KIRS (FM) explained

KIRS
Frequency:107.7 MHz
City:Stockton, Missouri
Format:Christian
Owner:VCY America, Inc.
Erp:11,700 watts
Haat:146m (479feet)
Facility Id:78693
Class:C3
Webcast:Listen Live
Website:http://www.vcyamerica.org/
Former Callsigns:KRLK (1998–2005)
KRWP (2005–2019)
Licensing Authority:FCC

KIRS is a radio station licensed to Stockton, Missouri, broadcasting on 107.7 MHz FM. The station is owned by VCY America, Inc.[1]

History

The station signed on January 20, 1999,[2] as KRLK, broadcasting a classic country format branded as "The Lake".[3] Cumulus Media bought the station from Galen Gilbert for $850,000 in 2004.[4] The call letters changed to KRWP on February 2, 2005.[5] The station initially relied on programming from Jones Radio Networks;[3] in later years, KRWP was a full service station, with classic country music being supplemented with a tradio program and high school sports coverage.[6]

Cumulus' acquisition of the station was part of its plan to move KMAJ-FM, a Topeka, Kansas, radio station it owned on the same frequency, to the Kansas City market, which would have required KRWP to reduce its power. The KMAJ-FM move was called off in 2006, after Cumulus' purchase of Susquehanna Radio Corporation, as the move would have given it too many FM radio stations in Kansas City.[6]

On January 17, 2018, KRWP went off the air without any notice from Cumulus.[7] Cumulus had earlier indicated that, following the Federal Communications Commission's repeal of rules requiring a local main studio, KRWP would close its local facilities and transfer its operations to Cumulus' Kansas City studios.[6] VCY America agreed to buy the station for $100,000 on September 19, 2018; upon the completion of the sale, the station would convert to noncommercial operation and broadcast VCY's Christian radio programming.[8] The sale was consummated on January 10, 2019, at which point VCY America changed the station's call sign to KIRS.

Notes and References

  1. http://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?list=0&facid=78693 KIRS
  2. Book: Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2009. 2009. D-332. PDF. November 23, 2018.
  3. News: Format Changes & Updates. November 24, 2018. The M Street Journal. February 10, 1999. 2. PDF.
  4. News: BIA Financial Networks . Changing Hands . November 24, 2018 . . February 1, 2004 . en-us.
  5. Web site: Call Sign History (KRWP) . CDBS Public Access . . November 24, 2014.
  6. News: Venta . Lance . Cumulus Takes Missouri Station Dark . November 24, 2018 . RadioInsight . January 24, 2018.
  7. http://cedarrepublican.com/news/cumulus-as-quiet-as-the-lake-since-closing-station/article_941f71c8-008c-11e8-a8aa-3fe749c6e1ed.html Cumulus as quiet as 107.7 The Lake since closing station
  8. News: Buus . Stephen . KRWP sold, to become Christian station . November 24, 2018 . Cedar County Republican . October 3, 2018 . en.