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WKSE

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WKSE
Broadcast areaWestern New York
Frequency98.5MHz(HD Radio)
BrandingKiss98.5
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatTop 40 (CHR)
Subchannels
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
January 1, 1946;78 years ago(1946-01-01)
Former call signs
  • WHLD-FM (1946–80)
  • WZIR (1980–84)
  • WRXT (1984–85)
Call signmeaning
"Kiss"
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID34384
ClassB
ERP46,000watts
HAAT128 meters (420 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
43°00′18″N78°59′35″W/ 43.005°N 78.993°W/43.005; -78.993
Translator(s)HD2:104.7W284AP (Buffalo)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live(viaAudacy)
Websitewww.audacy/kiss985

WKSE(98.5FM) is acommercialradio stationlicensedtoNiagara Falls, New York,serving theBuffalo metropolitan areaandWestern New York.It has atop 40 (CHR)radio formatand is owned byAudacy, Inc.,withstudioson Corporate Parkway inAmherst, New York.It calls itselfKiss98.5.

WKSE has aneffective radiated power(ERP) of 46,000watts.Thetransmitteris off Staley Avenue onGrand Island, New York.[2]Its signal extends into theNiagara RegionofOntarioas well asHamiltonandToronto.WKSE broadcasts usingHD Radiotechnology; its HD2digital subchannelsimulcastscountry musicsister stationWLKK,while the HD3 subchannel simulcasts co-ownedWBENnews/talkprogramming, and the HD4 subchannel simulcasts co-ownedWGR'ssportsprogramming.

History

[edit]
Nicholas Picholas DJing at an ASPCA Wine and Wags festival in West Seneca, NY in June 2022.

On January 1, 1946;78 years ago(1946-01-01),the stationsigned onas WHLD-FM.[3]It was the FM counterpart toWHLDand largely simulcast the AM station's programming in its early years. In the late 1960s, it switched to abeautiful musicformat with someclassical musicprogramming as well.

The station changed itscall signto WZIR in 1980, WRXT in 1984, and the current call sign in early 1985. The current Top 40/CHR format has been in place since September 1984. Much of itsplaylistoverlapped that of then-sister stationStar 102.5at times. (The two stations' programming eventually fully merged onto WKSE's signal in June 2023 as 102.5 was sold off that month.[4]) WKSE carried thesyndicatedweekly showThe Rockin' America Top 30 Countdown withScott Shannonthroughout the 1980s.

WKSE sold itsbroadcast towerto Vertical Bridge in March 2019. WKSE continues to use the tower under a leasing arrangement.[5]

Until 2011, WKSE had a significant listenership throughout theGreater Toronto AreaandSouthern Ontario.After the launch of urban contemporaryCKFG-FMthat October on the adjacent 98.7 MHz frequency, WKSE lost much of its prominence in the Toronto market and became a bit harder to find on some radio receivers with weaker tuners. In addition, listeners in Canada are not able to use the Audacy app to stream WKSE, as it is restricted to users in the United States.

Programming

[edit]

Janet Snyder has been the station's morning show host since 1989, with her co-host Nicholas Pickolas joining in 1994.

References

[edit]
  1. ^"Facility Technical Data for WKSE".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^"WKSE-FM 98.5 MHz - Niagara Falls, NY".radio-locator.
  3. ^Broadcasting Yearbook 1974page B-144,Broadcasting & Cable
  4. ^Venta, Lance (June 12, 2023)."FM100 Memphis Bids Farewell As 99.7 The Wolf Moves In".RadioInsight.RetrievedOctober 10,2024.
  5. ^James Fink (March 7, 2019)."Real estate notes: WKSE-FM tower sells for $1.47 million".Buffalo Business First.Retrieved2023-02-12.(subscription required)
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