KISS-FM is the brand name of a Top 40 music format heard on FM radio stations in many cities in the United States and overseas. iHeartMedia claims ownership of the KISS-FM brand in the United States and operates most KISS-FM formatted stations there, though not KISS-FM in San Antonio, Texas, or KISS-FM America on TuneIn.
Origin and history In the late 1970s, many US radio stations began calling themselves "Kiss". Among these was KIIS-FM in Los Angeles, which adopted that call sign in 1975 when it became a sister station to KIIS (AM) — whose call sign comes not from the word "Kiss" but rather its dial position at 1150, with the letters "I" and "S" being the letters most closely resembling 1 and 5, respectively. Gannett, which owned the station, filed a federal trademark registration for "KIIS" in 1986, which has passed on to subsequent owners of the station. In 1997, Country Club Communications registered the only current federal trademark for "KISS FM" (which has since also been assigned to iHeartMedia); the logo registered then included a stylized pair of lips.
Numerous other stations using "Kiss" as (part of) a service mark were acquired over the course of Clear Channel's growth, among them WXKS-FM in Boston and WKSS in Hartford, Connecticut; however, other stations calling themselves "Kiss" which predated the "KISS FM" trademark were not acquired, such as Beasley Broadcast Group's WNKS in Charlotte. Furthermore, not all Clear Channel "Kiss" stations use the national brand; WXKS-FM has never used "KISS FM", maintaining its "Kiss 108" identity from 1979. At least one station that used a non-Clear Channel-related "Kiss" branding, WWKS in Pittsburgh, would eventually be acquired by Clear Channel itself, although that station (now WXDX-FM) would flip to a modern rock format long before being acquired by Clear Channel.
The process of bringing the KISS format to cities beyond Los Angeles was begun by Randy Michaels' Jacor Communications before Clear Channel bought it in 1999. Michaels, later Clear Channel's chief executive officer, and brand manager Todd Shannon likened the KISS model to McDonald's. "When you see the KIIS ball logo, there's no mistaking what you're going to get. It's a Top 40 product, but they're all localized inside," Shannon said in 2002.
KISS programming contains voice-tracked segments, music, and commercials that are broadcast nationwide across its stations. Despite having many consistencies, the brand's programming differs slightly based on regional demographics. Brand manager Diana Laird explained that the KISS station in Santa Barbara, California (KIST-FM, now defunct), for example, plays far more hip hop and dance music than the mainstream pop music that is heard in Boise, Idaho (KSAS-FM). But KISS listeners in Boise and in Medford, Oregon (KIFS), have identical playlists because their demographics are similar. Similarly, the top five most-played artists for the week ending October 20, 2002, on Chicago's KISS station (WKSC-FM) included Cam'ron, Eminem, and Justin Timberlake, while the same list at Dallas' KISS station (KHKS) featured Kelly Clarkson, John Mayer, and Creed.
On July 24, 2006, Statesville, North Carolina's heritage country station WFMX was moved to Clemmons, a suburb of Winston-Salem, and flipped to soft R&B as WMKS, the second "Kiss" to feature a soft-R&B format, after then-WKUS in Norfolk, Virginia. WKUS would eventually change formats and move to another frequency, while the former WFMX is today WVBZ (105.7 Man Up). The WMKS call sign had moved to sister frequency 100.3 in High Point in 2014 in a frequency swap that saw the "Kiss" name revived on the stronger of the two signals and with a contemporary hit radio (CHR) format.
On November 17, 2006, Clear Channel announced that the company intended to be sold to a group of private equity firms. Clear Channel announced on the same day its intent to sell off many radio stations in smaller radio markets, including some KISS-FM formatted stations. As of March 2007, KISS-FM branded stations formerly owned by Clear Channel that have retained the KISS brand include WDKS in Evansville, Indiana and KTRS-FM in Casper, Wyoming.
On December 15, 2008, Clear Channel reached an agreement to acquire five CBS Radio stations, one of them being KBKS (106.1 Kiss FM) in Seattle. In return, CBS would acquire two Clear Channel stations in Houston as an effort to expand its focus on the larger markets.
Conflict and controversy Clear Channel has pursued legal claims against some station owners using branding similar to KISS-FM. Some stations have dropped KISS branding as a result. Examples:
On May 15, 1999, Radio One station WENZ in Cleveland—acquired in a divestiture from Clear Channel—changed its format from modern rock to mainstream urban, changed its branding to "Kiss 107.9", and intended to change its call letters to reflect the change in format and brand. One week later, Clear Channel flipped recently acquired WZLE in Lorain, Ohio, to CHR as "Kiss 104.9" and issued a cease and desist order against Radio One claiming full rights to the "Kiss" brand in Ohio. Radio One rebranded WENZ as "Z-107.9", a reference to the WENZ call letters, on September 1, 1999, ending the dispute; WZLE itself then changed its call letters to WAKS. In 2001, Clear Channel went to federal court to force American General Media (AGM) to give up the "Kiss" slogan that was used as the on-air moniker for Rhythmic Top 40 station KISV in Bakersfield, California. Clear Channel wanted to use the slogan for its then-recent acquisition KKXX in 2000. AGM argued they had the rights to the "Kiss" slogan three years before Clear Channel came to Bakersfield; Clear Channel said otherwise and claimed AGM used it without permission.
List of "KISS-FM" stations
+iHeartMedia, Inc./Clear Channel Owned "KISS FM" branded StationsCallsignFrequencyBandCityStateFormat WQRV-HD2* 100.3-2 FM Huntsville Alabama CHR W293AH 106.5 FM Huntsville Alabama WQRV-HD2 relay WRKH-HD2* 96.1-2 FM Mobile Alabama CHR W258AY 99.5 FM Mobile Alabama WRKH-HD2 relay KZZP 104.7 FM Phoenix Arizona CHR KSSN 95.7 FM Little Rock Arkansas Country KVVS**105.5 FM Lancaster California CHR KIIS-FM 102.7 FM Los Angeles California CHR KZIS 107.9 FM Sacramento California Hot AC KSME 96.1 FM Fort Collins Colorado CHR WKSS 95.7 FM Hartford Connecticut CHR WKSL 97.9 FM Jacksonville Florida CHR WFKS 95.1 FM Melbourne Florida CHR WSDV 1450 AM Sarasota Florida Hot AC W280EV 103.9 FM Sarasota Florida WSDV relay WGMY 107.1 FM Tallahassee Florida CHR WKSP 96.3 FM Augusta Georgia Urban AC WMRZ 98.1 FM Albany Georgia Urban AC WAEV 97.3 FM Savannah Georgia CHR WKSC-FM 103.5 FM Chicago Illinois CHR KKSY-FM 96.5 FM Cedar Rapids Iowa Country KUUL 101.3 FM Davenport Iowa CHR KKDM 107.5 FM Des Moines Iowa CHR KSFT-FM 107.1 FM Sioux City Iowa CHR WKZP 95.9 FM Salisbury–Ocean City Maryland CHR WXKS-FM 107.9 FM Boston Massachusetts CHR KISO 96.1 FM Omaha Nebraska CHR WKKF-FM 102.3 FM Ballston Spa New York CHR WPKF 96.1 FM Poughkeepsie New York CHR WKGS 106.7 FM Rochester New York CHR WKSF 99.9 FM Asheville North Carolina Country WAKS 96.5 FM Akron–Cleveland Ohio CHR WKFS 107.1 FM Cincinnati Ohio Gold based CHR WBKS 93.9 FM Lima Ohio CHR WVKS 92.5 FM Toledo Ohio CHR WKST-FM 96.1 FM Pittsburgh Pennsylvania CHR WKSB 102.7 FM Williamsport Pennsylvania AC WEGR 102.7 FM Memphis Tennessee Hot AC KHFI-FM 96.7 FM Austin Texas CHR KKMY 104.5 FM Beaumont Texas Rhythmic CHR KVJM 103.1 FM Bryan–College Station Texas CHR KHKS 106.1 FM Dallas–Fort Worth Texas CHR KHKZ/KQXX-FM 105.5/106.3 FM San Benito–Mission Texas Hot AC WKSI-FM 98.3 FM Winchester Virginia CHR KISC 98.1 FM Spokane Washington AC WVKF 95.7 FM Shadyside, Ohio–Wheeling West Virginia CHR
+ Non-iHeartMedia, Inc./Clear Channel Affiliated "KISS-FM" StationsStationFrequencyOwnerRegionFormat KEKS 103.1 MyTown Media Emporia, Kansas CHR KELI 98.7 Townsquare Media San Angelo, Texas CHR KISX 107.3 Townsquare Media Tyler/Longview, Texas Urban AC KKSW 105.9 Great Plains Media Lawrence/Topeka/Kansas City, Kansas CHR KSAS-FM 103.5 Townsquare Media Boise, Idaho CHR KSKS 93.7 Cumulus Media Fresno, California Country KTRS-FM 104.7 Townsquare Media Casper, Wyoming CHR WKSZ/WKZY 95.9/92.9 Woodward Communications, Inc. Green Bay/Appleton-Oshkosh, Wisconsin CHR KCRS-FM 103.3 ICA Broadcasting Odessa/Midland, Texas CHR KSII 93.1 Townsquare Media El Paso, Texas Hot AC KZII-FM 102.5 Townsquare Media Lubbock, Texas CHR KKSS 97.3 American General Media Santa Fe, New Mexico Rhythmic CHR KXNC 104.7 MyTown Media Ness City, Kansas CHR KXSS-FM 96.9 Townsquare Media Amarillo, Texas CHR KISS-FM 99.5 Cox Media Group San Antonio, Texas Rock KISN 96.7 Townsquare Media Bozeman, Montana CHR KSSM 103.1 Townsquare Media Copperas Cove, Texas Urban AC KYIS 98.9 Cumulus Media Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Hot AC WALR-FM 104.1 Cox Media Group Atlanta, Georgia Urban AC WDKS 106.1 Townsquare Media Evansville, Indiana CHR WBHK-FM 98.7 SummitMedia Birmingham, Alabama Urban AC WDMK 105.9 Beasley Broadcast Group Detroit, Michigan Urban AC WKIS 99.9 Audacy, Inc. Miami, Florida Country WKJS/WKJM 99.3/105.7 Urban One Richmond/Petersburg, Virginia Urban AC WKSE 98.5 Audacy, Inc. Buffalo, New York CHR WKSO 97.3 First Natchez Radio Group Natchez, Mississippi CHR WKZA 106.9 MediaOne Radio Group Jamestown, New York Oldies WLXC 103.1 Cumulus Media Columbia, South Carolina Urban AC WPIA/WHPI 98.5/96.5 Advanced Media Partners, LLC Peoria, Illinois CHR WXSS-FM 103.7 Audacy, Inc. Milwaukee, Wisconsin CHR WWFA 102.7 George S. Flinn, Jr. Florence-Muscle Shoals, Alabama CHR WCKS 102.7 Graddick Communications Carrollton, Georgia CHR WXXS 102.3 Radio New England Broadcasting, LLC St. Johnsbury, Vermont Hot AC WYKS 105.3 Gillen Broadcasting Corporation Gainesville, Florida CHR WKXJ 103.7 Audacy, Inc. Chattanooga, Tennessee CHR WSKS/WSKU 97.9/105.5 Roser Communications Utica, New York CHR WDAI 98.5 Cumulus Media Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Urban
Kiss FM in Europe The Kiss FM name has been widely used both by licensed and pirate stations in several European countries including Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, Iceland, Greece, Spain, Sweden, Berlin, Germany and The Netherlands. KISSFM Portugal (Licensed) and Broadcasts on 101.2 FM around Portugal as is owned by Global Diffusion.
In the United Kingdom, Kiss, formerly known as Kiss FM, has become one of the biggest radio brands/networks. It started as an illegal station in 1985 but relaunched legally in 1990.
In Greece, KISSFM broadcasts from its home in Athens on DAB, FM and online to the Country and its islands. KISSFM Greece is Greece's only English speaking radio station and launched June 1, 2020.
Kiss FM in Brazil There is a Kiss FM in São Paulo, Brazil, that plays classic rock. It can be heard at 92.5 MHz. Kiss FM 92.5 (Wikipedia - Portuguese)
Kiss FM in Canada
In Canada, Rogers Sports & Media uses the "Kiss" brand for its Top 40 (CHR) stations. CKIZ-FM in Vernon, British Columbia, sold to Jim Pattison Broadcasting Group in 2010, kept the Kiss-FM brand until 2017.
CKIS-FM has historically been Toronto's KISS FM station; however, for several years in the first decade of the millennium, the station instead followed the famous Jack FM adult hits format. The Jack format was dropped in the middle of 2009, and KISS FM has since returned to the station, which carries a Top 40 (CHR) format.
The other Canadian station in a prominent market is CISS-FM in Ottawa. It is better known as "105.3 KiSS FM" and has a hot adult contemporary format. The call sign, CISS, was once used by CKIS-FM before it made the switch to Jack FM in June 2003.