KYKY

KYKY (98.1 FM) is a commercial FM radio station in St. Louis, Missouri, serving the Greater St. Louis region of Missouri and Illinois. KYKY airs a hot adult contemporary radio format and is owned by Entercom. KYKY operates from offices and studios located on Olive Street.[2] Its transmitter is on a TV/FM radio tower off Mackenzie Road in Shrewsbury.[3]

KYKY
CitySt. Louis, Missouri
Broadcast areaGreater St. Louis
BrandingY98
SloganToday's Best Music
Frequency98.1 MHz FM (HD Radio)
First air dateApril 2, 1960 (as KSTL-FM)
FormatHot adult contemporary
HD2: "The River"-AAA
HD3: LGBTQ Talk/Dance "Channel Q"
ERP90,000 watts
HAAT309 meters (1,014 ft)
ClassC1
Facility ID20358
Transmitter coordinates38.5734°N 90.3251°W / 38.5734; -90.3251
Former call signsKSTL-FM (1960–1967)
KRCH (1967–1972)
KSLQ (1972–1982)
OwnerEntercom[1]
(Entercom License, LLC)
Sister stationsKMOX, KEZK-FM, KFTK-FM, KNOU
WebcastListen Live
Websitey98.com

KYKY broadcasts three HD Radio signals, with the first airing its main hot AC format. Its HD-2 signal carries an adult album alternative (AAA) format known as "The River", while its HD-3 signal airs "Channel Q," Entercom's Talk/EDM service for the LGBTQ community.

History

On April 2, 1960, 98.1 KSTL-FM first signed on as the FM counterpart to daytime-only AM 690 KSTL, owned by Radio St. Louis, Inc.[4] KSTL-FM was sold in 1967 to Foreground Music, Inc., and changed its call sign to KRCH. It aired a more uptempo easy listening format than competing beautiful music stations.

In 1972, the station was purchased by Bartell Media Corporation which owned legendary AM Top 40 stations such as KCBQ in San Diego and WOKY in Milwaukee, and was enjoying high ratings with WDRQ in Detroit as more people were tuning to FM stations for contemporary hits in the 1970s. Bartell turned KRCH into Top 40 outlet KSLQ.[5] Around 1981, KSLQ adjusted its format to adult contemporary. The call letters were changed once more in October 1982 to the current KYKY. In 1985, KYKY was purchased by EZ Communications, and evolved the format towards hot AC.[6]

In 1997, EZ Communications was purchased by American Radio Systems, who would later merge with Infinity Broadcasting, which in turn was acquired by CBS Radio. From March 1979 to October 2017, KYKY was the home of the Phillips & Company (originally Phillips & Wall) morning show, hosted by long-time St. Louis radio host Guy Phillips. Phillips was inducted into the St. Louis Radio Hall of fame in 2005. In January 2010, KYKY's slogan was changed from "Your Music, Your Y98" to "More Music. Better Variety". Around 2010, KYKY changed its slogan to "Today's Best Music".

On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with Entercom.[7][8] The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on the 17th.[9][10]

Hurricane Katrina Telethon

In September 2005, KYKY, sister station KEZK, and television partners KSDK and KETC simulcast a telethon for Hurricane Katrina relief that raised more than $5 million. The telethon featured an appearance by actor John Goodman, a native of Affton, Missouri who now calls New Orleans his home and whose family was actually missing for a time during the storm's peak. Singer Sheryl Crow, a native of Kennett, Missouri, and her then-fiancé Lance Armstrong, urged viewers to call when they were interviewed by telephone from the region.

References
  1. http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171117005410/en/Entercom-Completes-Merger-CBS-Radio
  2. Y98.com/contact
  3. Radio-Locator.com/KYKY
  4. Broadcasting Yearbook 1961-62 page B-98
  5. Broadcasting Yearbook 1976 page C-116
  6. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1998/RR-1998-07-03.pdf
  7. CBS Radio to Merge with Entercom
  8. [KMOX parent to merge radio business with Entercom "KMOX parent to merge radio business with Entercom"] Check |url= value (help). St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis. February 2, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
  9. "Entercom Receives FCC Approval for Merger with CBS Radio". Entercom. November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  10. Venta, Lance (November 17, 2017). "Entercom Completes CBS Radio Merger". Radio Insight. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
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