KISN (96.7

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 ...

, "96.7 KISS FM") is an 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 ...

licensed to serve

Belgrade, Montana Belgrade is a city in Gallatin County, Montana, United States. The population was 10,460 at the 2020 census. It is the largest city in Montana that is not a county seat. Belgrade and surrounding areas are experiencing significant population gro ...

. The station is owned by

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 ...

, licensed to Townsquare License, LLC. It airs a Top 40 (CHR) music format. All Townsquare Media Bozeman studios are located at 125 West Mendenhall Street, downtown Bozeman.

KXLB KXLB (100.7 FM, "XL Country 100.7") is a radio station licensed to serve Churchill, Montana. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and the broadcast license is held by Townsquare License, LLC. All Townsquare Media Bozeman studios are located ...

KMMS-FM KMMS-FM (94.7 MHz, "The Moose 94.7") is a radio station licensed to serve Bozeman, Montana. The station is owned by Townsquare Media, licensed to Townsquare License, LLC. It airs an Adult Album Alternative music format. All Townsquare Media Bo ...

KZMY KZMY (103.5 FM, "My 103.5") is a radio station licensed to serve Bozeman, Montana. The station is owned by Townsquare Media, licensed to Townsquare License, LLC. It airs a hot adult contemporary music format. All Townsquare Media Bozeman studio ...

, and KISN all share a transmitter site on Green Mountain, east of Bozeman. The station was assigned the KISN call letters by the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...

on January 14,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

Ownership

In February 2008,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

-based

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. ...

completed the acquisition of 57 radio stations in 13 markets in the Pacific Northwest-Rocky Mountain region from

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 ...

. The deal, valued at a reported $74 million, included six Bozeman stations, seven in

Missoula Missoula ( ; fla, label=Salish language, Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula Cou ...

and five in

Billings 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 Metrop ...

. Other stations in the deal are located in

Shelby, Montana Shelby is a city in and the county seat of Toole County, Montana, United States. The population was 3,169 at the 2020 census. History Shelby was named in honor of Peter O. Shelby, General Manager of the Montana Central Railway. A railroad st ...

, and in

Casper Casper may refer to: People * Casper (given name) * Casper (surname) * Casper (Maya ruler) (422–487?), ruler of the Mayan city of Palenque * Tok Casper, first known king of Maya city-state Quiriguá in Guatemala, ruling beginning in 426 * David ...

and

Cheyenne, Wyoming Cheyenne ( or ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming, as well as the county seat of Laramie County, with 65,132 residents, per the 2020 US Census. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne metropolitan statistical ...

, plus

Pocatello Pocatello () is the county seat of and largest city in Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the ...

and

Twin Falls, Idaho Twin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The city had a population of 51,807 as of the 2020 census. In the Magic Valley region, Twin Falls is the largest city in a radius, and is the regional ...

, and

Yakima, Washington Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, and the state's 11th-largest city by population. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The uninco ...

. GapWest was folded into

on August 13, 2010.

History

96.7 started out as the easy listening station for Southwest Montana. In between 1983 and 1984, it became a Top 40 format. However it could not keep up with KUUB. By 1985, it became an Adult Contemporary format station. By 1990, it took the moniker 96 the sky, Montana's soft rock. Throughout the next ten years, The Sky would move towards a CHR format. It first moved towards hot AC in 1998. Through the next years, the sky moved towards adult top 40 with a CHR format consisting of Destiny's Child, Britney Spears and Creed, N'Sync, and The Backstreet Boys. By 2002 it became a full-blown top 40 under the All-hit 96 The sky moniker. In 2004 The callsign changed to KISN, the callsign used to be that of an Adult top 40 radio station in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

. That frequency is now

KZHT KZHT (97.1 FM) is a Top 40 (CHR) formatted radio station broadcasting to the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. It is owned by iHeartMedia as one of six radio stations in this market. The station's studios are located in West Valley City and it ...

also a top 40 station owned by the same company until

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 ...

(Clear Channel Radio) spun off its radio stations in small-town markets with Bozeman being one of them. For much of the 2000s, Kiss FM was known for mixing in hard rock since Bozeman did not have an active rock outlet. They also have thrown in local artists especially those in the hip hop genre.

References

External links

KISN official website
ISN Belgrade, Montana Contemporary hit radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1982 Townsquare Media radio stations 1982 establishments in Montana {{Montana-radio-station-stub