| City of license | Detroit, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Metro Detroit [1] |
| Branding | 105-9 KISS |
| Slogan | "Detroit's Best R&B" |
| Frequency | 105.9 MHz (also on HD Radio) |
| First air date | May 26, 1960 |
| Format | Urban Adult Contemporary |
| Power | 20,000 watts |
| HAAT | 221 meters |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 4597 |
| Callsign meaning | We're Detroit, Michigan's Kiss-FM |
| Former callsigns | WDTJ (8/21/98-6/28/05) WCHB-FM (8/23/96-8/21/98) WJZZ (?-8/23/96) WCHD (5/26/60-?) |
| Owner | Radio One |
| Sister stations | WCHB, WPZR, WGPR--LMA with the Masons |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | kissdetroit.com |
WDMK is an FM radio station in Detroit, Michigan broadcasting at 105.9 mHz, owned by Radio One. The station is positioned as 105-9 Kiss, Detroit's Best R&B with a current-based Urban Adult Contemporary format playing mostly current R&B with some Neo Soul and a little old school mixed in. The station broadcasts from an antenna 725 feet in height with an effective radiated power of 20,000 watts. The station's transmitter is located in the Detroit suburb of Oak Park at the intersection of 10 Mile Road and Greenfield.
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105.9 FM went on the air on May 26, 1960, as WCHD. Originally WCHD simulcast the R&B format of WCHB, Detroit's first Black-owned-and-operated radio station (then at 1440 AM, now at 1200 AM), founded by Dr. Robert "Doc" Bell and Dr. Wendell Cox. By the late 1960s, WCHD had programmed itself separately from its AM sister and was playing Jazz. Early jazz announcers on WCHD included Ken Bradley, Jo Ray, and Ed Love (who now hosts the long-running weeknight jazz program on public radio station WDET).
Eventually, WCHD changed its call letters to WJZZ to emphasize its musical format. As the 1980s wore on, WJZZ transitioned from playing traditional Jazz to playing more contemporary jazz (i.e. smooth jazz) along with some New Age and fusion. Jazz purists decried the format tweak, but WJZZ's ratings improved. By this time, WJZZ and WCHB were owned by Bell Broadcasting.
By 1996, WJZZ had gained a competitor in Smooth Jazz V98.7, the former rocker WLLZ, which had changed format to Smooth Jazz shortly before Christmas 1995. With WVMV taking a more mass-appeal approach to the smooth jazz format by playing more Soft AC and Urban AC vocals, Bell Broadcasting decided to take WJZZ in a different direction. On August 23, 1996, WJZZ shifted its format to Mainstream Urban and took the WCHB-FM calls and the slogan "105.9 The Beat," in an attempt to go after longtime urban leader WJLB. Radio One acquired WCHB-AM/FM in July 1998, and the following month, WCHB-FM became WDTJ, "105.9 Jamz." WDTJ aired the Russ Parr morning show syndicated from sister station WKYS in Washington, DC. "105.9 Jamz" did respectably in the ratings, but not respectably enough to beat WJLB.
On June 26, 2005, Radio One made a major change in its Detroit cluster. The company moved the "Old School" Rhythmic Oldies format of WDMK-FM 102.7 "Kiss-FM" to 105.9. 105.9 took on the WDMK calls and the "Kiss-FM" moniker, as the "Kiss" format was updated to a gold-based Urban AC. Detroit Pistons announcer John Mason (formerly of WJLB), who had done mornings at 102.7, was relegated to afternoon drive to accommodate the Tom Joyner morning show, previously heard on Clear Channel-owned WMXD, on the new "105.9 Kiss-FM." The "105.9 Jamz" mainstream urban/hip-hop format moved to 102.7, which took on the new calls WHTD and the moniker "Hot 102-7."
John Mason, WDMK's former afternoon drive personality, left the station in September 2006 and shortly afterward announced that he would be looking to syndicate his own morning show, most likely based at independently-owned Detroit urban AC outlet WGPR. After Radio One successfully took Mason to court to uphold a non-compete clause, Mason began broadcasting on WGPR.
105.9 Kiss-FM currently ranks at #9 (4.4) in the Detroit market according to the November 2010 PPM Ratings release.
WDMK broadcasts in HD Radio. In November 2010, the station added an HD2 subchannel with a simulcast of sister station WHTD on its HD2, but this was soon dropped. In September 2011, the HD2 side channel was noted back on the air simulcasting talk sister station 1200 AM WCHB. The HD2 sidechannel is also being simulcast on low-power FM translator W206BI 89.9 FM.
The current lineup (as of October 25, 2010) starting out the day in the early morning hours is The Donnie McClurkin Show with Donnie McClurkin. On the morning drive, it's The Tom Joyner Morning Show with Tom Joyner, Cybil Wilkes and J. Anthony Brown. During the workday its Fantasee Blu. On the ride home its The Michael Baisden Show with Michael Baisden. Wrapping up the day on nights is Kisses After Dark with Detroit native and R&B star Keith Washington (best remembered for his 1991 hit "Kissing You").
Weekend's/Fill-ins include Rain Taylor and Wax Tax N' Dre.
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