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| Broadcast area | Louisville metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 98.9MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 98.9 KISS FM |
| Programming | |
| Format | Contemporary hits |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WAMZ,WHAS,WKJK,WKRD,WQMF,WSDF,WTFX-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | 1962 (1962) |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | Former "Radio Now" branding |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 60706 |
| Class | C2 |
| ERP | 43,000 watts |
| HAAT | 157 meters (515 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 38°11′31″N85°31′11″W / 38.19194°N 85.51972°W /38.19194; -85.51972 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | kisslouisville |
WNRW (98.9FM) is a commercialradio station licensed toProspect, Kentucky, United States, and serving theLouisville metropolitan area with acontemporary hits format as "98.9 KISS FM". It is owned byiHeartMedia, with studios on South 4th Street in the Louisville neighborhood ofWatterson Park.
WNRW's transmitter is in east Louisville, off Tucker Station Road nearInterstate 265.
The station was originally based inSalem, Indiana, about 35 miles (56 km) northwest of Louisville. It signed on the air in 1962.[2] The original call sign was WSLM-FM, the sister station toWSLM 1220 AM.
At first the two stations simulcast, with WSLM-FM developing some of its own programming by the late 1970s. WSLM-FM was powered at only 3,000 watts. It aimed its programming at listeners in the Salem area and could not easily be heard in Louisville.
By the 1990s, the station sought and got permission from theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) to increase its antenna height and power. That allowed it to target the lucrative Louisville radio market. It tried several formats, first withclassic country as WKJK "KJ 98.9". Then, on May 17, 1996, it rebranded to "The Hawk" with the calls changing to WHKW soon after.
In September 1999, WHKW became the new home of WQSH and itsmodern AC format (which moved from93.1). Then in 2000, WQSH evolved tohot AC, branded as "Star 98.9" with the calls changing to WZTR.
Later in 2000, the station changed to playing top 40 hits, calling itself "KISS-FM". It switched its call letters to WZKF. The station became a major competitor to Louisville's longtime top 40 leader 99.7WDJX. WZKF aired arhythmic-leaningplaylist while WDJX was more mainstream top 40.
WZKF moved itscity of license fromSalem, Indiana, to the Louisville suburb ofProspect, Kentucky, on April 26, 2010. A few months later, on July 12, 2010, WZKF rebranded from "98.9 Kiss FM" to "98.9 Radio Now".
According to PD Mike Klein, "The name change and new look comes along with a signal upgrade and updated top 40/mainstream music mix with a rhythmic-leaning". He added that "the station is being re-branded with the 'NOW' moniker to give a fresh new approach delivering hit music to the people who need it 'NOW'".[3] On July 19, 2010, WZKF changed its call sign to WNRW, to represent the "Radio Now" image.
On January 14, 2020, WNRW reverted to "KISS-FM" branding, with no other major format changes.[4] This brings WNRW in line with many of iHeart's Top 40 stations around the U.S., includingKIIS-FMLos Angeles,WKSC-FMChicago andWXKS-FMBoston, which also call themselves "KISS-FM".
In 2008, WNRW began airing anHD Radiodigital subchannel. The HD2 service began by carrying the Dance Top 40Club Phusion format.[5] It was replaced with iHeart'sEvolution channel in late 2012.
In 2023, the HD2 subchannel was turned off.[citation needed]