 | |
| Broadcast area | Emerald Coast |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 99.5MHz |
| Branding | 99 Rock |
| Programming | |
| Format | Mainstream rock |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WFTW,WNCV,WYZB,WZNS | |
| History | |
First air date | May 28, 1965; 60 years ago (1965-05-28) (as WFTW-FM at 99.3) |
Former call signs | WFTW-FM (1965–1978) WFTW (1978–1979) WFTW-FM (1979–1988) |
Former frequencies | 99.3 MHz (1965–1994) |
Call sign meaning | Kiss FM (format until 1993) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 27467 |
| Class | C2 |
| ERP | 50,000watts |
| HAAT | 133.5 meters (438 ft) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | wksm.com |
WKSM (99.5MHz) is acommercialFMradio stationlicensed toFort Walton Beach and serving theEmerald Coast ofFlorida. It is owned byCumulus Media and broadcasts amainstream rockradio format, calling itself99 Rock. Theradio studios andtransmitter are on Hollywood Boulevard NW in Fort Walton Beach.[2] WKSM has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 50,000watts.
The stationsigned on the air on May 28, 1965; 60 years ago (1965-05-28).[3] It was the FMsimulcast ofWFTW1260 AM. WFTW-FM was originally on 99.3 MHz, broadcasting at 3,000 watts, a fraction of its current output. Both stations were owned by Vacationland Broadcasting. Because WFTW 1260 was adaytimer, WFTW-FM continued the AM station's programming after sunset.
FM 99.3 was aClass A frequency, limited at the time to only local coverage. So management decided to move WFTW-FM's dial position. TheFederal Communications Commission (FCC) permitted it to move slightly up the dial to 99.5 MHz and get a boost in power. The signal now covers a significant part of the larger and more lucrativePensacolaradio market.
In the late 1960s, WFTW-FM stopped simulcasting 1260 WFTW. It began broadcasting abeautiful music format. The station featured quarter-hour sweeps of mostly instrumentalcover versions of popular songs, as well asBroadway andHollywood show tunes. The station would later flip to anadult contemporary format, and then laterTop 40/CHR in May 1985. It was one out of two CHR stations in the Fort Walton Beach and Destin areas, with the other beingWNUE. The station's call letters were changed toWKSM in April 1988, retaining its CHR format under the branding "99 KISS-FM". The format lasted until mid-November 1991, and the station switched to its currentalbum rock format. This left WNUE the only Top-40 station in Fort Walton Beach until it became a sports radio format in 1992.
In 1993, WKSM and WFTW were sold for $1 million to Holiday Broadcasting.[4] In 2003,Cumulus Media acquired the two stations.[5]
30°24′51″N86°37′40″W / 30.414083°N 86.627722°W /30.414083; -86.627722
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