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|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Piedmont Triad |
| Frequency | 100.3MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Hits 100.3 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Top 40 (CHR) |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WPTI,WMAG,WVBZ,WTQR | |
| History | |
First air date | June 1953; 72 years ago (1953-06) (as WNOS-FM) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | "Kiss" (previous branding) |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 74204 |
| Class | C |
| ERP | 100,000watts |
| HAAT | 316 meters (1,037 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 35°58′9.4″N79°49′28.1″W / 35.969278°N 79.824472°W /35.969278; -79.824472 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | hitscarolina.iheart.com |
WMKS (100.3FM, "Hits 100.3"), is atop 40 (CHR)radio station licensed toHigh Point, North Carolina, that serves thePiedmont Triad region, includingGreensboro andWinston-Salem. TheiHeartMedia, Inc. outlet broadcasts with an ERP of 100 kW. It has studio facilities and offices located on Pai Park in Greensboro, and a transmitter site is located south of Greensboro in unincorporatedGuilford County.
This station signed on the air in June 1953 as WNOS-FM.[3] In October 1975, Bernie Mann boughtWNOS and WNOS-FM. He changed the FM station's letters to WGLD and the format tobeautiful music, also increasing the power to 100,000 watts and building a new 400-foot tower.[4]
In 1985, the WGLD letters and format moved to1320 AM and the station became WOJY "Joy 100", a satelliteMOR station.[citation needed] In 1989, WOJY changed tosoft adult contemporary with the new name WWWB "B-100".[3] For a year starting on September 19, 1994, the station was WFXF "100.3 the Fox", a hit-orientedclassic rock station[5] focusing on the 70s and listeners 35 to 45, with some songs no one else was playing.[6] Then the station became WHSL "Whistle 100", playingcountry music.[7] In 1999, WHSL became one of the firstcountry music stations to airJohn Boy and Billy, which had previously been designed forclassic rock stations.[8] AroundNew Year's Day 2001, the station took over the rock format previously heard onWXRA, calling itself WVBZ "100.3 the Buzzard", keepingJohn Boy and Billy. This arrangement lasted until early 2009, when it changed its moniker to "The Buzz" and shifted its music towardsactive rock.
The Buzz moved to 105.7 FM on January 1, 2014, at 5p.m., taking the spot of sister station WMKS.WVBZ adopted the Top 40 format of its predecessor, and later rebranded as "100.3KISS-FM."[9][10] On January 3, 2014, the call letters switched to WMKS.[1]
Prior to 2018, WMKS aired Fred & Angi fromWKSC-FM inChicago in the morning. The station had no morning DJs until addingAce and TJ May 28, 2019.[11]
On October 29, 2020, WMKS dropped the "Kiss-FM" branding and began promoting "The New Sound of 100.3" coming on November 2, at Noon. At said time, after playing "This Is What You Came For" byCalvin Harris, WMKS rebranded as "Hits 100.3", promising to be commercial free on weekends. The first song on "Hits" was "What's Poppin" byJack Harlow. The new format leansrhythmic, and the new station claimed that listeners ofhip hop-formatted102 Jamz like only one in four songs played on that station, and that Mainstream CHR-formattedWKZL has too many commercials.[12]