So like I said, if CC actually owns the "Kiss-FM" trademark, they could probably make a legal issue out of it, but it would cost them money they probably they probably don't want to afford now - for very little return on investment. What would be the point? So they can have a "Kiss FM" in San Antonio and a few other cities? CC has much bigger problems.
Clear owns a number of marks, including Kiss and The Beat. They were the first to register it as a national brand... something stations did not do until the Internet ushered in national coverage via web streams.
As is the case with a number of radio brands, the first to register a brand nationally had to grant permission to continue usage to those stations with demonstrated prior usage... but only for the local market area. Thus the instances of inconsistencies... ranging from Kiss in New York to K-Love in LA.
I do recall that KTIM-FM in San Rafael got into trouble for trademark infringement. KTIM had been an album rock station for years, and though their signal was weak into the East Bay and San Francisco, they were loved in Marin County...they even hired a few of the celebrated KSAN rock jocks from time to time.
Sometime in the 80s, they decided to try a Smooth Jazz format. They called the station "The Wave," after 94.7 in Los Angeles (and possibly others) were already established. The owners of 94.7 (not sure if it was CBS yet, or not) took exception to that. After a few weeks of legal wrangling, KTIM became "The Tide."
In the 90s, there was another station called The Wave in San Francisco, but it was owned by CBS.
