WDAF-FM

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WDAF-FM
Broadcast area	Kansas City metropolitan area COL: Liberty, Missouri
Branding	106.5 The Wolf
First air date	2002
Frequency	106.5 MHz
Format	Country Music
ERP	100,000 watts
Class	C0
Callsign meaning	Assigned in 1922
Owner	Entercom
Website	www.1065thewolf.com

WDAF is a country music radio station based in Kansas City, Missouri, in the United States. Its current assignment to Entercom's 100,000-watt tower in Liberty, Missouri combines the history of both the frequency (106.5 MHz) and the WDAF call letters, which will be moving to another frequency in Kansas City (The FCC shows an application to move the call letters dated 1/9/07).

[edit] WDAF history

WDAF was one of the first four radio stations in Kansas City, alongside WOQ, WPE (now sister station KMBZ) and WHB. The Kansas City Star received authorization to broadcast on May 16, 1922, days after WHB. The two shared the 730 kHz frequency until 1928, when they settled at 610 AM. Some notable journalists who did announcing and newscasting for WDAF radio over the years before its switch to an all-country format include Randall Jesse and Shelby Storck, both of whom later went to WDAF-TV.

In 1971, WDAF added an FM station at 102.1 MHz, which changed its call letters to KYYS in 1974, while WDAF-AM continued at 610 KHz. The Star gained authorization to begin operating a television station, WDAF-TV (an NBC-turned-Fox affiliate, but was forced to give up all three stations when ordered by the Federal Communications Commission.

When radio stations began developing specific radio formats, WDAF-AM became a middle of the road station. In 1977, amid the decline of AM, WDAF adopted a country format that grew a developed audience, with personalities who remained with the station for nearly two decades. WDAF competed with several country stations in the market, notably KFKF, for dominance. The two often traded the top spot in Arbitron ratings before urban station KPRS began a long-standing run. Contributing to their run was the addition of country music to KBEQ and WHB.

WDAF remained a respected country station until 2002, when owner Entercom sought to develop a rival sports station to WHB, who dropped country in 1999. Entercom originally eyed the fledgling "alternative" station at 96.5 (KRBZ), but a "Save the Buzz" campaign waged by fans prompted WDAF to instead move to 106.5, replacing a jazz station. WDAF was simulcast on both AM and FM until 2003, when KCSP debuted on 610.

[edit] 106.5 FM

Strauss-Abernathy Broadcasting, owners of Liberty's AM station KCXL, first broadcast on 106.5 FM in 1978 with a Top-40 station, KFIX. The relative infancy of the high-end frequancy, plus the format instability on their AM counterpart, resulted in a new format every 2-3 years, ranging from album rock to soft adult contemporary.

In 1992, rhythmic station X-106 swapped frequencies with a country station broadcasting from Lexington, Missouri at 107.3 FM. Like its predecessors, "Country Junction" only lasted three years before a smooth jazz station, "The City", debuted. Despite its apparent popularity in the workplace over soft rock stations KUDL, KLTH and KSRC and Kansas City's place in jazz history, the format was yanked in 2003 to make way for WDAF. In 2006, Entercom announced that a smooth jazz format will debut on a high definition subchannel of WDAF. The Smooth Jazz format also airs Saturday nights on KUDL.

Today, WDAF retains the popularity it gained from its days at 610 AM. It was also Kansas City's source for Paul Harvey's News and Comment. WDAF dropped Paul Harvey in 2006, shortly before it adopted its current "The Wolf" format.

On January 1, 2007, months after moving to its new Mission, Kansas studios, WDAF-FM changed branding to 106.5 The Wolf.

[edit] External links

• Wolf Web site
• Query the FCC's FM station database for WDAF
• Early U.S History - Missouri Radio in 1922