KWNW

KWNW (101.9 FM) - branded as "101.9 Kiss FM - is a radio station broadcasting a Top 40 (CHR) format serving the Memphis, Tennessee, area. The station is currently owned by iHeartMedia and is licensed to Crawfordsville, Arkansas. The station's studios are located in Southeast Memphis, and the transmitter site is in West Memphis, Arkansas.

KWNW
CityCrawfordsville, Arkansas
Broadcast areaMemphis, Tennessee
Branding101.9 Kiss FM
SloganAll the Hits for Memphis
Frequency101.9 MHz
First air dateFebruary 5, 1979
FormatTop 40 (CHR)
ERP8,500 watts
HAAT147 meters (482 feet)
ClassC3
Facility ID51855
Transmitter coordinates35°08′0.3″N 90°05′38.3″W
Call sign meaningK W Radio NoW (previous branding)
Former call signsKBTM-FM (1979-1982)
KJBR (1982-1994)
KIYS (1994-2010)
OwneriHeartMedia, Inc.
(Capstar TX LLC)
Sister stationsKJMS, WDIA, WEGR, WHAL-FM, WHRK, WREC
WebcastListen Live
Website1019kissfm.iheart.com

History

The frequency was previously located in the Jonesboro, Arkansas market where it had the call letters KIYS. They later relocated to Crawfordsville where it began to target the Memphis area on September 10, 2010. While located in Jonesboro, the station was Top 40 (CHR) as "Kiss FM", owned by Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia) but operated by East Arkansas Broadcasters under a local marketing agreement (LMA). After the 101.9 frequency moved to Crawfordsville, East Arkansas Broadcasting acquired KRLW-FM, which had been at 106.3, moved the frequency over to 101.7 and relaunched the station as "101.7 Kiss FM". The new station signed on September 12, 2010 (after the 101.9 frequency signed off with a 2-day loop redirecting listeners to 101.7) and began serving the Jonesboro market. Clear Channel Communications then affixed the "Radio Now" moniker to 101.9.

The station's competition as CHR is primarily WHBQ and Hot AC WMC-FM, and slightly favors Rhythmic hits to target teens and young adults. When the station signed on, KWNW became the fifth iHeartMedia outlet to adopt the "Radio Now" moniker, following 105-7 Hit Music Now/Greensboro, Y102.3 Hit Music Now/Augusta, 97.3 Radio Now/Milwaukee (whose logo is the same as KWNW) and Radio Now 98.9/Louisville.

On March 7, 2014, at 5pm, KWNW rebranded back to "101.9 Kiss FM", restoring the Kiss FM brand to the frequency for the first time since its days in Jonesboro.[1] Radio Now signed off with "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" by Boyz II Men, while the first song as the revived Kiss FM was "Kiss Kiss" by Chris Brown.[2]

On April 29, 2020 KWNW added Elvis Duran and the Morning Show to their lineup.

History of call letters

The call letters KWNW were previously assigned to an AM station in Wenatchee, Washington. A Don Lee Network affiliate, it began broadcasting June 15, 1948 on 1340 kHz with 250 W power. That station was owned by Apple-Land Broadcasters, Incorporated.[3]

References
  1. Kiss Returns to Memphis
  3. "KWNW Commences" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 12, 1948. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
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