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|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Greater St. Louis |
| Frequency | 95.5MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Boost 95.5 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Christianrhythmic contemporary |
| Subchannels | HD2:Rhythmic adult contemporary "95.5 Jams" HD3:Urban oldies "Foxy 106.9" |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Gateway Creative Broadcasting, Inc. |
| KNBS,KLJY | |
| History | |
First air date | 1987; 38 years ago (1987) (as WXJO) |
Former call signs | WXJO (1987–1992) WFUN-FM (1992–2020) |
Call sign meaning | Boost |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 4948 |
| Class | C3 |
| ERP | 10,500 watts |
| HAAT | 155 meters (509 ft) |
| Translator(s) | HD3: 106.9 K295CQ (St. Louis) |
| Repeater(s) | 97.7 KQBS (Potosi, Missouri) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen via iHeart Listen Live (HD3) |
| Website | boostradio.com foxy1069.com (HD3) |
KXBS (95.5FM) is anon-commercial, listener-supported radio stationlicensed toBethalto, Illinois, and servingGreater St. Louis. KXBS andsister station KQBS 97.7 inPotosi, Missouri are owned by Gateway Creative Broadcasting, and theysimulcast aChristianrhythmic contemporaryradio format known as "Boost 95.5". Theradio studios for KXBS, KQBS andChristian ContemporaryKLJY are on Manchester Road (Missouri Route 100) inDes Peres.
KXBS has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 10,500 watts. Thetransmitter is on DeBaliviere Avenue in St. Louis, just north ofForest Park.[2] KQBS has an ERP of 26,500 watts, with a transmitter located offMissouri Route 21, near Flamewood Road, in Potosi.[3] KXBS broadcasts usingHD Radio technology; it airsrhythmic adult contemporary music on its HD2subchannel andurban oldies on its HD3 subchannel.
The stationsigned on in 1987, as WXJO, airing anadult standards format, and broadcast with 6,000 watts, a quarter of its current power. On April 1, 1991, Bob Cox negotiated a package to take over operation of the station, changing the format tochildren's radio. It was calledThe Imagination Station, Radio Just For Kids.[4] Inadequate advertisement revenues, combined with a pending lawsuit from the original trademark holder of the name The Imagination Station, forced Cox into a position where he could not maintain the lease on the transmitter.
On September 8, 1992, at 3 p.m., the station moniker was changed to "Fun Radio". Thinking the transmitter could be sold, the lease was terminated later that year. The station wentdark for a couple of months, during which time the potential sale fell through. The owner, looking for revenues that would allow him to keep the transmitter out of foreclosure, worked with a former employee of the Imagination Station.
On November 1, the station was brought back on the air under the newcall sign WFUN-FM.[5] The station was once owned by anon-profit organization which would later refund the contributors after a decision was made to make the station a commercial outlet. It signed up withRadio AAHS, a children's radio network (and the predecessor toRadio Disney). After a several year run, using the station moniker "Planet Fun", the station's owner decided to sell WFUN-FM toRadio One in 1999. The station went dark again for several months.
On June 2, 2000, WFUN-FM completed an upgrade to 24,500 watts, and officially flipped tourban contemporary asQ95-5. At first, "Q" was a close competitor, but over time, would fall behind similar urban stations in St. Louis. It also had other problems in attracting African-American listeners, mostly due to its limited signal.
On December 13, 2004, Radio One flipped WFUN-FM tourban adult contemporary, branded as "Foxy 95.5". The move was made after Radio One purchased thesyndication rights to theTom Joyner Morning Show. The format switch was made to match the demographics that enjoyed Joyner's program. Joyner previously aired on rivalKMJM-FM in the St. Louis market. Eventually, WFUN added theLove, Lust and Lies with Michael Baisden afternoon show as well.
On October 1, 2005, Radio One added asister station,WHHL (Hot 104.1), which started out asrhythmic contemporary, but is now urban.
On November 7, 2012, at 7 p.m., WFUN-FM flipped tourban oldies, branded as "Old School 95.5". The final song on "Foxy" was "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" byBoyz II Men, while the first song on "Old School" was "Fantastic Voyage" byLakeside.[6] The switch mirrored similar flips inDallas,Charlotte,Philadelphia, andCincinnati.
Shortly after longtime rival KMJM-FM flipped toclassic hip-hop in November 2014, WFUN dropped the "Old School" moniker and simply started calling itself "95.5". In addition, the station added more current music, and adopted the slogan "Old School & Today's R&B." By early 2015, the "Old School" branding had returned.
On November 17, 2016, WFUN rebranded again as "95.5: R&B and Old School for the Lou", and shifted back to Urban AC.[7]
On November 5, 2020, Urban One announced that it would tradeWHHL and the intellectual property of WFUN-FM, as well as two other stations inPhiladelphia andWashington, D.C., toEntercom. In exchange, Urban One would receiveWBT/WBT-FM,WFNZ andWLNK inCharlotte, North Carolina. The following day, Urban One announced it would divest WFUN-FM to Gateway Creative Broadcasting, owner ofcontemporary Christian-formattedKLJY. The group would take over WFUN-FM under alocal marketing agreement (LMA) on January 4, 2021, and flip the station toChristian rhythmic CHR asBoost Radio (in simulcast withKQBS).
The urban AC format and the "Lou" branding were moved to Entercom's KNOU as96.3 The Lou at midnight on November 23. The next day, WFUN-FM changed call letters to KXBS to match the "Boost Radio" branding.[8] TheWFUN-FM call sign concurrently moved to KNOU.
From November 23, 2020 through December 15, 2020, KXBS ran a four-minute loop produced by Urban One, directing listeners to 96.3 to hear WFUN-FM. On December 16, 2020, Gateway Creative Broadcasting's LMA began, and KXBS beganstunting with arhythmic adult contemporary micro-format as "95.5 JAMS". That lasted until 9:55 a.m. on January 4, 2021, when "Boost" officially moved to 95.5.[9][10][11][12] The sale to Gateway was officially approved by the FCC on March 5, 2021, and was consummated on April 20.[13]
As of January 1, 2022, KXBS-HD2 broadcasts arhythmic adult contemporary format branded as "95.5 Jams, The Rhythm of St. Louis".
KXBS-HD3 airs anUrban oldies format, known as "Foxy 106.9". The subchannel feedsFM translator K295CQ (106.9 MHz) in St. Louis.
38°39′08″N90°17′03″W / 38.6523°N 90.2843°W /38.6523; -90.2843