WDAF-FM

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WDAF-FM
WDAF-FM logo.png
CityLiberty, Missouri
Broadcast areaKansas City metropolitan area
Branding106-5 The Wolf
SloganKansas City's Country Station For the Most Music
Frequency106.5 MHz (also on HD Radio)
First air dateMay 8, 1978 (as KFIX)
FormatAnalog/HD1: Country
HD2: KCSP
ERP100,000 watts
HAAT299 meters
ClassC1
Facility ID8609
Callsign meaningWhy Dial Any Further
(reference to sister AM station's former call letters)
Former callsignsKFIX (1978-1979)
KSAS (1979-1983)
KKCI (1983-1986)
KLYT (1986-1988)
KXXR (1988-1992)
KKCJ (1992-1995)
KCIY (1995-2003)
OwnerEntercom
(Entercom License, LLC)
Sister stationsKCSP, KMBZ, KMBZ-FM, KQRC, KRBZ, KWOD, KZPT
WebcastListen Live
Website1065thewolf.com

WDAF-FM is a country music radio station based in Kansas City, Missouri, branded as "106-5 The Wolf". Owned by Entercom Communications, the station is licensed to Liberty, Missouri and broadcasts at 106.5 MHz with an ERP of 100,000 watts. Its transmitter is located in east Kansas City, and studios are located in Mission, Kansas.

History[edit]

Early years[edit]

106.5 FM signed on May 8, 1978 as KFIX. The station aired a Top 40/middle of the road format. KFIX aired hourly news updates from the NBC Radio Network. Prior to the official sign-on, they tested transmissions with the call letters 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 rock sound of KYYS at the time. Golden East Broadcasting bought the station in March 1982. In March 1983, the station flipped to album oriented rock, and changed call letters to KKCI. Longtime Kansas City personality 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, KKCI flipped to soft rock, branded as "K-Lite", as well as changing call letters to KLYT.[1] The station aired a very crowded format field, as the same format was heard on 6 other stations. In November 1987, Olympia Broadcasting bought the station.[2]

KXXR[edit]

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 and branding to KXXR. Scout Broadcasting, subsidiary of Olympia, owned the station around the time of the flip. The first song under the format was "Roll With It" by Steve Winwood.[3][4][5]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 around with the format could not topple KYYS. At 4 p.m. on June 15, 1990, after playing "Roll With It", KXXR flipped to a Rhythmic-leaning CHR format, branded as "X-106". The first song on "X" was "Me So Horny" by 2 Live Crew.[6][7] Capitol Broadcasting bought the station on March 15, 1991.[8] By June 1991, the station moved towards a more mainstream direction.[9] Due to low ratings, the station was about to change formats, but Capitol decided to change course: Country-formatted KCFM, owned by Meyer Communications, offered to swap frequencies.[10] 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.[11][12]

KKCJ and KCIY[edit]

After the frequency swap, KCFM stunted with all-Garth Brooks music for about nine hours, then changed calls to KKCJ (instituted on March 9) and moniker to "CJ-106". ("CJ" stood for "Country Junction".)[13] Capitol continued to own the station, but was operated by KFKF's owners Sconnix via an LMA. KKCJ was meant to be a younger-audience complement to KFKF, which targeted an older audience. However, the station could not compete with WDAF (AM) and KBEQ (which flipped from Top 40 in February 1993).[14] On March 10, 1995, at Midnight, after Heritage Media bought the station, the station began stunting, this time with all-polka and Hootie & The Blowfish music. During the last 2 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".[15] The first song on "The City" was "Smooth Operator" by Sade.[16] On April 21, the station changed call letters to KCIY. 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.

WDAF-FM[edit]

In the summer of 2003, Entercom announced it would start a sports talk format on 610 AM, the former WDAF-AM. 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.[17] At Noon on August 10, 2003, after a 6-hour farewell show (and playing "Neither One of Us" by Gladys Knight & the Pips), KCIY and WDAF-AM began simulcasting for a 1-month period until the sports talk format on 610 AM finally debuted on September 10.[18][19] The WDAF call letters were officially moved over on August 22. On January 10, 2007, WDAF rebranded as "106.5 the Wolf."[20]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1986/RR-1986-01-03.pdf
  2. ^ "Sale of KLTY-FM to bring changes", The Kansas City Star, July 26, 1988.
  3. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1988/RR-1988-07-29.pdf
  4. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1988/RR-1988-08-05.pdf
  5. ^ Barry Garron, "FM station tries for new beat", The Kansas City Star, July 29, 1988.
  6. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1990/RR-1990-06-22.pdf
  7. ^ "Kansas stations could move to KC", The Kansas City Star, June 16, 1990.
  8. ^ "Radio station is sold for $2.6 million", The Kansas City Star, March 27, 1991.
  9. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1991/BB-1991-06-15.pdf
  10. ^ "KXXR and KFKF to be country cousins", The Kansas City Star, February 6, 1992.
  11. ^ "KXXR will move down, not off, the dial", The Kansas City Star, February 8, 1992.
  12. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1992/RR-1992-02-14.pdf
  13. ^ Barry Garron, "KFKF radio coup won't serve public", The Kansas City Star, February 15, 1992.
  14. ^ Brian McTavish, "KKCJ-FM sale cuts into country", The Kansas City Star, February 25, 1995.
  15. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1995/RR-1995-04-07.pdf
  16. ^ Brian McTavish, "Station's new sounds tune up to mainstream jazz", The Kansas City Star, March 31, 1995.
  17. ^ "Radio station to drop 'smooth jazz' format", The Kansas City Star, July 19, 2003.
  18. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2003/RR-2003-08-15.pdf
  19. ^ "106.5 The City" Becomes "Country 106.5 WDAF"
  20. ^ WDAF-FM Becomes "The Wolf"

External links[edit]

Coordinates: 39°04′23″N 94°29′06″W / 39.073°N 94.485°W / 39.073; -94.485

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