KFOO-FM (96.1 FM, "Alt 96.1") is an

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

radio station serving the

Spokane Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Ca ...

area of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, United States. It broadcasts at 96.1 MHz with an ERP of 60,000 watts and is licensed to

Opportunity, Washington Opportunity is a locale and former census-designated place in Spokane County, Washington, United States. The population was 25,065 at the 2000 census. History The name Opportunity was selected in 1905 as the winning entry in a naming contest. The ...

. It is owned by

iHeartMedia iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...

History

The station signed on the air in 1961 as KZUN-FM. It would later become KKPL in 1982 broadcasting an

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

format, known as "96 Apple FM". By the mid-1980s, the station had a mixed flavor of adult contemporary and

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

formats, known as "K-96.1" and "LITE 96". By the 90s, LITE 96 was competing in a crowded field for Adult Contemporary music between KISC and Classy 99.9. In 1992, the station flipped to

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

as KNFR, under such brands as ''K-Frog'' and ''Kicks'', and later KIXZ-FM "Kix 96" in 2001. On March 24, 2012, the station flipped to a Top 40/CHR format as ''Hits 96.1'', with an entirely-syndicated lineup of shows. Listeners were unhappy with the sudden drop of the country music format. On September 20, 2013, the station rebranded as ''Power 96.1'', with no change in format. The station changed its calls to KPXR-FM. On May 8, 2014, KPXR-FM returned to country and the "Kix" brand as ''Kix 96.1''. At the same time, the call letters were changed to KIIX-FM. It was due to rating and listener dissatisfaction with the pop format. On March 2, 2018, KIIX-FM moved its programming and branding to sister

KZFS KZFS (1280 AM broadcasting, AM, "Hooptown 101.5") is a commercial radio, commercial radio station in Spokane, Washington. It broadcasts a classic hip hop radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. Its branding originates from its 250 watt F ...

, and began running promos redirecting listeners to the new frequency. The station re-launched as

''Alt 96.1'' on March 5. The station changed its call letters to KFOO-FM (which, like its previous usage in Tacoma, is in reference to the Seattle-based alternative band

Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...

Notable former staff

Jeremy McComb Jerome "Jeremy" McComb (born in Idaho) is an American country music artist and former tour manager for comedian Larry the Cable Guy. In 2008, he signed to Parallel/New Revolution Records and released his debut album ''My Side of Town'' that year ...

(2003-2004). Currently a country singer, best known for his hit singles " Wagon Wheel", "This Town Needs A Bar", and "Cold One".

References

External links

* * {{coord, 47.570, N, 117.083, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title FOO-FM Modern rock radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1961 1961 establishments in Washington (state) IHeartMedia radio stations