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KMXV

Coordinates: 39°00′58″N 94°30′25″W / 39.016°N 94.507°W / 39.016; -94.507
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
KMXV
Broadcast areaKansas City metropolitan area
Frequency93.3 MHz
BrandingMix 93.3
Programming
FormatTop 40 (CHR)
Ownership
Owner
  • Steel City Media
  • (MGTF Media Company, LLC)
KBEQ-FM, KCKC, KFKF-FM
History
First air date
March 5, 1958; 66 years ago (1958-03-05) (as KCMK)
Former call signs
KCMK (1958–1971)
KWKI (1971–1982)
KLSI (1982–1990)
Call sign meaning
K MiX, Variety
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID2446
ClassC0
ERP100,000 watts
HAAT325 meters (1,066 ft)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
Websitewww.mix93.com

KMXV (93.3 FM "Mix 93.3") is a top 40 (CHR) station based in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The Steel City Media outlet operates with an ERP of 100 kW. Its current slogan is "Kansas City's #1 Hit Music Station". It is also one of two Top 40s competing in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the other being KMJK. The station's studios are located at Westport Center in Midtown Kansas City, and the transmitter site is in the city's East Side.

History

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KCMK-FM (1958–1971)

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The station signed on March 5, 1958 as KCMK-FM (Kansas City, Missouri/Kansas) with 35,000 watts of power. The station primarily aired classical music, with some other types of music thrown in.[2]

In 1963, the station began airing a country music format. DJ Jack Wesley "Cactus Jack" Call was at the station (from KCKN) for one week when he was killed on January 25, 1963 in a car crash. Singer Patsy Cline sang at a benefit for him at Memorial Hall (Kansas City, Kansas) on March 3, 1963. She was unable to leave Kansas City the next day because the airport was fogged in and was killed in a plane crash on March 5, 1963 en route from Fairfax Airport to Nashville.[3]

For a brief period in mid-1965, KCMK called itself the "oasis in a musical desert", but would soon return to playing country. Starting in September 1969, the station aired an R&B format, competing against KPRS.[4]

KWKI (1971–1982)

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In 1971, the station changed call letters to KWKI and returned to a country music format.[5] After a brief stint with a Top 40 format in 1973, KWKI became "The Rock of Kansas City" in 1974. With this format, it became the first true rock station in Kansas City. The station was initially popular with its progressive rock format, but lost steam with KYYS signing on with a more mainstream rock presentation later that year.[6]

In 1978, the station was sold to Jimmy Swaggart Ministries. Religious programming began airing on December 11, 1978. In 1980, KWKI upgraded to 100,000 watts.[7]

KLSI (1982–1991)

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In 1982, Great Plains Radio bought KWKI. On May 20, KWKI changed formats to soft adult contemporary, and changed call letters to KLSI on July 4. The first song under the new format was "Kansas City Lights" by Steve Wariner.[8][9] The station was initially referred to on air as "The New 93," but soon adopted the "Classy 93" moniker. By the late 1980s, KLSI dropped the "Classy" name, referring to itself by their call letters. Apollo Broadcasting bought the station in 1990.[10]

KMXV (1991–Present)

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Hot AC (1991–1994)

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Following the purchase of the station by Apollo Broadcasting in April 1990, the station rebranded as "Mix 93".[11][12] In addition, their call letters were changed to KMXV (which were adopted on November 15, 1991), and the station shifted towards the growing Hot AC format.[13][14]

Top 40 (1994–Present)

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In February 1993, longtime Top 40 outlet KBEQ flipped to country, leaving the Kansas City market with only one Top 40 station, KISF.[15] However, KISF had a rimshot signal from the eastern part of the market (its transmitter was located near Odessa, Missouri at the time), while KMXV had a full-market, 100,000-watt signal, and a transmitter located within the city limits near the Truman Sports Complex, alongside most of the market's FM and TV stations. Taking advantage of the lack of a full-market signal for the format, KMXV began a slow transition to Top 40 from October 1993 through early 1994, shifting the adult contemporary format and personalities over to then-sister KUDL.[16] On March 28, 1994, the change to "Mix 93.3" was complete.[17][18] In the beginning, KMXV offered a heavily dance-leaning rhythmic Top 40 direction, but by January 1996, under the direction of new program director Jon Zellner, it had evolved to a more broad-based mainstream Top 40 approach that, at times, leaned towards modern adult contemporary/modern rock.[19][20] By the Spring of 1997, Zellner led KMXV from 14th (a year earlier) to the #1 ranked radio station in Kansas City, a position it held three other times throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s.[21][22][23][24]

During the 1990s, KMXV underwent many ownership changes. Regent Broadcasting bought the station in June 1995, with Jacor purchasing it in October 1996.[25][26] Jacor then sold the station to American Radio Systems in July 1997.[27][28] Westinghouse/CBS bought American Radio Systems' stations (including KMXV) on September 19, 1997.[29] In June 1998, CBS split off the radio division under the revived Infinity Broadcasting name, which would be renamed CBS Radio in December 2005. KMXV was sold off by CBS to Wilks Broadcasting in November 2006 as part of a nationwide reduction of radio stations by CBS.[30][31] On June 12, 2014, Wilks announced that it was selling its Kansas City cluster (of which KMXV is part of) to Pittsburgh-based Steel City Media.[32] The sale was approved on September 26, 2014, and was consummated on September 30.

Despite being in competition with top 40 station KKSW and rival KCHZ offering more rhythmic content than KMXV, KMXV maintained high ratings for years. However, this changed in late 2010, when KCHZ began overtaking them in the ratings. To combat this, KMXV leaning more towards rhythmic content, while edging away from its long-time adult lean, and with sister station KCKC having relaunched its AC format with an upbeat approach in 2014, KMXV has moved more towards a current-based presentation in line with other Top 40/CHRs in the United States. (KCHZ's Top 40 format would move to sister KMJK (the former KISF) in October 2023.)[33]

Red, White and Boom

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KMXV produces an annual, day-long concert every year with the title "Red White and Boom". Artists such as Ashlee Simpson, Def Leppard, Melissa Etheridge, Maroon 5, Kelly Clarkson, Jesse McCartney, Destiny's Child, Daughtry, P!NK, Nick Lachey, Bon Jovi, Jordin Sparks, and Lifehouse have performed. It has been running since 1996, when it starred the Spin Doctors, Dog's Eye View and Lisa Loeb.

The concert was staged at the Sandstone Amphitheater in Bonner Springs, Kansas, although in 2011, the venue was changed to Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri. In 2012, "Red White and Boom" was held at Starlight Theatre on June 23. The following year, it was also held at Starlight Theatre on July 5, where the show was headlined by Carly Rae Jepsen. In 2014, Fall Out Boy led another successful year for Red, White and Boom.

References

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  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KMXV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "Archived copy". kcradio.robzerwekh.com. Archived from the original on 19 May 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ Jones, Margaret (7 May 1999). Patsy: the life and times of Patsy Cline - Margaret Jones - Google Books. ISBN 9780306808869. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
  4. ^ "Archived copy". kcradio.robzerwekh.com. Archived from the original on 19 May 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ "FCCInfo Facility Search Results".
  6. ^ "Archived copy". kcradio.robzerwekh.com. Archived from the original on 19 May 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ^ "Archived copy". kcradio.robzerwekh.com. Archived from the original on 19 May 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. ^ "The checkoff", The Kansas City Star, June 25, 1982.
  9. ^ Gerald B. Jordan, "'Pam and Dan' long for resumption of mornings of chitchat on radio", The Kansas City Star, June 25, 1982.
  10. ^ "Archived copy". kcradio.robzerwekh.com. Archived from the original on 19 May 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. ^ Barry Garron, "ABC puts up loser in 'Capital News'", The Kansas City Star, April 9, 1990.
  12. ^ "KC radio station has new owners", The Kansas City Star, April 24, 1990.
  13. ^ Barry Garron, "KCMO-AM reshuffles to fill Saper's slot", The Kansas City Star, November 15, 1991.
  14. ^ "Apollo consolidates radio ownership", The Kansas City Star, January 25, 1993.
  15. ^ Barry Garron, "Country music has another convert", The Kansas City Star, February 24, 1993.
  16. ^ Brian McTavish, "KMXV, KUDL do the DJ shuffle", The Kansas City Star, October 26, 1993.
  17. ^ "R&R Magazine April 94 - P10" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com. 1 April 1994. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  18. ^ Brian McTavish, "Karen Barber joins Denis Prior on Mix 93", The Kansas City Star, April 1, 1994.
  19. ^ Brian McTavish, "New general manager seeks the right Mix", The Kansas City Star, January 5, 1996.
  20. ^ Brian McTavish, "Pop goes the music", The Kansas City Star, May 2, 1997.
  21. ^ Brian McTavish, "Pop goes No. 1", The Kansas City Star, August 1, 1997.
  22. ^ Brian McTavish, "Spring will really bring you up the most if you're Mix 93", The Kansas City Star, August 5, 1998.
  23. ^ Aaron Barnhart, "Pop surge carries KMXV to top", The Kansas City Star, August 7, 1999.
  24. ^ Aaron Barnhart, "Country music joins The Mix atop KC radio", The Kansas City Star, October 30, 1999.
  25. ^ Brian McTavish, "KMXV and KUDL have new owners, but no changes in sight", The Kansas City Star, January 30, 1995.
  26. ^ Brian McTavish, "Two KC stations to be sold", The Kansas City Star, October 10, 1996.
  27. ^ Brian McTavish, "Firm vies for bigger KC role", The Kansas City Star, June 20, 1997.
  28. ^ Hearne Christopher, Jr. and Randolph Heaster, "Radio stations to be acquired", The Kansas City Star, July 19, 1997.
  29. ^ https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1997/RR-1997-09-26.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  30. ^ "KC radio stations for sale", The Kansas City Star, May 24, 2006.
  31. ^ Atlanta company agrees to buy four KC-area radio stations
  32. ^ "Steel City Media Acquires Wilks Kansas City". radioinsight.com. 18 June 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  33. ^ InsideRadio.com "Kansas City Adds FM Simulcast on 95.7" Oct. 12, 2023.
[edit]

39°00′58″N 94°30′25″W / 39.016°N 94.507°W / 39.016; -94.507

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