WKJS (105.7 FM) is an

urban adult contemporary Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music ...

formatted broadcast

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 ...

licensed to Richmond, Virginia, serving Richmond, Mechanicsville, and Midlothian in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. WKJS is owned and operated by Radio One. The station's studios and offices are located just north of Richmond proper on Emerywood Parkway in unincorporated

Henrico County Henrico County , officially the County of Henrico, is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 334,389 making it the fifth-most populous county in Virginia. Henrico County is incl ...

, and its

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the ...

is located in the Southside of Richmond.

History

The 105.7 frequency began operations on November 8, 1995, under then owner Hoffman Communications as Christian-formatted WDYL, after moving from its long-time dial location of 92.1. WDYL traded 92.1 with Sinclair Telecable in order for Sinclair to increase signal power for its urban station WCDX, then known as "Power 93" and broadcasting on 92.7 FM. After the switch, WCDX, signed off 92.7 and continued with its urban format on 92.1 as Power 92, while WDYL assumed control of the 105.7 frequency and continued their longtime Christian format. In September 1998, Sinclair Telecable traded their 101.1 frequency, where Sinclair was running a

smooth jazz Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz and easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. History Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the 19 ...

format as WSMJ, with that of 105.7. After the transaction, on September 28, Hoffman moved their Christian format onto 101.1. Once Sinclair took control of 105.7, instead of moving the jazz format to the frequency, they decided to launch 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, ...

format branded as "The River" under new call letters WJRV. ("The River" eventually began simulcasting with 100.3 in Petersburg with the calls WARV a few years later.) Sinclair Telecable later sold WJRV, WCDX, WPLZ, and WGCV-AM to Radio One, who already had purchased the 104.7 and 100.3 frequencies from local owners Radio 100, and 101.1 from Hoffman (Radio One had flipped WDYL from Christian to alternative rock as "Y101" by this time, and around this time began simulcasting WJRV with 100.1 using the call letters WARV). In March 2001, Radio One ditched the country format and moved the

urban oldies Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music on ...

format, "Magic" branding and the WPLZ

call letters In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...

from 99.3 to 105.7 to take advantage of a better signal. The station would change call letters to WJMO on June 4 of that year. On November 18, 2004, as part of a series of moves, WJMO signed off and began simulcasting the

urban AC Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music on ...

"Kiss FM" format with 99.3 FM. The WKJS calls would be adopted on December 14."Radio One makes changes at local stations", ''The Richmond Times-Dispatch'', November 20, 2004.

References

External links

99.3 and 105.7 Kiss FM Online
* {{Radio One 1996 establishments in Virginia Urban adult contemporary radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1996 KJS