 | |
| Broadcast area | Bakersfield, California |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 93.1MHz |
| Branding | Hits 93.1 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Top 40 (CHR) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | American General Media |
| KEBT,KERN,KGEO,KGFM,KISV | |
| History | |
First air date | 1977 (as KXHA) |
Former call signs | KXHA (10/17/90-4/8/95) KLYD (4/8/95-7/8/97) KSAN (7/8/97-12/11/97) KCOO (12/11/97-3/20/02) KRFR (3/20/02-9/20/04)[1] |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 35953 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 4,000watts |
| HAAT | 123 meters (404 feet) |
Transmitter coordinates | 35°28′21″N119°01′40″W / 35.47250°N 119.02778°W /35.47250; -119.02778 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | hits931fm.com |
KKXX-FM (93.1MHz, "Hits 93.1") is aradio station broadcasting aTop 40 (CHR) music format. KKXX-FM is licensed toShafter, California, and serves theBakersfield, California area. The station is owned byAmerican General Media. The station's studios are located at Easton Business Complex in southwest Bakersfield, and its transmitter is located just north ofOildale.
From the late 1970s through the early 2000s, under several owners, KKXX was one of the most popular radio stations inBakersfield andKern County for youth oriented music.
KKXX-FM went on the air in 1977 at107.9FM and was owned byBuck Owens Productions. Its transmitter is located on top of Mount Adelaide, northeast of Bakersfield. At the time Owens owned both KKXX andKUZZ located at 550 on the AM dial. Under Owens, KKXX was programmed as an adult contemporary/Top 40 station well into the 1980s. During that time it sat at the top of the ratings in Bakersfield. In 1988, Owens dumped the KKXX call letters and format and moved his country stationKUZZ to107.9.KUZZ was now on both AM and FM. He did this because its AM was losing listeners to the new American Country KAMM at105.3. In May 1988 KAMM picked up the old KKXX calls and dumped country and brought back the KKXX Top 40 sound Kern County. Before KAMM there was KZAY at105.3 in the early 1980s.
A few years earlier, in 1982,KQXR ("Q94 FM"), which was located at94.1 FM, went on the air. It offered the same Hot/AC format that KKXX had under Buck Owens' ownership. In the summer of 1988, Mondosphere re-tooled the station, calling itPower 105. It began to reflect its growingLatino listenership by rotating moredance,R&B, andfreestyle songs into its playlist, making it one of the earliest examples of theRhythmic CHR format. While KKXX still played theTop 40 hits each week, the playlist tended to shy away from artists likeRod Stewart andElton John, and included acts likeSalt-N-Pepa,Stevie B. andLisa Lisa & Cult Jam. KKXX was also a long-time affiliate of the "Rick DeesWeekly Top 40". The nationally syndicated countdown show ran on Power 105, and then later on X 96.5 from 1988 until 2001. KKXX also carried "Casey's Top 40", hosted by veteran personalityCasey Kasem from 1989 until 1998.
With its re-tooled format, KKXX remained Bakersfield's most popular non-country radio station well into the 1990s. But by 1996, music had changed.Top 40 was a radio format in decline, and the scene was ripe for a shakeup on the radio dial. During KKXX's greatest period of success, now defunct rivalKQXR, and its parent company American General Media, had been undergoing many changes. "Q94 FM" had been renamed KERN-FM, and had switched to a moderately successful Oldies format. Then in 1997, AGM launched"Kiss 94.1". ItsHip Hop & R&B format came in stark contrast to the mainstream pop music that KKXX had been playing at the time. 94.1, under the new call lettersKISV, began moving up in the ratings quite rapidly. In response, Mondosphere Broadcasting once again changed the frequency of "Bakersfield's Hit Music Station". After 9 years at105.3, KKXX moved to96.5 FM as the new "X96.5". Thesmooth jazz format located atKSMJ96.5 was moved to98.5. Theoldies at98.5 were moved to105.3. They dumpedsmooth jazz in 2000 and made98.5 KDFOclassic rock.105.3 was replaced with KKDJ, or "Star 105.3", which began as anOldies format and later morphed intoAdult Contemporary. Fans of the old station thought it simply disappeared, which served to boost the ratings of "Kiss 94.1".[citation needed]
In 2000,Clear Channel Communications bought the station from Mondosphere, and relabeled it "96.5 KISS-FM". Almost immediatelyClear Channel sent American General Media a cease & desist order, insisting that it stop using "Kiss" as a moniker forKISV. AGM fought back and ultimately lost, renaming its station the "New Hot 94.1, the Rhythm Of the Valley". With victory in hand, Clear Channel began re-tooling KKXX once more, to mirror the Top 40 format ofKIIS-FM inLos Angeles. Despite the publicity from the "Kiss" dispute and a dial and format change, it wasn't enough to pique the public's interest in KKXX. In 2004, the calls were changed to KBKO-FM, and the format switched to country (96.5FM has since changed formats again, and is now known asKPSL-FM). American General Media now holds the KKXX call letters, which sit at 93.1FM, which for four years hosted the "Pirate Radio" format, which is similar to the "Jack-FM" format in other markets. On July 20, 2009, at midnight, the station abruptly dropped the Pirate Radio format and began stunting, playing nonstop construction sounds. On July 20, 2009, at 4pm, the station revealed its new format as aTop 40 (CHR) format and the station rebranded asHot Hits 93.1 "Bakersfield's Hot Hit Station."
KKXX has been home to several notable air personalities includingKris Kohls, DJ Jeff Duran and Preston Nash ofDope fame.[3]The current weekday line-up on this station includes the syndicated morning show JohnJay and Rich on mornings, and Snacks, who is on mid-days.