WKIE

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WKIE 92.7
Broadcast area	Arlington Heights/Chicago, Illinois
Branding	NINE FM
Slogan	"We Play Anything!"
Frequency	92.7 WKIE FM (MHz)
Format	Adult hits/AAA
ERP	1,800 watts
Class	A
Owner	Newsweb Corporation
Website	NINE FM website

WKIE 92.7 FM is a radio station licensed to Arlington Heights, Illinois, and serving the Chicago area as part of a trimulcast known as "Nine FM". The station is owned by Newsweb Corporation. WKIE transmits on a tower with WPPN and WVIV in nearby Buffalo Grove at 1,800 watts.

[edit] History

92.7 has a long history of various formats including Top 40 as WEXI in the late '60s and early '70s, followed by country. The call letters later became WTCO.

In 1983, the station made national headlines when their call letters were changed to the provocative WSEX with an adult contemporary format called "Love Songs & More". Later that decade, the station, still WSEX, carried a "Top 10" format only playing songs from the '80s that had made Top 10 according to Billboard Magazine.

The station became "Chicago's Bear", with the WCBR-FM call letters in 1989. As the 1990s progressed, the station's programming consisted of a mixture of brokered and AAA programming. One of the most known brokered programs was "Cyber Radio" which featured dance music on the weekends.

In early 1998, Big City Radio Group took over WCBR and WBRO in Kankakee (also on 92.7). Many of the brokered programs that were on the station were moved to then-automated adult contemporary WJKL in Elgin. When Big City took control of the two stations, the station stunted with a simulcast of their Los Angeles sister station "Y 107", which had a modern rock format.

In November 1998, WCBR and WBRO launched their new official format, CHR as "92.7 KISS FM." with the first song being "Kiss" by Prince. This would be Chicago's first true CHR station in many years and proved to be quite successful, even with the two stations' weak signals. In early 1999, the calls were changed to WKIE and WKIF. In summer 1999 Big City purchased a third station, WDEK 92.5 in Dekalb, IL, which had a locally programmed CHR format at the time and began simulcasting it with WKIE and WKIF as a trimulcast. Not long after, the moniker was adjusted to "92 KISS FM"

On January 12, 2001, Clear Channel flipped its full-signal WUBT from rhythmic oldies to CHR as WKSC "Kiss 103.5". At that time, they issued a cease and desist order to Big City Radio insisting they stop using the "Kiss FM" moniker. "92 KISS-FM" continued until January 26, 2001 when the three signals became "Energy 92-7&5", with a format consisting entirely of dance music. The airstaff and voiceover talent Sean Caldwell remained intact.

Energy gained lots of attention via the internet and gained a relatively devoted following in the Chicago area and worldwide via its webcast. Considering their niche format and signal limitations, Energy was competitive in the ratings and in revenues.

In late 2002, Big City Radio, which had overextended itself in obtaining radio stations, declared bankruptcy and began liquidating its properties. WKIE, WKIF and WDEK were sold to Spanish Broadcasting System and WXXY/WYXX (which had a Mexican music format) to the Hispanic Broadcasting Company. On January 5, 2003, Energy became "Onda 92".

Onda 92 was never successful in the ratings, and SBS had their own financial problems, so in June 2004 the company sold WKIE, WKIF and WDEK to Newsweb Corporation. At midnight on November 22, 2004, Onda signed off, and WDEK and WKIE began simulcasting with its new adult hits/AAA sister station WRZA, aka "Nine FM". WKIF was switched to a full-time simulcast of CNN Headline News.

[edit] See also

• WDEK
• WRZA

[edit] External links

• www.weplayanything.com
• Query the FCC's FM station database for WKIE