KKBR (97.1 FM) - branded as Mix 97.1 - is a commercial

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...

Billings, Montana Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Met ...

. Licensed to

, United States, the station serves the Billings area. The station is currently owned by Townsquare License, LLC. The station has obtained a construction permit from the FCC for a power increase to 100,000 watts.

Former programming

Notable former personalities on the station on weekdays included: *Bwana Johnny/Ed Donohue 6am-10am 2000-2001 *Jonathon Stevens/Ed Donohue 6am-10am 2001-2002 *Ed Donohue/Jackie Bell 6am-10am 2003-2007 *Jackie Bell from 10am-3pm *Jami Bond from 10am-3pm *John Thomas from 3pm-7pm *Tom Leggett from 3pm-7pm *Jay Brandon from 3pm-7pm *The Mike Harvey Show from 7pm - midnight Notable former personalities on the station on Saturdays included: *Major Miller's Great Gold 6am - noon *Mike Harvey's Supergold 7pm - midnight *Charlie Tuna's Back to the 70s Notable former personalities on the station on Sundays included: *Machine Gun Kelly's American Hitlist from 8 to 11a.m.

Types of music

The radio station previously aired classic hits, focusing on the hits from 1968 to 1988, as "97.1 K-Bear". On July 3, 2013 after stunting with Christmas music as "97.1 Santa FM", the station launched a Top 40/CHR format as "PopCrush 97.1" with a weekend of commercial free music, including a contest to be the first person to call the station at the first commercial break. The first 3 songs as PopCrush 97.1 were

Pitbull Pit bull is a term used in the United States for a type of dog descended from bulldogs and terriers, while in other countries such as the United Kingdom the term is used as an abbreviation of the American Pit Bull Terrier breed. The term was f ...

's "

Feel This Moment "Feel This Moment" is a song by the American rapper Pitbull, featuring American singer Christina Aguilera. The song was released on February 22, 2013, as the fourth single from the album by Mr. 305, Polo Grounds Music and RCA Records ''Global Warm ...

" featuring

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

, Justin Timberlake's "

Mirrors A mirror or looking glass is an object that reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror will show an image of whatever is in front of it, when focused through the lens of the eye or a camera. Mirrors reverse the direction of the ima ...

", and Rihanna's "

Umbrella An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally use ...

" featuring Jay-Z. On July 25, 2016 KKBR rebranded as "97.1 Kiss FM". On August 29, 2022 it was announced that big changes are coming to this station.97.1 Kiss-FM Billings Gets Mixed
Radioinsight - September 19, 2022 On September 16, 2022 KKBR shifted from Top 40/CHR to hot adult contemporary, and rebranded as "Mix 97.1".

Slogans

*"Good Times, Great Oldies"–thru 2004 *"Super Hits of the 60s & 70s" 2004–2008? *"Billings' Greatest Hits for over 20 Years"–2013 *"Billings' Greatest Hits" 2010–2013 *"Billings' Hit Music" 2013–2022 *"Billings' Best Mix of 2K to Today" 2022-present

Ownership

In October 2007, a deal was reached for KKBR to be acquired by GAP Broadcasting II LLC (Samuel Weller, president) from Clear Channel Communications as part of a 57-station deal with a total reported sale price of $74.78 million. What eventually became

GapWest Broadcasting Gap Broadcasting Group was a group of companies that owned around 116 broadcast stations (including 1 low-power television station and 5 low-power stations) in 23 radio markets in northwestern and central southern United States in the late 2000s. ...

was folded into

Townsquare Media Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...

on August 13, 2010.

Previous logos

References

External links

* KBR Radio stations established in 1963 1963 establishments in Montana Townsquare Media radio stations Hot adult contemporary radio stations in the United States {{Montana-radio-station-stub