Vague Wichita radio histories

[ksradiogeek]

I need help with histories for the following stations: 95.1, 104.5, 1240, 1360, 1410 and 1480.

[LKidd]

I can help a little bit...
95.1 (KICT) was founded as the FM adjunct of his at the time monster AM daytimer KFRM out of Salina, running country. In the late 70's it switched to AOR at T-95, the slogan it uses to this day and has stayed some form of rock all this time.
104.5 (KFXJ) began life as KLLS, an 80-90 drop in owned by Larry Steckline and running an AC/Country mix kind of format. When Steckline sold his stations off (the Wichita stations to Great Empire which he became part owner of and the others a whole different story), it moved to an all 70's format, and eventually to classic hits now known as 104.5 The Fox.
1240 is one of the heritage AM signals in town, being the second frequency to stay lit after 1330. It began in 1936 as KANS, and was the NBC affiliate in Wichita. In the late 40's KANS moved from the 250 watt 1240 to the 5kw day/1kw night 1480. KAKE would move from 1490 where it started to occupy the frequency for years, KAKE's owners later starting Channel 10 (ABC) which still carries the call letters to this day. When KAKE, which evolved into somewhat of a personality AC outlet was sold some years later, the radio station was spun off to a local company, which changed the call to KAKZ. It later became KRZZ as a soft rock outlet (affilated with an FM at 95.9, which would in time move to 96.3. In time, 1240 would become the original home of KNSS and News/Talk. Entecom later moved the format and calls of KNSS to the 1330 frequency which is the best night AM signal in the market, moving the heritage KFH call to 1240 where it is today.
1360 is based out of El Dorado. It began life under the calls KBTO as a local 500 watt daytimer, later adding an FM at 99.3. In time the call letters would change to KOYY, whcih had some success as a local country outlet before going through a lot of ownership changes and turmoil, and changing formats to talk, then gospel, then Adult Standards (calls eventually became KAHS), then spanish and eventually to a Catholic format out of Kansas City. The facility now is 1kw days, 240 watts night with different directional patterns (broad SW says, beam west at night)
1410 began life as KWBB in the late 40's as I recall, which was an independent block programmed station at one point. (MOR and Country predominated). In the 70's it ran NBC's all news format before eventually being taken over by the owner of KEYN, which sold off their AM daytime station at 900 which would later factor into it's history. It would run disco at one point before becomming oldies KQAM as has been noted elsewhere on the site. It later would become Wichita's first all-sports station, which eventually moved to 1480 (more later). It was then sold to the outfit that bought 900 many years earlier and changed to adult standards KMYR. The transmitter building burned in about 2004, and after that (runninng at low power for a time) was sold to Greg Steckline, who changed calls to KGSO and moved it back to all sports (he also factors into 1480).
1480 as mentioned was where KANS moved in the late 40's for a power upgrade. It eventually became Wichita's top-40 KLEO, which lasted into the early 1980s when it flipped to an AC format at KWKN. It later would operate as an adult standards format (with the KLEO calls) then would go country and other stuff until Entercom moved KQAM to 1480. Eventually this station was told to Disney and ran Radio Disney until they sold it to Greg Steckine, who flipped it to talk plus some sports. 1480 as it is has probably the second best night signal in terms of overall Wichita metro coverage in terms of how it's night pattern is set up.

[TheRob]

I had thought about adding a Wichita section to my KC site, but it looks like the original poster may be taking care of that for me. 

I believe KFXJ (then KLLS "Star 104.5") signed on in the fall of 1991.

[ksradiogeek]

@The Rob-Haha. That would be a good idea. Wikipedia is hard to constantly update!

[TheRob]

@The Rob-Haha. That would be a good idea. Wikipedia is hard to constantly update!

I've actually considered adding Wichita, Manhattan, maybe Columbia, Springfield and Joplin. It would require plenty of work. Those Wikipedia "stubs" with little to no information annoy me (ha ha).

[X-Man]

Another question about Wichita radio. There was a station licensed in Derby serving Wichita on 95.9 (Now 96.3 as CHR KZCH-Channel 963) that used K-96 on the air. I remember seeing the commercials on TV at the time, but I'm trying to figure out what the call letters and format they carried once they signed on. I remember after that they flipped to Country as KGCS trying to compete against KFDI. I think calls stood for Kansas Golden Country Stereo or Station one of the two. Does anyone know the info on this?

[jimford1973]

96 started life as KDRB.  I saw an ad once in an old high school newspaper where it was called K-96.  I don't remember it, but I have relatives who listened to it and said it was an automated top 40 format.  96 seemed to go through a lot of formats in the late 70's and 80's before settling on its Rock format as KRZZ.

[TheRob]

KDRB (95.9/Derby) went on the air in 1978, I believe. I think it started as Top 40, then went to country (KGCS) around 1980. The call letters changed to KAKZ in 1983. The format may have been oldies. The call letters changed to KRZZ in 1985. I think it went from oldies to AC to AOR in that time, and moved to 96.3 in the late '80s or early '90s.

[X-Man]

KDRB (95.9/Derby) went on the air in 1978, I believe. I think it started as Top 40, then went to country (KGCS) around 1980. The call letters changed to KAKZ in 1983. The format may have been oldies. The call letters changed to KRZZ in 1985. I think it went from oldies to AC to AOR in that time, and moved to 96.3 in the late '80s or early '90s.

Okay, I couldn't remember the format they did, I thought it was either Top-40 or Adult Contemporary. I do remember they went Country as KGCS, then became KAKZ-FM in 83 as Adult Contemporary, then went Oldies when they used "Stereoldies" then to KRZZ as AC, then Classic Rock. They went AOR in the early to mid 90's and beat KICT in the ratings.

[jimford1973]

I remember the jingle "Stereo Stereoldies 96 FM". The oldies format was the first format I remember listening to on 96 FM.  I remember reading the newspaper article talking about KAKZ AM-FM  changing formats from Adult Contemporary.  The AM went to that awful syndicated ABC Talkradio format, while the FM went automated oldies.  I always regretted not hearing KAKZ as an Adult Contemporary station. Strangely, the Adult Contemporary format on KAKZ-AM lasted less than 6 months.  Exactly one year after going Talk and Oldies, KAKZ became KRZZ and went back to AC, simulcasting each other.

Another question about 96.  Does anybody remember what format the station had when it was "Magic 96".  The call letters were KYMG and it was before they became KAKZ-FM.  I thought they were an AC, but they could have been Country.