 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Milwaukee metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 100.7MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | V-100.7 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Urban contemporary |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WISN,WMIL-FM,WOKY,WRIT-FM,WRNW | |
| History | |
First air date | August 1948 (1948-08) (as WRJN-FM) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | "KK" likely for theKinnickinnic River's common nickname, with the "V" a common branding for R&B and hip-hop stations |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 68758 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 50,000 watts |
| HAAT | 152 meters (499 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°48′18″N88°02′53″W / 42.805°N 88.048°W /42.805; -88.048 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | v100 |
WKKV-FM (100.7MHz), also known asV-100.7, is anurban contemporaryradio station owned byiHeartMedia, Inc. serving theMilwaukee area. The station broadcasts with an ERP of 50 kW and is licensed toRacine, Wisconsin. Its studios are located in the Milwaukee suburb ofGreenfield.
The playlist ofV-100.7 consists of primarily currenthip-hop andR&B as well as some older Hip Hop and R&B from the 2010s.
At 50,000 watts, WKKV's signal is one of the strongest in the area, and can travel overLake Michigan into the state ofMichigan. V-100.7 can be heard reliably as far west asMadison, north toSheboygan, south into theChicago suburbs, and beyond depending on conditions. Due to its tower lying in close proximity to the open waters of Lake Michigan, both its analog signal can periodically travel with local quality in excess of 120 miles to the east along the Michigan shoreline without interference, this is most common in the summer months when warm air temperatures and the cool lake waters create favorable conditions fortropospheric propagation.
The originalcall letters were WRJN-FM, shared with itsthen-sister station. WRJN-FM began broadcasting August 26, 1948. It was licensed to Racine Broadcasting Corporation and owned by the publishers of theRacine Journal Times.[2]
In early 1969, the owner of another Racine station,WRAC, purchased WRJN-FM for $60,000.[3] A few months after the sale, the station became WRAC-FM.[4]
In December 1970, WRAC-FM flipped to a rock-basedTop 40 format with the WRKR call sign,[5] primarily targetingRacine,Kenosha and the southern part ofMilwaukee County. They were known at various times as"The Rocker 100 FM","Hot 100" and"Hitradio 100". WRKR gradually started targeting the whole Milwaukee market. At one time, WRKR was the Milwaukee-area affiliate ofAmerican Top 40 (which was also later carried by then-rivalWKTI after it added the show in 1982).
Due to heavy Top 40 competition, WRKR began addinglight R&B music around 1986, and for less than a year were called"Heartbeat 101" (WHBT-FM). WHBT-FM was the first "rhythmic adult contemporary" station in the country, 10 years before pioneerWAMG-FM flipped to the format. The WRKR call sign was reassigned by the FCC to a station inKalamazoo, Michigan, about that time, where it remains today.
In September 1987, the station becamenew-age music-formatted WBZN-FM (Breezin' 100.7).[6] The station flipped tourban contemporary on June 6, 1991, becoming WKKV-FM (V-100 FM).[7][8]
After many years, the "Doug Banks Morning Show" ended in December 2007, and the station replaced him withSteve Harvey. After six years, Harvey was dropped in August 2013, and WKKV-FM became a charter affiliate of the New York-basedBreakfast Club distributed in-house by iHeartRadio.
WKKV was home to the annual "Jam 4 Peace" concert for several years. The concert series caused political attention and action in the City of Milwaukee.[9][10]
Slower R&B and classic soul was aired as part of a late nightQuiet Storm block on weeknights during the 90s and 2000s.[11]
WKKV DJs holds significant influence in the greater radio market. Bailey Coleman was a senior VP of Programming for iHeartMedia. Her show aired during the midday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. time slot.[12] Reggie Brown currently serves as the station's Program Director and has worked at the station for more than 20 years.[13]
On April 25, 2006, Clear Channel announced that WKKV's HD2 subchannel will carry a format focusing ongospel music. In the summer of 2009, the "Hallelujah" format was replaced by "All My Jams," an Adult Urban Contemporary format available through Clear Channel'siHeartRadiosmartphone application.
On December 15, 2011, Clear Channel began airing theprogressive talk programming ofWXXM (92.1) fromSun Prairie/Madison on WKKV's HD3 subchannel, giving the Milwaukee market its first station in the format, albeit with no programming originating locally from Milwaukee.[14] After WXXM ended that format in November 2016, WKKV-HD2 began to serve as an FM HD repeater of sports stationWOKY (920). It again switched on November 30, 2018, with a move to soft adult contemporary, branded as "The Breeze"; the move of WOKY's local sports programming to WRNW's analog FM/HD1 subchannel made it all but redundant.[15]
As of June 2023, WKKV does not broadcast a HD2 station. The station only broadcasts a HD1 simulcast of the primary station.