WDAF-FM

106.5 FM signed on the air on May 8, 1978, as KFIX-FM.[3] It was the FM counterpart to AM 1140 KFIX (now KCXL), and was owned by Investments, Inc. KFIX-FM aired an Adult Top 40 format, with news updates from the NBC Radio Network. Prior to the official sign-on, test transmissions carried the call sign KSAB (standing for "Strauss-Abernathy Broadcasting").

SW Radio Enterprises took over in 1979, flipping the format on November 19th, changing call letters to KSAS, branded as "SAS ​106 ¹⁄₂". KSAS was a progressive rock station, in contrast to the more mainstream album oriented rock (AOR) format of top rock station KYYS (now KCKC). Golden East Broadcasting bought the station in March 1982. In March 1983, the station decided to take KYYS head-on, flipping to album rock, and changing the call letters to KKCI. Longtime Kansas City DJ Randy Miller made his first market appearance at KKCI.

Transcolumbia bought the station in 1985. On January 10, 1986, after failing to compete against KYYS, KKCI went off the air. Three weeks later, the station signed back on and flipped to a soft adult contemporary format, branded as "K-Lite," and changing the call letters to KLYT.[4] K-Lite tried to compete in a crowded AC field. In November 1987, Olympia Broadcasting bought the station.[5]

On July 29, 1988, at 2 p.m., after stunting for three days with a loop of "Kansas City" by The Beatles, KLYT flipped back to AOR, changing call letters to KXXR. Scout Broadcasting, subsidiary of Olympia, owned the station around the time of the flip. The first song under the new rock format was "Roll With It" by Steve Winwood.[6][7][8]The format, dubbed "Today's Rock and Roll", was a combination of rock-friendly CHR hits, hard rock and modern rock. However, like the first time with the format, the second time as a rock station could not topple KYYS.

At 4 p.m. on June 15, 1990, after playing "Roll With It," KXXR flipped to a Rhythmic Contemporary format, branded as "X-106." The first song on "X" was "Me So Horny" by 2 Live Crew.[9][10] Capitol Broadcasting bought the station on March 15, 1991, for $2.6 million.[11] By June 1991, the station moved towards a more mainstream Top 40 direction.[12]

Due to low ratings, the station was about to change formats, but Capitol decided to change course: Country-formatted KCFM (107.3 FM), owned by Meyer Communications, offered to swap frequencies.[13] On February 16, 1992, at Midnight, after playing "2 Legit 2 Quit" by MC Hammer, the frequency swap between the two stations took place, with KXXR moving to 107.3 FM and KCFM moving to 106.5.[14][15]

After the frequency swap, KCFM stunted with all-Garth Brooks music for 16 days, then changed its call sign to KKCJ (instituted on March 9th) and moniker to "CJ-106". ("CJ" stood for "Country Junction".)[16][17] Capitol continued to own the station, while Sconnix, which owned country music rival KFKF-FM, entered into a local marketing agreement (LMA) to run KCFM as well. KKCJ was meant to be a younger-audience complement to KFKF, which targeted a more middle-aged audience. However, the station could not compete against WDAF and KBEQ (which flipped from Top 40 in February 1993).[18]

On March 10, 1995, at Midnight, after Heritage Media bought KKCJ, the station began stunting, this time with all-polka and Hootie & The Blowfish music. During the last two hours of the stunting, the station also aired modern rock music. On March 30, at 10 a.m., the station flipped to a smooth jazz format, branded as "106.5 The City."[19] The first song on "The City" was "Smooth Operator" by Sade.[20] On April 21st, the station changed call letters to KCIY, to better fit the "City" moniker.

Sinclair bought the station in 1997, with Entercom taking over in 2000. KCIY became the top soft music station in the market around this time. However, it came at the expense of co-owned KUDL, which aired a mainstream adult contemporary format.

In the summer of 2003, Entercom announced it would start a sports talk format on 610 AM, the former WDAF. After a lengthy decision over which radio station to put the AM's country format (which involved sister station KRBZ almost being killed off for it, only to have an executive order issued by Entercom corporate management in response to overwhelming listener turnout halting that), it was announced that KCIY would flip to country.[21] At Noon on August 10, 2003, after a 6-hour farewell show (and playing "Neither One of Us" by Gladys Knight & the Pips), WDAF began simulcasting on both 610 AM and 106.5 FM, for a one-month period until the sports talk format on 610 AM finally debuted on September 10th.[22][23]

The WDAF call letters were officially moved over on August 22nd. (There had been a previous WDAF-FM in Kansas City from 1961 to 1974, at 102.1 MHz, now KCKC.) On January 10, 2007, WDAF-FM rebranded as "106.5 the Wolf."[24] WDAF-FM continues in Kansas City's three-way country radio station battle, along with KFKF-FM and KBEQ-FM, both owned by Steel City Media.

On December 5, 2019, it was announced that WDAF-FM would become the flagship radio station of the Kansas City Chiefs with the start of the 2020 season, directly off their win in Super Bowl LIV, after the expiration of a thirty-year deal with Cumulus Media's KCFX (101.1). Sister station KCSP will additionally carry wrap-around coaches and players programming.[25]