 | |
| Broadcast area | Honolulu metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 590kHz |
| Branding | AM 590 & 92-3 KSSK |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult contemporary |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | March 15, 1930; 95 years ago (1930-03-15) |
Former call signs | KGMB (1930–1980) |
Former frequencies | 1320 kHz (1930–1940) |
Call sign meaning | Phonetically similar to "kiss"[1] |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 48774 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 7,800watts |
Transmitter coordinates | 21°19′15″N157°52′22″W / 21.32083°N 157.87278°W /21.32083; -157.87278 (KSSK-AM) |
| Repeater | 92.3 KSSK-FM (Waipahu) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | ksskradio.iheart.com |
KSSK (590kHz) is acommercialAMradio stationlicensed toHonolulu, Hawaii, and owned byiHeartMedia, Inc. Itsimulcasts anadult contemporaryradio format withsister station 92.3KSSK-FM. For much of November and December, the stations switch toChristmas music, including Hawaiian artists' holiday songs. On Christmas Eve and Day, KSSK’s Christmas music airs with only sponsor messages in between songs rather than the normal commercial interruptions. Thestudios and offices are in theKalihi neighborhood of Honolulu.
KSSK 590 is powered at 7,800watts, using anon-directional antenna. Thetransmitter site is on Dillingham Boulevard near the Kapalama Canal, about a mile from the studios.[3] KSSK serves as Hawaii's primary AM station entry point for theEmergency Alert System, withKRTR-FM providing PEP capabilities on FM.
KSSK-AM-FM use the slogan "Hawaii's Favorite", andNielsen consistently ranks the pair as Honolulu's most listened-to radio station. The stations are home to thePerry & the Posse" morning show. The KSSK'sjingle melody was adapted from that ofWPLJ inNew York City. KSSK-AM-FM used WPLJ's jingle packages untilTM Century created a jingle package for KSSK, known as "Big Time Honolulu." Unlike most other Adult Contemporary stations in the mainland US, KSSK adds local artists in addition to the usual format.
KSSK-AM-FM are also heard onOceanic Spectrum Cable digital channel 867 for the entire state ofHawaii,[4] via theDishHD satellite TV service inTaiwan,[5] and also USEN's Sound Planet satellite radio service inJapan.[6]
The station was first authorized in December 1929, with the sequentially issuedcall sign ofKGMB, to the Honolulu Broadcasting Company. It was initially licensed for operation with 500 watts on 1320kilocycles.[7] After a short period of testing, it made its debut broadcast on March 15, 1930.[8] In 1940, KGMB moved to 590 kHz, where it has been ever since.[9]
Prior to the December 7, 1941 attack onPearl Harbor, KGMB was asked to broadcast music in order to provide long-range guidance to a flight ofBoeing B-17 Flying Fortresses on their way to Hawaii from the mainland. Japanese aircraft used the same transmissions for guidance while approaching the islands to make their bombing runs. During the attack, KGMB dispatched reports toCBS Radio, which in turn were cited on-air byJohn Charles Daly, who anchored the network's coverage of that day's news.
During these days as KGMB, the longtime jingleOne of the Good Things about Hawaii is Wonderful was first heard on the radio as early as the 60s before former sister stationKGMB-TV adopted it for television and campaign use. The jingle is still in use at the end of KGMB's weekday morning newscastHawaii News Now Sunrise at 7 a.m. where the jingle plays during the copyright holder. The jingle was produced byPAMS Productions, Inc. at the time (which has since been acquired byJAM Creative Productions).
OnValentine's Day, February 14, 1980, the call letters were changed toKSSK, for "Kiss Radio".[1] For many years, the station was home toHal "J. Akuhead Pupule" Lewis, better known as Aku. After his death in 1983, the station moved afternoon personalityMichael W. Perry to the morning slot and paired him with morning show substitute (while Aku was ill)Larry Price, a formerNational Football League player and head coach of theUniversity of HawaiiRainbow Warriors football team. The duo were known as "Perry & Price".
In 1993, New-Tex Communications bought both KSSK and FM station KXPW for $7.5 million and changed the FM station's call letters to KSSK-FM.[10] At the time, KSSK was the market's #1 station and the new owners wanted to capitalize on that success, especially as music listening was shifting to FM. KSSK-FM began simulcasting part of the day with KSSK, including the top-rated "Perry & Price" morning show. Eventually, the simulcast was expanded to a 24-hour operation.
In 2000, Clear Channel Communications acquired KSSK-AM-FM. In 2014, the company was renamed iHeartMedia, Inc.
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Some notables who have passed through KGMB/KSSK include: