KXLY-FM (99.9
MHz
The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...
) is a
commercial
Commercial may refer to:
* a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television)
** Radio advertisement
** Television advertisement
* (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...
FM 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 radio ...
in
Spokane, Washington
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 Canada ...
, that airs a
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, ...
radio format
A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...
. The station is owned by
Morgan Murphy Media
The Evening Telegram Company, d/b/a Morgan Murphy Media, is an American television and radio company based out of Madison, Wisconsin. The company is named for publisher Morgan Murphy, who expanded the business after he took over from his grandfathe ...
, with the license held by QueenB Radio, Inc. KXLY-FM calls itself "The Big 99.9 Coyote Country." Weekdays begin with "The Jay and Kevin Show." Jay and Kevin have been doing morning radio in Spokane since February 13, 1995, and joined Morgan Murphy Media on May 15, 2009.
The studios and offices are on West Boone Avenue in Spokane. The
transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which i ...
is on North Summit Road, atop
Mount Spokane
Mount Spokane levation €”previously known as Mount Baldy until 1912 due to its pronounced bald spot—is a mountain in the Pacific Northwest, northwest United States, located northeast of Spokane, Washington, Spokane, Washington (state), Was ...
. The signal can be heard in parts 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 ...
,
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...
,
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...
and
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, and it operates
translator station
A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tran ...
s in three communities. KXLY-FM is one of seven local Spokane FM radio stations heard across
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
to subscribers of the
Shaw Direct
Shaw Direct is a direct broadcast satellite television distributor in Canada and a subsidiary of the telecommunications company Shaw Communications. As of 2010, Shaw Direct had over 900,000 subscribers. It broadcasts on Ku band from two communic ...
satellite TV
Satellite television is a service that delivers television programming to viewers by relaying it from a communications satellite orbiting the Earth directly to the viewer's location. The signals are received via an outdoor parabolic antenna commo ...
service.
History
Beautiful music
KXLY-FM first
signed on
Signing may refer to:
* Using sign language
* Signature
A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on do ...
the air in September 1959. It was the FM counterpart to
KXLY (AM 920), owned by the Northern Pacific Radio and Television Corporation, which also owned
KXLY-TV
KXLY-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Spokane, Washington, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by Morgan Murphy Media. Its studios are located on West Boone Avenue in Spokane, and its transmitter is located on Mount Spokane. Th ...
. KXLY-FM was Spokane's second FM station after KREM-FM (now co-owned
KZZU-FM
KZZU-FM (92.9 MHz 92.9 ZZU) is a commercial FM radio station in Spokane, Washington. The station airs an Adult Top 40 radio format which the station describes as "Today's Modern Hit Music". KZZU-FM is owned by Morgan Murphy Media, with the l ...
). Initially, KXLY-FM had an
effective radiated power
Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would hav ...
(ERP) of only 2,000
watt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...
s, a fraction of its current output. It mostly
simulcast
Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultane ...
the AM station at first.
In the early 1960s, KXLY-FM was separately programmed with a largely
automated
Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, namely by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines ...
beautiful music
Beautiful music (sometimes abbreviated as BM, B/EZ or BM/EZ for "beautiful music/easy listening") is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in North American radio from the late 1950s through the 1980s. Easy listening, elevator musi ...
format. It played fifteen minute sweeps of instrumental music, mostly
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
s of popular songs, along with
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
and
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood, ...
showtunes. KXLY-FM continued as an
easy listening
Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...
station for nearly three decades. In 1962, KXLY-AM-FM-TV were acquired by the Spokane Television Company. Spokane Television was later merged into
Morgan Murphy Media
The Evening Telegram Company, d/b/a Morgan Murphy Media, is an American television and radio company based out of Madison, Wisconsin. The company is named for publisher Morgan Murphy, who expanded the business after he took over from his grandfathe ...
, based in
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...
.
Soft AC and AAA
In the 1990s, the easy listening audience was starting to age, while most advertisers seek a younger
demographic
Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings.
Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as edu ...
. KXLY-FM added more soft vocals to its
playlist
A playlist is a list of video or audio files that can be played back on a media player either sequentially or in a shuffled order. In its most general form, an audio playlist is simply a list of songs, but sometimes a loop. The term has sever ...
, hoping to attract younger listeners. It used the slogan "It's the music KXLY-FM 100". By the late 1990s, the station made the transition to all vocals as a
soft 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, quiet sto ...
station. It was known as "Classy 99.9fm" and competes against
KISC-FM
KISC (98.1 FM) is a commercial radio station in Spokane, Washington. It is owned by iHeartMedia and airs an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and December. The station has local DJs during the ...
KISS 98.1 FM.
But with several other AC stations on the air in Spokane, KXLY-FM had trouble reaching an audience. On September 12, 2006, the station switched to an
adult album alternative
Adult album alternative (also triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a radio format. See pages 9 and 10Mills, Joshua. "A New Radio Music Format: Rock for Prosperous Adults" New York Times, Feb 28 1994, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. Accessed September 4, 2 ...
(AAA) format branded as "Spokane's River 99dot9."
Country music
As the first decade of the 2000s was ending, Morgan Murphy Media decided to make a bold move. The Spokane
radio market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...
already had two successful
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, ...
stations,
KDRK
KDRK-FM (93.7 FM, "The Mountain") is a country music radio station serving the Spokane, Washington area. The station broadcasts at 93.7 MHz with an effective radiated power of 64,000 watts. It is owned by Stephens Media Group, through licen ...
, owned by
Citadel Broadcasting
Citadel Broadcasting Corporation was a Las Vegas, Nevada-based broadcast holding company. Citadel owned 243 radio stations across the United States and was the third-largest radio station owner in the country. Only iHeartMedia and Cumulus Media ...
, and KIXZ, owned by
Clear Channel Communications
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 ...
. KDRK and KIXZ were both often in the top ten in the
Arbitron ratings.
On January 1, 2010, KXLY-FM's AAA format moved to co-owned
KEZE
KEZE (96.9 MHz "Hot 96.9") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Spokane, Washington. It is owned by Morgan Murphy Media, with the license held by QueenB Radio, and it airs a rhythmic contemporary radio format.
The studios and offices a ...
, which had switched to country a couple of years earlier, while KEZE's country format moved to KXLY-FM. KEZE is only powered at 8,200 watts, while KXLY-FM has perhaps the best signal in the Spokane market, broadcasting at 37,000 watts from
Mount Spokane
Mount Spokane levation €”previously known as Mount Baldy until 1912 due to its pronounced bald spot—is a mountain in the Pacific Northwest, northwest United States, located northeast of Spokane, Washington, Spokane, Washington (state), Was ...
, one of the highest peaks in the
Inland Northwest
The Inland Northwest, historically and alternatively known as the Inland Empire, is a region of the American Northwest centered on the Greater Spokane, Washington Area, encompassing all of Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Under broader def ...
, at nearly 3000 feet (914 meters) in
height above average terrain
Height above average terrain (HAAT), or (less popularly) effective height above average terrain (EHAAT), is the vertical position of an antenna site is above the surrounding landscape. HAAT is used extensively in FM radio and television, as it is ...
(HAAT). KXLY-FM became the third full-power FM station in Spokane with a country format, calling itself "The Big 99.9 Coyote Country." Premiering on day one was the morning show duo
Jay & Kevin who moved from competing station
KDRK-FM
KDRK-FM (93.7 FM, "The Mountain") is a country music radio station serving the Spokane, Washington area. The station broadcasts at 93.7 MHz with an effective radiated power of 64,000 watts. It is owned by Stephens Media Group, through licen ...
.
KXLY-FM is often Spokane's top country station.
StationRatings.com
/ref> (KIXZ, now 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 ...
, left the country format, switching to 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 ...
as KFOO-FM
KFOO-FM (96.1 FM, "Alt 96.1") is an alternative rock radio station serving the Spokane area of Washington, United States. It broadcasts at 96.1 MHz with an ERP of 60,000 watts and is licensed to Opportunity, Washington. It is owned by iHear ...
, while KEZE has switched to rhythmic contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary never uses ...
music.)
Translators
KXLY-FM also rebroadcasts on the following translators:
National radio shows
* ''The Big Time with Whitney Allen''
* ''CMT Country Countdown USA with Lon Helton''
References
External links
{{coord, 47.6594, N, 116.9644, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title
Morgan Murphy Media stations
XLY-FM
Radio stations established in 1959
1959 establishments in Washington (state)
Country radio stations in the United States