KISO (FM)

KISO

File:96.1 KISS.png
City of license	Omaha, Nebraska
Broadcast area	Omaha, Nebraska
Branding	96.1 KISS-FM
Slogan	All the Hits
Frequency	96.1 MHz (also on HD Radio)
Translator(s)	94.9 K235CD (Omaha, relays HD2)
First air date	1976 (as KEFM)
Format	Top 40/CHR HD2: Rock "Rock 94.9"
ERP	82,000 watts
HAAT	331 meters
Class	C0
Facility ID	71411
Former callsigns	KEFM (1976-2005) KQBW (2005-2012)
Owner	iHeartMedia, Inc. (Clear Channel Broadcasting Licenses, Inc.)
Webcast	Listen Live Listen Live (HD2)
Website	961kissonline.com rock949omaha.com (HD2)

KISO (96.1 KISS-FM) is a Top 40/contemporary hit radio radio station in Omaha, Nebraska owned by iHeartMedia, Inc.. Until September 2, 2012, it was one of five radio stations that used "The Brew" branding, alongside sister stations in Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Columbus and Portland, Oregon. It was the second oulet to use the brand after WQBW/Milwaukee, which launched it in 2004, but in 2010 switched to Top 40/CHR as WRNW.

KISO is licensed by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to broadcast in the HD (hybrid) format.

History

96.1 had a rocky history, but was successful in Omaha radio for nearly two decades, before it joined the Clear Channel group. Beginning in Council Bluffs, 96.1 made its biggest splash across the river.

The change of city was made after a station known as KFAM had gone dark. In 1959 a station known as KCOM surfaced at 96.1 when a couple of hobbyist-types used 96.1 to broadcast Classical Music, with an Omaha license. Their studios were in the Rorick Apartments with a tower on top of the building, where it remained through the Burden years until toppled in the 1980 storm.

During the Burden years KICN was the FM sister to KOIL. Although a simulcast with KOIL, The KICN call letters were being preserved from Burden's Denver property on 710 that didn't succeed and was sold off. During this time 1290 KOIL was going through the roof as AM's heyday continued in Omaha radio.

In 1967 the call letters KOIL-FM were adopted. With call letters now matching its sister, KOIL-FM became one of the standard "Beautiful Music" formats on FM dials across the country. It was not until 1974 that it would resume its own identity as KEFM.

In 1976 the Burden stations were shut down by the FCC, but KEFM resumed broadcasting in September of that same year, same Beautiful Music format. Same month, two years later, KEFM switched to "New Country". By 1980 KEFM was positioning itself as "The One". That same year KEFM's tower fell to the ground.

Version 2.0

In 1983 KEFM was back on the air, the beginning of 20 years under the ownership of the Webster family.

A slight repositioning of "Lite 96" was made in the late 1990s when the station became "Mix 96.1". Then, when John Webster decided to get out of the radio business (almost 20 years to the date of KEFM's resurrection) the sale of KEFM to Clear Channel was approved. Webster left with $10 million. Clear Channel obtained Omaha's last locally owned, stand-alone FM station.

Clear Channel's attempts to rebuild the slow erosion of KEFM's audience failed, and on September 22, 2005 an "All Christmas" format was launched as a stunt. (KEFM had done an all Christmas music format prior to Thanksgiving in 2004.)

The next afternoon at 4:00pm, 96.1 KEFM became "The Brew" using the calls KQBW.

KQBW switched its format from the former AC station KEFM on September 24, 2005. The music centered mostly on 1980s rock, with core artists like Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Van Halen and AC/DC, while flavoring the format with 1970s bands such as Boston and Lynyrd Skynyrd and 1990s music from acts like Stone Temple Pilots and Pearl Jam. It also featured a good helping of 1980s pop-rock, such as John Cougar Mellencamp, Bryan Adams, and Pat Benatar.

96-1 The Brew debuted its on-air lineup on October 4, 2005. It consisted of The Morning Brew with Mookie & Michelle (5:30-10am), "Crash" Davis (10am-3pm), "Steve-O" (3–7 pm) and Lucy Chapman (7–11 pm). The Brew later rounded out its airstaff with weekenders Marty Simpson and "Bam-Bam".

Staples of the Brew included "6-Packs of Brew Music", "The 90s At Noon" and "The Friday Free-For-All".

On September 2, 2012, KQBW changed its format to mainstream CHR as "96-1 KISS FM". Simultaneously, the "Brew" name and format moved to the KISO 99.1-2 HD2 channel. KQBW call letters were changed to KISO on September 12, 2012. On November 11, 2014, the HD2 subchannel was re-launched as Christmas 94.9. On December 26th, 2014, at Midnight, after playing "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee, the HD2 signal, simulcast on 94.9 K235CD Omaha and 102.3 K272FE Council Bluffs (as well as the latter frequency being simulcasted on 93.3-HD2) flipped to mainstream rock as "Rock 94.9/102.3". The first song on "Rock" was "Cum On Feel the Noize" by Quiet Riot.

Evolution of the Brew

In January 2007, the Brew shuffled its lineup, moving Steve-O to middays, Crash Davis to evenings, and adding afternoon driver Ethan Stone and weekend talent Lester St. James, formerly of the Brew's rival, Z-92. St. James departed the station in the summer of 2007.

Also in January 2007, the station changed its positioning statement from "Everything Rock, the 80s and More" to "The Biggest Variety of Rock Hits", as the focus shifted toward a more expanded playlist of 1990s and even early 2000s music, like Three Doors Down and Creed.

In February 2008, the Brew changed its on-air staff again, shifting Ethan Stone to mornings (joining Michelle as "The New Morning Brew"), moving Mookie to middays, and Crash Davis to afternoons. Former middayer Steve-O made an unexplained departure.

From Brew to KISS

On September 2nd, 2012, the Brew flipped formats from rock hits to CHR/Top 40. Many long time fans were upset about this change and demanded the station to return to rock music. 101.9 FM KOOO flipped formats from classic hits to rock hits and renamed themselves "The Keg", effectively filling in the spot left by The Brew.

Like the KISS-FM brand nationally, the station focuses on current hits. Unlike The Brew, which was mostly locally based personalities, most of the KISS-FM personalities are syndicated or voice tracked from outside of the Omaha area, such as the Elvis Duran Morning Show.

External links

• Query the FCC's FM station database for KISO
• Radio-Locator information on KISO
• Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for KISO
• Query the FCC's FM station database for K235CD
• Radio-Locator information on K235CD