WDKS

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WDKS is a Class A radio station at 106.1 FM licensed to Newburgh, Indiana and serving Evansville, Indiana

[edit] History

106.1 was an FM Talk station in the mid 1990s, but eventually chose the Hot AC format over Talk. As Hot AC, a very passive format in general, WDKS never gained above a 2 share, so when the station's pop music leader, WSTO, decided to lean more adult, much like WDKS at the time, WDKS decided it would implement a role-reversal.

With WSTO starting to ignore the younger audience, WDKS decided it would take that younger audience, and it did. With a Clear Channel takeover of WDKS came a rebranding as 106.1 Kiss FM "All of Today's Best Music." The station quickly became the market's number 2 most listened to station, and in no time WSTO found itself with the lowest share in its history, however, not wholly due to the success of Kiss FM. Under the Brill Media tenure, WSTO had been on a relatively steady decline on its own courtesy of large commercial inventory and the choice to alienate the younger demographic.

While Clear Channel spun Kiss FM and its cluster-buddies to Regent Communications in 2003, 106.1 Kiss FM remains, as does the CHR format. The station's numbers, however, declined after a WSTO relaunch back to the pop format in 2003. Kiss FM has since struggled to regain its market position. Recent staff shakeups saw the Morning show Co Host, Midday, PD and Night Personality leave in favor of new airstaff and Speculation centered on a shift in direction, one such speculation was a Hip Hop/R&B direction. On February 12th a new morning show with Van and Nikky B debuted and the musical direction initially leaned more Rhythmic(Rock and Pop product was eliminated, but only a month into the new direction CHR product once again showed up on the station. A likely reason may have been Sales Staff's reluctance to sell a More Rhythmic station as opposed to a Pop station, so once again Evansville still does not have a Rhythmic/Urban based station.