KISS-FM (brand)

KISS-FM is the brand name of a Top 40 music format heard on FM radio stations in many cities in the United States (and overseas). Clear Channel Communications claims ownership of the KISS-FM brand and operates most KISS-FM formatted stations, though not KISS-FM in San Antonio, Texas itself (despite the company being headquartered there).

Origin and History

In the late 1970s, many U.S. radio stations began calling themselves "Kiss". Among these was KIIS-FM in Los Angeles, which adopted that callsign in 1975 when it became a sister station to KIIS (AM)—whose callsign comes not from the word "Kiss" but rather its dial position at 1150, with the letters "I" and "S" being the letters most closely resembling 1 and 5, respectively.^[1] Gannett, which owned the station, filed a federal trademark registration for "KIIS" in 1986,^[2] which has passed on to subsequent owners of the station. In 1997, Country Club Communications registered the only current federal trademark for "KISS FM" (which has since also been assigned to Clear Channel); the logo registered then included a stylized pair of lips.^[3]

Numerous other stations using "Kiss" as (part of) a service mark were acquired over the course of Clear Channel's growth, among them Boston's WXKS-FM and Hartford's WKSS; however, other stations calling themselves "Kiss" which predated the "KISS FM" trademark were not acquired, such as CBS Radio's WNKS in Charlotte, North Carolina. Furthermore, not all Clear Channel "Kiss" stations use the national brand: WXKS-FM, the Boston branch, has never used "KISS FM", maintaining its "Kiss 108" identity from 1979.

The current logo for KISS-FM is a blue ball with KISS-FM in red lettering with yellow around the lettering and the radio frequency at the bottom in yellow. There are some stations never owned by Clear Channel that license the KISS-FM branding including the ball logo. In Peoria, Illinois, WPIA 98.5 is a Mainstream Top 40 station using the KISS-FM brand. Most non-Clear Channel "Kiss" stations do not use this logo.

On November 17, 2006, Clear Channel announced that the company intends to be sold to a group of private equity firms.[1]. Clear Channel announced on the same day its intent to sell off many radio stations in smaller radio markets, including some KISS-FM formatted stations. Former Clear Channel KISS-FM branded stations that have been sold and retained the KISS brand as of March 2007 include WDKS 106.1 KISS-FM Evansville, Indiana; KTRS-FM 104.7 KISS-FM in Casper, Wyoming.

On December 15, 2008, Clear Channel reached an agreement to acquire five CBS Radio stations, one of them being KBKS 106.1 Kiss FM in Seattle, Washington. In return, CBS would acquire two Clear Channel stations in Houston, Texas, as an effort to expand its focus on the larger markets.

Conflict and controversy

Clear Channel has pursued legal claims against some station owners using branding similar to KISS-FM.

Some stations have dropped KISS branding as a result. Examples:

• Mainstream Urban station WKYS in Washington, DC (owned by Radio One) used it before, then they dropped it, but recently added the moniker back.

• In May 1999, Radio One station WENZ in Cleveland — ironically, acquired in a divesture from Clear Channel — changed its format from modern rock to mainstream urban, changed its branding to "Kiss 107.9", and intended to change its call letters to reflect the change in format and brand, similar to Washington, D.C. station WKYS. Two weeks later, Clear Channel flipped the format of recently acquired WZLE in Lorain, Ohio to "104.9 KISS-FM", with a CHR format emulating KIIS-FM. Following a legal fight with Clear Channel, Radio One abruptly dropped the "Kiss" brand in October 1999 for "Z-107.9", a reference to the WENZ call letters. WZLE itself then changed its call letters to WAKS.

• In 2001, Clear Channel went to federal court to force American General Media (AGM) to give up the "Kiss" slogan that was used as the on-air moniker for Rhythmic Top 40 KISV in Bakersfield, California. Clear Channel wanted to use the slogan for its then-recent acquisition KKXX in 2000. AGM argued they had the rights to the "Kiss" slogan three years before Clear Channel came to Bakersfield; Clear Channel said otherwise and claimed AGM used it without permission.

• In Chicago, Clear Channel sent a cease and desist letter to former CHR-Dance WKIE. Clear Channel sued WKIE and successfully won the case, causing WKIE to drop the KISS name and rebrand itself as Energy 92.7. Clear Channel changed their Rhythmic Oldies 103.5 The Beat to CHR-Pop as 103.5 KISS-FM with call letters WKSC, with KSC referring to "KISS Chicago".

List of "KISS-FM" stations

* These stations were owned by Citadel Broadcasting prior to September 16, 2011.

Kiss FM in Europe

The Kiss FM name has been widely used both by licenced and pirate stations in several European countries including Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Moldova, Greece, Spain, Sweden and Berlin (Germany).

Kiss FM in Brazil

There is a Kiss FM in São Paulo, Brazil, that plays classic rock. This can be heard at 102.1 MHz or here

Kiss FM in Canada

CKIS-FM has historically been Toronto's KISS FM station; however, for several years in the first decade of the millennium, the station instead followed the famous Jack FM adult hits format. The Jack format was dropped in the middle of 2009, and KISS FM has since returned to the station.

The other Canadian station in a prominent market is CISS-FM in Ottawa. It is better known as "105.3 KISS FM" and has a hot adult contemporary format. The call sign, CISS, was once used by CKIS-FM before it made the switch to Jack FM in June 2003.

References

External links

• Clear Channel KISS FM station directory
• KISS FM Melbourne Australia (Unaffiliated)