Townsquare Media has moved its CHR “Kiss-FM” brand from 97.5 KOLW Basin City to newly acquired 105.3 KONA-FM Kennewick WA.
The move upgrades the brand from the 50kW Class C1 signal to KONA-FM’s 100kW Class C signal as it replaces Cherry Creek Media’s former AC “Mix 105.3” brand. “105.3 Kiss-FM” continues to feature The Jubal Show in mornings, WJLK Asbury Park NJ’s Matt Ryan in middays, Brand Manager Dan Roberts in afternoons, and PopCrush Nights in evenings.
In the Fall 2021 Eastlan Ratings, “Kiss-FM” was fourth in the Kennewick/Richland/Pasco market with a 6.6 share, but trailed Stephens Media Group’s competing CHR “Power 99.1” KUJ-FM’s second ranked 8.0 share. KONA-FM was tenth with a 4.5 share.
As KOLW moves into the Allen N. Blum led Tri-Cities Divestiture Trust, it has flipped to Classic Hits as “97.5 Kool-FM” resurrecting the format and branding heard on the station from 2004 to 2013. It becomes the second Classic Hits station to launch in the market in as many weeks following Stephens Media Group’s launch of “Big 95.7” KKSR Walla Walla/Kennewick on June 17.
We first reported on the likelihood of all of these changes in our May 17 Domain Insight.
