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| Broadcast area | Albany, New York |
| Frequency | 102.3MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Kiss 102-3 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Contemporary hit radio |
| Subchannels | HD2:2010s hits "iHeart2010s Radio" |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| WGY,WGY-FM,WRVE,WPYX,WTRY-FM,WOFX | |
| History | |
First air date | 1968; 57 years ago (1968) (as WKAJ-FM Saratoga Springs) |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | Kapitol[sic] Kiss FM |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 17030 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 4,100 watts |
| HAAT | 118 meters (387 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°52′44″N73°51′47″W / 42.879°N 73.863°W /42.879; -73.863 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast |
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| Website | kiss1023 |
WKKF (102.3FM) - brandedKiss 102-3 - is acontemporary hit radio station licensed toBallston Spa, New York and serving theCapital District andAdirondacks. The station is owned byiHeartMedia and broadcasts at 4,100 wattsERP from a transmitter inClifton Park, New York.
WKKF airs arhythmic CHR format, includinghip-hop,contemporary R&B, andEDM.Elvis Duran and the Morning Show, andAmerican Top 40 hosted byRyan Seacrest also air on the station.
The 102.3 frequency originally began inSaratoga Springs, New York in 1968 as WKAJ-FM, sister toWKAJ running aneasy listening format. The station also simulcastsNew York Mets baseball games during its early years. In 1979, WKAJ-FM changed its calls to WASM keeping the easy listening format though by the mid-1980s the station evolved to anAdult contemporary approach. In June 1987, WASM flipped to Top 40 WQQY(102 Double Q) and began to make a minor wave in the Albany ratings by giving WFLY andWGFM a run for its money inSaratoga County. Among the air talent at WQQY was Rob Dawes early in his career before moving back to the frequency.
With the decline of Top 40 in the early 1990s, its limited 3000 watt signal, WQQY began to look to the south for a better alternative. Having a construction permit to move the station down to the Albany area, WQQY moved its transmitter 12 miles south to Clifton Park (licensed to nearby Ballston Spa), upgraded to 6000 watts, and relaunched in September 1991 as WZRQ, becoming Albany's affiliate of ABC'sZ-Rock satellitehard rock format. WZRQ remained as an affiliate of Z-Rock until the network's end in late 1996. Needing a new format, then-owner Radio Enterprises (a joint venture of Clear Channel Communications (nowiHeartMedia) and local investors) decided to go after heritage rock station WPYX with a Classic Rock format asClassic Rock 102.3 FM with the WXCR calls. Though former WPYX morning team "Mason and Sheehan" were hired several months later, they were fired a year later, in 1998.
After Clear Channel acquired WPYX in 2000, 102.3 returned to Top 40 (CHR) as Clear Channel's trademarkedKISS FM brand was adopted on May 26, 2000 after a day of stunting, with the WKKF calls following soon after. WXCR personality Steve Scott was the only one to make the transition from classic rock to CHR as Jeff Mrozek adopted the afternoon drive spot at former sister stationWQBK-FM earlier that year. Since its launch, WKKF has been a largely successful station going after heritage CHRWFLY with a more rhythmic, younger-leaning format. This approach has allowed it to hold its own against WFLY, a station which had not seen competition for a decade prior to WKKF's launch, andWAJZ, a Rhythmic (since2005) who happens to be WFLY's sister station.
Much of WKKF's early airstaff were transplants from other stations in the market: former Program Director/midday jock Rob Dawes previously held the same position at WFLY, former midday jock Ally Reid handled middays at WFLY as well as sister stationWFLZ inTampa, Florida, and former WFLY jock "Joey Kidd" (formerly in morning drive, also known as Joe Rosati onWDTW-FM in Detroit, Michigan). Mike Corts, former WFLY jock began board operating Mornings until Valentine in the Morning was syndicated. Corts was hired to host nights on Kiss and also hosted the popular and No. 1 rated Saturday night "Remix". Afternoon drive jock DJ Thomas, the last original staff member from WKKF's launch, former night jock Mick Lee now Program Director atWLIT, Chicago, as well as former evening jock Corey Kincaid, left WKKF in 2009. In addition, the syndicatedElvis Duran and the Morning Show (originating atWHTZ in New York City) was added in morning drive on the station that year.
After the demise of sister alternative rock stationWHRL in September 2010, WKKF added more pop rock and alternative artists to its playlist that it would not play as much before, includingThe Script,Lady Antebellum, andParamore; in addition, the station added more 1990s and early 2000s gold to its playlist. After the start of 2012, the station has reverted to aRhythmic Contemporary direction, although still reporting as aMainstream Top 40 by Mediabase and Nielsen BDS. Regarding WKKF's direction shift, they continue to be a mainstream top 40 because of most markets having twoTop 40 (CHR) stations.
By early 2013, the station has made a slight change in branding toKiss 102.3 and reverted to a more mainstream CHR approach including more pop-rock artists.
In 2005, WKKF upgraded toIBOCdigital radio alongside the rest of Clear Channel's Albany stations. On August 17, 2006, WKKF began airing an HD2 channel with a pop and new music-heavy CHR format known as theHot Spot (later rebranded as theVerizon New Music Channel) which is heard on several other Kiss stations across the United States. The HD2 channel flipped formats in 2011 to a 1980s and 1990ship hop andR&B channel; a few years later, the format was dropped in favor ofNickRadio, eventually On Air with Ryan Seacrest Replay Channel and nowiHeart2010s.[2]