 | |
| Broadcast area | Seattle metropolitan area/Puget Sound |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 96.5MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 96.5 Jack FM |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult hits |
| Subchannels | HD2:Alternative rock "Alt 96.5 HD2" HD3:Conservative talk (KPTRsimulcast) |
| Affiliations | Jack FM network Seattle Kraken Washington Huskies NCAAF |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KBKS-FM,KHHO,KJEB,KJR,KJR-FM,KPTR,KZOK-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | 1959 (1959) (as KLSN) |
Former call signs | KLSN (1959–1972)[1] KYAC (1972–1977)[1] KYYX (1977[1]–1984) KKMI (1984–1985) KQKT (1985–1987) KXRX (1987–1994)[2] KYCW (1994–1999)[2] KYPT (1999–2003)[2] KRQI (2003–2004)[2] KRQI-FM (2004–2005)[2] |
Call sign meaning | Pronounced asJack |
| Technical information[3] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 1091 |
| Class | C |
| ERP | 52,000watts 70,000 watts (CP) |
| HAAT | 696 meters (2,283 feet) |
Transmitter coordinates | 47°30′16″N121°58′07″W / 47.504556°N 121.968722°W /47.504556; -121.968722 47°30′17″N121°58′08″W / 47.504639°N 121.968833°W /47.504639; -121.968833 (CP and APP) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | jackseattle.iheart.com alt965.iheart.com (HD2) |
KJAQ (96.5FM) is acommercialradio station inSeattle, Washington. KJAQ airs anadult hits music format branded as "Jack FM". It is owned byiHeartMedia. The studios and offices are in theBelltown neighborhood northwest ofDowntown Seattle. The station'stransmitter is onTiger Mountain inIssaquah.[4] KJAQ broadcasts in theHD Radio format. The HD-2 subchannel carries analternative rock format and HD-3simulcastsconservative talkKPTR, also owned by iHeart.
The stationsigned on the air in 1959 asKLSN.[5] It was aclassical music station broadcasting from theUniversity Village Shopping Center, owned by a company called "Sight and Sound."
In 1973, the station was acquired by Carl-Del, Inc., which also owned KYAC (1460 AM, nowKARR), with the FM flipping to a simulcast of the AM station'sR&B format, and changed call letters toKYAC-FM. The stations used the slogan "The Soul of the Sound," referring toPuget Sound.
In February 1977, afterO'Day Broadcasting bought the station, the call letters switched toKYYX.[1] It carried aTop 40 format.
In late 1982, the station shifted tonew wave music. The station was called "96.5 The Wave" and featured radio personalities Mike "Beaver" Bell, Damien, Stephen Rabow, John Langan, and Van Johnson. The station's moniker was "The Rock of The 80s."[6]
In December 1983, Madison Park Broadcasting acquired KYYX.
On March 26, 1984, Madison Park announced that the station would change formats within a few months because of poor ratings and revenue. On May 13, after playing "Radio, Radio" byElvis Costello, KYYX signed off with a montage of station identifications and two customized songs based on "KYYX" for 5 minutes. After goingdark for three weeks, the station would then flip tosoft adult contemporary asKKMI.[7][8][9]
In December 1984, Madison Park sold the station to Behan, who shifted the format to "Quality Rock KQ-96",KQKT, in May 1985. Shamrock Broadcasting bought the station in the Fall of 1986.
On January 5, 1987, 96.5 flipped toKXRX, a personality-drivenalbum rock station featuring Robin & Maynard in mornings, Larry Snyder middays, Crow & West afternoons, Beau Roberts evenings, and Scott Vanderpool overnights.[10][11][12][13][14][15]
On April 8, 1994, the station was the first to report that a body had been found in the home ofKurt Cobain. The body would turn out to be Cobain's. An electrician working at the home found the body and called the station with the tip, hoping to winPink Floyd concert tickets in exchange for the information.[16]
Alliance Broadcasting bought the station from Shamrock in May 1994.
On June 25, 1994, KXRX beganstunting with comedy routines. On June 29, at 5:30 p.m., the station began a robotic countdown that started at 40,000 and ended at 1. However, instead of ending the countdown at 1, it counted up to 40,000, then back to 1. On July 1, at 3 p.m., Alliance flipped the station to acountry music format as "Young Country 96.5" with the call lettersKYCW-FM. It was the third FM country station in the Seattleradio market, competing againstKMPS-FM andKCIN.[17][18][19]
Alliance merged withInfinity Broadcasting in September 1995. Shortly afterwards, Infinity sold KYCW toEZ Communications in February 1996, with KYCW joining KMPS and KCIN under common ownership. That prompted EZ to flip KCIN toRhythmic AC the following month. EZ Communications was bought out byAmerican Radio Systems in July 1997.Westinghouse/CBS bought American Radio Systems' stations (including KYCW) on September 19, 1997.[20] In June 1998, CBS split off the radio division under the revived Infinity name, which would be renamedCBS Radio in December 2005.
On December 17, 1999, Infinity flipped KYCW-FM toall-80s hits, branded as "96-5 The Point", and changed call letters toKYPT.[21][22][23] “The Point” saw some initial success, but then declined in the ratings. In 2001, much of the on-air staff was fired, leading to rumors of a format change toadult contemporary. However, the station continued with its all-80's format and brought in a new air staff. Despite the changes, ratings continued to slip.
On December 19, 2003, at 5:00 p.m., after playing "Burning Down the House" byTalking Heads, KYPT flipped toclassic alternative rock as "96-5 K-Rock."[24][25] The call letters switched toKRQI on New Year's Day, 2004. The station played songs from artists such asFoo Fighters,Kid Rock,Iggy Pop,Red Hot Chili Peppers,R.E.M.,U2, andDepeche Mode, as well as capitalizing on Seattle grunge acts such asNirvana,Pearl Jam,Alice in Chains, andSoundgarden. It competed with the longer established alternative stationKNDD. In advance of KRQI's debut, 29 hours earlier, KNDD adjusted to a gold-based Alternative format. KRQI brought in former KNDD personalities Andy Savage and Bill Reid for morning and afternoondrive time. Ratings for the station under this format were poor.
On April 22, 2005, at 10:00 a.m., after playing "Black" by Seattle bandPearl Jam, KRQI flipped to its currentAdult Hits format as "96-5 Jack FM." The first song on Seattle's "Jack" was "Get the Party Started" byP!nk.[26]
Jim Tripp was hired as the program director.[27] The station's call letters were changed toKJAQ on May 7, 2005.
On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge withEntercom, which already owned four FM stations in Seattle (KHTP,KISW,KKWF, andKNDD).[28] On October 10, CBS Radio announced that as part of the process of obtaining regulatory approval of the merger, KJAQ would be one of sixteen stations that would be divested by Entercom, along with sister stationsKZOK andKFNQ. (Entercom would keepKMPS.)[29]
On November 1, 2017,iHeartMedia announced that it would acquire KJAQ, KZOK, and KFNQ. To meet ownership limits set by the FCC,KFOO andKUBE were divested to the Ocean Stations Trust in advance of a sale to a different owner.[30] Until the completion of the divestment of KFOO and KUBE to the trust, CBS placed KJAQ, KZOK, and KFNQ into the Entercom Divestiture Trust. The merger of CBS and Entercom was approved on November 9, and the deal was consummated on November 17.[31][32] The sale of KJAQ to iHeartMedia was officially completed on December 19, 2017.[33][34]
On March 3, 2021, theNational Hockey League expansion teamSeattle Kraken announced a multi-year broadcast agreement with iHeart; as part of the deal, KJAQ was announced to simulcast a yet-undetermined number of games withKJR.[35]
On March 8, 2021, the station was branded as "96-5 Jill FM" under the slogan "Playing What SHE Wants" to celebrateInternational Women’s Day.[36]