WKSF
Encyclopedia
WKSF is a country music
station licensed to Old Fort, North Carolina
. The Clear Channel
station broadcasts from a tower on Mount Pisgah
, southwest of Asheville
at 99.9 FM with an ERP of 48 kW, and a 6 bay (element) antenna. The tower is shared with former sister station WLOS-TV (ABC) and WUNF-TV (PBS).
) before adopting an individual format of beautiful music
by the mid-1960s. Skyway sold WLOS-AM-FM and its sister TV outlet to Wometco Enterprises
in 1958. The station dropped the -FM suffix from its call sign after the sale of the AM station in 1969, remained a Wometco property until 1984. During the mid-1980s, the station was briefly known as WRLX. It was 99.9 KISS-FM playing Top 40-Rock in the mid eighties to early 90s and country since. KISS-FM was most known for its big top-40 days, with many tempo DJs, including John Stevens, Dawn Creasman, Chuck Finley, Brother Bill, GT, Radar and Pat Garrett. It was quite common for "Kiss" to pull huge ratings at that time. A 30 share was very common.
Although the station's numbers don't rate quite as high as they did back then, the KISS-Country format has proven to be very successful in the market. The station is consistently number one in both average and cume numbers.
In 2004, when WQNQ
began airing separate programming from WQNS
, the station moved its city of license from Old Fort, which required another station moving its city of license to Old Fort. WKSF, always licensed to Asheville before that, made this move.
The station can be heard well west of Knoxville, fading out near Crossville, Tennessee
and prior to 2005 with the inception of WCMC-FM
in Raleigh, could be heard at higher elevations in central North Carolina as far east as Chatham County
and Orange County
.
through western North Carolina in 2004, the station preempted its music broadcasting, so that residents throughout western North Carolina could call in storm and damage reports. The station also relayed flood information, updated road closings and power outage reports throughout the storm.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
station licensed to Old Fort, North Carolina
Old Fort, North Carolina
Old Fort is a town in McDowell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 959 at the 2008 estimated census. The town is well known for its weekly Mountain Music concerts, attracting large audiences and many musicians from the surrounding areas to Old Fort's downtown each Friday at...
. The Clear Channel
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
station broadcasts from a tower on Mount Pisgah
Mount Pisgah (North Carolina)
Mount Pisgah is a mountain in the Appalachian Mountain Range and part of the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, United States. The mountain's height is 5,721 feet and it sits approximately 15 miles southwest of Asheville near the crossing of the boundaries of Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson...
, southwest of Asheville
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
at 99.9 FM with an ERP of 48 kW, and a 6 bay (element) antenna. The tower is shared with former sister station WLOS-TV (ABC) and WUNF-TV (PBS).
History
This station originally launched by Skyway Broadcasting Corporation in 1947 as WLOS-FM, and simulcasted its AM sister station (today's WKJVWKJV
WKJV is a listener supported Christian radio station licensed in Asheville, North Carolina. It broadcasts at the frequency of 1380 AM and serves Buncombe, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Haywood, Henderson, Yancey, and Transylvania Counties. WKJV is a ministry of International Baptist Outreach...
) before adopting an individual format of beautiful music
Beautiful music
Beautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
by the mid-1960s. Skyway sold WLOS-AM-FM and its sister TV outlet to Wometco Enterprises
Wometco Enterprises
Wometco Enterprises is a company headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida; a suburb of Miami. It was a large media company but today it is known only as the owner of the Miami Seaquarium.- History :...
in 1958. The station dropped the -FM suffix from its call sign after the sale of the AM station in 1969, remained a Wometco property until 1984. During the mid-1980s, the station was briefly known as WRLX. It was 99.9 KISS-FM playing Top 40-Rock in the mid eighties to early 90s and country since. KISS-FM was most known for its big top-40 days, with many tempo DJs, including John Stevens, Dawn Creasman, Chuck Finley, Brother Bill, GT, Radar and Pat Garrett. It was quite common for "Kiss" to pull huge ratings at that time. A 30 share was very common.
Although the station's numbers don't rate quite as high as they did back then, the KISS-Country format has proven to be very successful in the market. The station is consistently number one in both average and cume numbers.
In 2004, when WQNQ
WQNQ
WQNQ is a United States FM radio station operating on 104.3 MHz serving the Asheville, North Carolina area. The station currently has a CHR music format and is owned by Clear Channel. The station is commonly called "Star 104.3."...
began airing separate programming from WQNS
WQNS
-History:WQNS signed on in the early 70's as WQNS-FM and played "Easy Listening Music". When the station sold, it turned country and was branded Q-105 "Away's Your Country"....
, the station moved its city of license from Old Fort, which required another station moving its city of license to Old Fort. WKSF, always licensed to Asheville before that, made this move.
Coverage
While not a particularly powerful station, Kiss Country's transmitter atop Mt. Pisgah (at an elevation of over 5,000 ft.) gives the station a wide coverage area across Western North Carolina and beyond. With the height of the tower and the mountain combined, the transmitter actually sits at over 6,000 ft. in elevation, making it the radio station with the second highest transmitter east of the Mississippi River (Kiss Country shares a tower with WLOS-TV, which is dubbed as having the highest TV transmitter east of the Mississippi). In addition to Western North Carolina, the station's signal makes it into parts of South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia and even portions of southeast Kentucky.The station can be heard well west of Knoxville, fading out near Crossville, Tennessee
Crossville, Tennessee
Crossville is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 10,795 at the 2010 Census.-Geography:Crossville is located at...
and prior to 2005 with the inception of WCMC-FM
WCMC-FM
WCMC-FM is a Sports Talk radio station based in Raleigh, North Carolina and licensed to nearby Holly Springs. Its studios are located in downtown Raleigh along with WRAL-FM, an adult contemporary music station...
in Raleigh, could be heard at higher elevations in central North Carolina as far east as Chatham County
Chatham County, North Carolina
Chatham County is a county located in the Piedmont area of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2000, the population was 49,329. Its county seat is Pittsboro.-History:...
and Orange County
Orange County, North Carolina
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2010 census, the population was 133,801. Its county seat is Hillsborough...
.
Programming
Kiss Country plays a mix of modern and older country music, with more emphasis on current artists. 99.9 Kiss Country is the 2009 CMA Small Market Station of the Year. Staff include Eddie Foxx and Sharon Green of the "Eddie Foxx Show", Brian Hatfield and Andy Woods.Hurricane Ivan
During the passage of the remnants of Hurricane IvanHurricane Ivan
Hurricane Ivan was a large, long-lived, Cape Verde-type hurricane that caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and United States. The cyclone was the ninth named storm, the sixth hurricane and the fourth major hurricane of the active 2004 Atlantic hurricane season...
through western North Carolina in 2004, the station preempted its music broadcasting, so that residents throughout western North Carolina could call in storm and damage reports. The station also relayed flood information, updated road closings and power outage reports throughout the storm.