WKZP

WKZP (95.9 FM) is a radio station serving Salisbury and Ocean City, Maryland, as well as Sussex County, Delaware. The station, known as "KISS 95-9," is licensed to Bethany Beach, Delaware. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications.

WKZP programs a Top 40 format. It has previously been known as 95.9 THE SPORTS ANIMAL with a sports format, 96ROCK with an active rock format, and 95.9 The Coast with a modern rock format.

History

WWTR was an adult contemporary/oldies station that changed to the Burkhart/Abrahams Superstars 1 Album Oriented Rock format in September 1981 as "96 Rock - Delmarva's only Rock 'N Roll."

In early 1993 this station was sold to Benchmark Communications along with top-40 station WKHI from Ocean City, Maryland. Benchmark moved the top-40 programming and WKHI call letters down the dial to 95.9 FM to make room for the debut of Froggy 99.9 at 99.9 FM. 96 Rock disappeared from the airwaves of Delmarva Radio.

In September 2000 the station was sold to Clear Channel Communications.^{[citation needed]} Two months later, the station added Don and Mike to afternoons.^{[citation needed]}

WOSC is the former home of Mancow's Morning Madhouse which aired from 1999-2003. After dropping Mancow, the station added Elliot in the Morning (from sister station DC101) for a year. The stations once again changed its slogan, to "96 Rock, Elliot in the Morning and Don and Mike in the Afternoon."^{[citation needed]} WOSC later decided to promote longtime air personality Jon "Whiskey" Wilson to the morning shift. Whiskey in the Morning lasted 15 months until September 2005.^{[citation needed]} Then, WOSC decided to put Don and Mike on in the morning (tape delayed from the day before) and put Whiskey on in the afternoon.

In February 2006, General manager Frank Hamilton hired Cowboy (former Morning Show co-Host at WZBH), and paired him with Whiskey in the afternoon. The show was successful and by September 2006 the station moved Whiskey and Cowboy to mornings, and Don and Mike back to afternoons live. The lineup stayed intact until mid-December 2006, when Cowboy retired from radio.^{[citation needed]} The show returned in January 2007 as "Whiskey in the Morning" with JJ as co-host, and was renamed "Whiskey in the Morning with JJ" in April 2008.

In September 2007, the owners moved "Don and Mike" to sister station Sportstalk 960 AM.

On April 28, 2009, the Clear Channel national layoffs hit WOSC, leaving JJ Roth, morning show co-host, and Afternoon Jock/PD Rich Drake without jobs. Whiskey was moved into the Afternoon slot, with the syndicated Lex and Terry in the morning. JJ is now the morning show Co-Host at WZBH/93.5 The Beach, and Rich Drake is the Midday DJ on WBEY/Bay Country 97.9.

On April 1, 2010, WOSC changed their format to sports, branded as "The Sports Animal". The station carried ESPN Radio programming with Whiskey teaming up with PD Randy Scott in the afternoon.

In late February 2011, Clear Channel moved Kiss from 105.5 to 95.9 as "Kiss 95.9" (Top 40/CHR). The Sports Animal has been moved to 960 AM/WTGM. Whiskey and Randy have since been moved to mornings on sister country station WWFG/Froggy 99.9.

Previous logo

External links

• Query the FCC's FM station database for WKZP
• Radio-Locator information on WKZP
• Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for WKZP

Coordinates: 38°25′19″N 75°08′20″W / 38.422°N 75.139°W / 38.422; -75.139