Radio KISS 102.3 (WKKF)

WKKF (102.3 Kiss FM) is a Contemporary Hit Radio (with a moderate to strong lean towards Rhythmic) radio station licensed to Ballston Spa, New York and serving the Capital District and Adirondacks. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications and broadcasts at 102.3 FM at 4.1 kilowatts ERP from a transmitter in Clifton Park, New York on a tower shared with WPTR and WTMM-FM.The 102.3 frequency originally began in Saratoga Springs, New York in 1968 as WKAJ-FM, sister to WKAJ running an easy listening format. In 1979, WKAJ-FM changed its calls to WASM keeping the easy listening format though by the mid-1980s the station evolved to an Adult contemporary approach.In June 1987, WASM flipped to Top 40 WQQY (102 Double Q) and began to make a minor wave in the Albany ratings by giving WFLY and WGFM a run for its money in Saratoga County. Among the air talent at WQQY was Rob Dawes early in his career before moving back to the frequency.With the decline of Top 40 in the early 1990s, its limited 3000 watt signal, WQQY began to look to the south for a better alternative. Having a construction permit to move the station down to the Albany area, WQQY moved its transmitter 12 miles south to Clifton Park (licensed to nearby Ballston Spa) and relaunched in September 1991 as WZRQ, becoming Albany's affiliate of ABC's "Z-Rock" satellite hard rock format. WZRQ remained as an affiliate of Z-Rock until the network's end in late 1996.Needing a new format, then-owner Radio Enterprises (a joint venture of Clear Channel and local investors) decided to go after heritage rock station WPYX with a Classic Rock format as "WXCR-Classic Rock 102.3". Though former WPYX morning team "Mason and Sheehan" were hired several months later, they were fired a year later, in 1998. After Clear Channel acquired WPYX in 2000, the WXCR call letters were changed to WKKF, and their 'Kiss-FM' Top-40 format was adopted. WXCR personality, Steve Scott was the only one to make the transition from classic rock to Top-40 as Jeff Mrozek adopted the afternoon drive spot at sister station WQBK (The Edge) earlier that year.In 2005, WKKF upgraded to IBOC digital radio alongside the rest of Clear Channel's Albany stations. On August 17, 2006, WKKF began airing an HD2 channel with a pop and new music-heavy CHR format known as "KissPop" which is heard on several other Kiss stations across the United States.