WKSE

WKSE
City of license Niagara Falls, NY
Broadcast area Buffalo, NY
Branding Kiss 98.5
Slogan The #1 Hit Music Station!
Frequency 98.5 MHz (also on HD Radio)
First air date 1947 (as WHLD-FM)
Format Top 40 Mainstream
Sports radio (WGR) on HD2
ERP 46,000 watts
Class B
Callsign meaning KiSE as in Kiss
Former callsigns WRXT (1984-1985)
WIZR (1980-1984)
WHLD-FM (1947-1980)
Owner Entercom Communications
Sister stations WBEN, WGR, WWKB, WTSS, WWWS
Webcast Listen Live!
Website kiss985.com

WKSE (98.5 FM) is a Contemporary Hit Radio/Top 40 Mainstream station serving the Buffalo and Niagara Falls region of Western New York. The station's transmitter is located on Grand Island, New York. It has a sizable market in the Greater Toronto Area but unlike the WBLK of old, does little marketing and promotion outside of Western New York, but now has to compete with two CHR/Top 40 stations, (after the format change of CKIS) in the Greater Toronto Area; therefore, this will lower the amount of listeners there. It is currently owned by Entercom Communications, located in Corporate Parkway, Amherst, New York.

WKSE signed on as WHLD-FM in 1947. It changed calls to WZIR in 1980 and WRXT in 1984 and settled at its current calls in 1985. It currently runs a format somewhere between hot adult contemporary and current hits radio. Much of its playlist overlaps that of sister station Star 102.5 at times (ironically, the 102.5 frequency was a CHR competitor of WKSE in the late '80s and early '90s as WMJQ "Majic 102"). WKSE competes with longtime rival, Z101 (formerly WiLD 101), which has a very similar format. Currently, the ratings for WKSE is higher than Z101, in the Buffalo and Niagara Falls region, according to Arbitron.

In 2006 Kiss 98.5 began streaming its programming over the internet.

Regular Radio Personalities

(Please note: The "Wease" listed here is not to be confused with Brother Wease.)

External links