- ^Bob Curtright, "Rump's Music Is Geared for the Middle-Aged Set",The Wichita Eagle-Beacon,March 20, 1987.
- ^Bob Curtright, "Revamped KLZS targets women",The Wichita Eagle,October 12, 1989.
- ^McMillin, Molly (27 July 2012)."Brett Harris out at B98-FM radio".The Wichita Eagle.Retrieved3 August2023.
- ^Rengers, Carrie (2 May 2014)."Tracy Cassidy gone from B98".The Wichita Eagle.Retrieved3 August2023.
- ^"Lukas Cox Joins KRBB for Mornings".
- ^"B98 is happy to welcome Theresa Vail to the B98 Morning Show!".B98 Morning Show.RetrievedAugust 22,2014.
- ^Carrie Rengers, "B98 'going in another direction', fires Brett Harris' successor in similar fashion",The Wichita Eagle,April 12, 2019.
- ^"Wichita Pros on the Loose".14 April 2019.
- ^KSN in Wichita takes shelter during tornado.YouTube.Archivedfrom the original on 2021-12-11.
External links
[edit]- Facility details for Facility ID 39902 (KRBB)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
- KRBBinNielsen Audio's FM station database