Editing WEPN-FM (section)

=== As WRKS-FM (1981–2012) ===
==== Enter "Kiss FM" (1981–1994) ====
[[File:WRKS-FM 1981 radio logo.png|thumb|upright|WRKS logo from 1981 to 1994]]
In June 1981, the station was known on-air as "FM 99 WXLO making its move to 98.7". By the middle of July, the station had changed its call sign to WRKS-FM (the meaning of which originally referred to its being an RKO Station) and adopted the on-air brand ''98.7 Kiss FM'', as the station's transition to this new [[urban contemporary]] format was completed by that August. The first song on "Kiss FM" was ''Make That Move'' by [[Shalamar]].<ref>{{cite web |title=WXLO 98.7 New York – Launch of 98.7 Kiss FM – Charlie Burger / Mary Thomas – July 31 1981 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxbo7wJH6hs  |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211222/Sxbo7wJH6hs |archive-date=December 22, 2021 |url-status=live|via=YouTube |access-date=March 12, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Early on, WRKS played a great deal of [[R&B]] and [[dance music]], and became an almost instant hit with listeners, as its ratings skyrocketed from 22nd place to third. Notable Kiss FM Mixmasters at the time [[Shep Pettibone]] and, later, [[Tony Humphries (musician)|Tony Humphries]], were commissioned to create longer versions of current popular songs. Longtime [[urban contemporary]] leader [[WBLS]] was caught off-guard by the sudden rise of the new station, which represented its first direct competition in that format.

Around mid-1983, the station approached [[Afrika Bambaataa]] about an underground [[hip hop music]] show. He liked the idea and appointed [[DJ Jazzy Jay]], a fellow member of [[Universal Zulu Nation|Zulu Nation]]. He then passed the gig on to his cousin, [[DJ Red Alert]]. In Fall 1983, WRKS became the first station in the United States to play [[rap music]] in regular rotation. Also that year, non-R&B dance music and disco were phased out, as the station played strictly music catering mainly to an African-American audience. WBLS responded by hiring [[Mr. Magic]] to conduct a weekend rap show, which helped WBLS reach number-three in the ratings that year, beating out WRKS. Nevertheless, the station had made such strides in its first two-and-a-half years that it resulted in Barry Mayo being promoted as general manager, the first African-American to hold such a position in the RKO radio chain.

WRKS incorporated artists such as [[Kurtis Blow]], [[Whodini]], [[Run DMC]], [[Fat Boys]], [[LL Cool J]], and [[Public Enemy]] into the same rotation as such established acts as [[Ashford & Simpson]], [[Kool and the Gang]], and [[Gladys Knight]]. In 1986, [[Indianapolis]]-based [[Emmis Communications]] launched WQHT (then at 103.5 FM), which had an early emphasis on dance music, forcing WRKS and WBLS to add more dance music to their playlists again. In 1988, Mayo left to organize a new broadcasting company with Lee S. Simonson and Bill Pearson, and RKO appointed Charles Warfield (former general manager of WBLS) as the new general manager of WRKS. With Vinny Brown as the station's program director, WRKS became the No. 1 radio station in the largest media market in the world for six years right through the mid 1990s.

By the late 1980s, however, RKO General was forced out of the broadcasting business when the FCC began revoking its licenses to its radio and television stations in New York, [[Boston]] and Los Angeles because of gross misconduct and lack of candor on the part of its corporate parent, the [[General Tire]] and Rubber Company.<ref>[http://www.nyls.edu/cmc/uscases/rko.htm RKO General, Inc. v. FCC (1981)-II. Invalid Bases of the FCC Decision; III. RKO's Lack of Candor] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060831093020/http://www.nyls.edu/cmc/uscases/rko.htm |date=August 31, 2006 }}. Retrieved 11/27/06.</ref> Having already been stripped in 1982 of its license to [[WNAC-TV (defunct)|WNAC-TV]] in Boston, RKO was left with no choice but to break up its broadcasting unit.<ref>[http://www.nyls.edu/cmc/uscases/rko.htm RKO General, Inc. v. FCC (1981)-(Intro) Opinion] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060831093020/http://www.nyls.edu/cmc/uscases/rko.htm |date=August 31, 2006 }}. Retrieved 12/09/06.</ref> In New York City, RKO's three stations were sold to different companies during a two-year period beginning in 1987. Two years after WOR-TV went to [[MCA Inc.|MCA]] (and renamed [[WWOR-TV]]), on June 26, 1989, RKO sold WRKS to the Summit Communications Group of [[Atlanta]].<ref>[https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1988/BC-1988-12-12.pdf#page=70 "Summit gets WRKS-FM for $50 million."] ''[[Broadcasting & Cable|Broadcasting]]'', December 12, 1988, pg. 66.</ref>  Around the same time, WOR radio was sold to [[Buckley Broadcasting]].

That same year, [[WBLS]] lured on-air personality Mike Love (formerly of the original ''Kiss Wake-Up Club'') to their morning drive show. WRKS immediately formulated a new morning show featuring Ken "Spider" Webb and Jeff Foxx along with then-unknown [[Wendy Williams]]. (Foxx and Webb would continue on for the next several years, while Williams held various shifts on the station.)

For many years, WRKS was number one in the [[Arbitron]] ratings due to its [[hip hop]]-influenced format. WRKS was also the first radio station in the United States to embrace [[dancehall]] and [[reggae]] music by adding Dahved Levy to do a Sunday night reggae show with Sting International. The battle between WRKS and WBLS continued into the 1990s, but a major turning point occurred in the spring of 1994, when WQHT changed formats from dance music to primarily hip-hop by luring "Funk Master Flex" away from WRKS, who, at the time, was a fill-in DJ for "DJ Red Alert" when Red Alert was out on tour or making appearances, thus competing directly with WRKS. WRKS responded by adding "The Bomb Squad Mix Show", hosted by "The N.O." (also known as "The Native One") featuring "DJ Enuff", "DJ Ace", and "Supernatural the Freestyle Fanatic". The Bomb Squad began "breaking" hot new hip-hop artists and ushering in the "Golden Era of Hip Hop". The Bomb Squad was the first hip-hop mix show in the country to play the records of [[The Notorious B.I.G.]], [[Wu Tang Clan]], and [[Mobb Deep]]. The Bomb Squad introduced its signature "bomb dropping" whistle sound effect as they played exclusive new hip-hop music and produced fresh remixes not heard on other urban stations across the country. Leaning towards a younger demographic, the station formulated a new morning show featuring Wendy Williams, who was replaced by "The Native One" during her former 6 p.m.-10 p.m. weeknights shift.

Based on WRKS's success, several radio stations in other markets began to use the "[[KISS-FM (brand)|Kiss FM]]" moniker for branding the station itself or its format. In the case of WRKS, the branding was grandfathered even as [[Clear Channel Communications]] trademarked "Kiss FM" for its use on its [[mainstream top 40]] pop stations in the late 1990s, largely based on [[KIIS-FM]] in Los Angeles, whose "KIIS" name was trademarked by prior owner [[Gannett Company]] in 1986.<ref>{{cite web | publisher = U.S. Patent and Trademark Office | title = Trademark registration 1540895 | access-date = May 3, 2011 | url = http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=73585355}}</ref>

==== "Smooth R&B and Classic Soul" (1995–2012) ====
In December 1994, WQHT's parent Emmis Communications took advantage of newly relaxed FCC ownership regulations and agreed to purchase WRKS from Summit, forming the market's first FM [[duopoly (broadcasting)|duopoly]]. WRKS subsequently stopped playing hip-hop and flipped to [[urban adult contemporary]] format using the slogan "Smooth R&B and Classic [[Soul music|Soul]]". The shift in format resulted in notable personalities associated with the previous format, such as Wendy Williams and Red Alert, moving from WRKS to WQHT. The new sound on WRKS was introduced by the station during its annual "Twelve Days of Kiss-mas" promotion during the Christmas holiday, and was fully implemented in January 1995. Soul music legend [[Barry White]] became the station's imaging voice and promotional face, and would remain in this role until his death in 2003.

In September 1995, WRKS hired another deep-voiced [[bass singer]], [[Isaac Hayes]], as its new morning show host, and later added Ashford & Simpson to helm its afternoon drive program. Funk musician [[Roger Troutman]] (of the band [[Zapp]]) and former disc jockey-turned-motivational speaker [[Leslie C. Brown|Les Brown]] also hosted programs on WRKS around this time.

WRKS's playlist for its first year consisted almost exclusively of songs from the 1960s and 1970s; after 1996, the station began reintroducing current R&B back into rotation. But in 1999, WRKS switched from a classic soul-based Urban AC format to a mostly current R&B format. That same year, [[Frankie Crocker]] was hired as an announcer and a weekend DJ. The station slowly began to reintroduce rap in 2000. When [[WWPR-FM]] was launched in March 2002, the station shifted back to classic soul. In 2003, [[Barry Mayo]] briefly returned as general manager for WRKS, WQHT and jazz-formatted WQCD (now [[WFAN-FM]]), and WRKS returned to its full-fledged Urban AC format.

In April 2001, WRKS became the New York home for the nationally syndicated ''[[Tom Joyner]] [[Tom Joyner Morning Show|Morning Show]]'', as Isaac Hayes chose not to renew his contract with the station; he remained for a few months to host the local segments within the program (known on the station as ''The Tom Joyner Morning Show with Isaac Hayes''). Joyner's first stint on WRKS lasted only two years. [[D. L. Hughley]] was brought on to host ''The D. L. Hughley Morning Show'' in July 2009.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hinckley |first=David |date=July 15, 2009 |title=D.L. Hughley to host morning show on New York's Kiss-FM radio |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2009/07/15/2009-07-15_dl_hughley_to_host_morning_show_on_new_yorks_kissfm_radio.html |access-date=July 20, 2009 |work=[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]|location=New York}}</ref> Emmis planned to syndicate the show, but after a dispute between Emmis and a proposed distributor over who would pay his salary, Hughley left the station and the program was cancelled on August 7, 2010.<ref>{{cite news |date=August 18, 2010 |title=D.L. Hughley Morning Show officially off WRKS New York |url=http://www.radio-info.com/news/dl-hughley-morning-show-officially-off-wrks-new-york |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100822194010/http://www.radio-info.com/news/dl-hughley-morning-show-officially-off-wrks-new-york |archive-date=August 22, 2010 |access-date=August 31, 2010 |publisher=Radio-Info.com}}</ref> The station picked up Joyner's program again in 2011.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=February 7, 2011 |title=Tom Joyner returns to NY radio scene as morning host on WRKS, ready to go up against friend Harvey |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2011/02/07/tom-joyner-returns-to-ny-radio-scene-as-morning-host-on-wrks-ready-to-go-up-against-friend-harvey/ |access-date=September 7, 2024 |website=Daily News|location=New York |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2003, author and "relationship expert" [[Michael Baisden]] became host of the afternoon show, which later became syndicated nationally in January 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.urbanradionation.com/2012/04/michael-baisden-says-farewell-to-kiss.html|title=Michael Baisden Says 'FAREWELL TO KISS' FM in New York}}</ref>

In early September 2010, the slogan for the station, "Old School & Today's R&B", changed to "'80s, '90s & Today's R&B", which included dropping most pre-1979 titles. This would later change to "Classic Soul & Today's R&B", which would last until the station's demise in 2012.

Following the death of [[Whitney Houston]]—who was born in nearby [[Newark, New Jersey]]—on February 11, 2012, WRKS dedicated the subsequent weekend to commemorating her career, including tributes by the station's staff and alumni, and listener phone-ins.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Trust |first=Gary |date=February 12, 2012 |title=Whitney Houston's 'Hometown' Radio Station Remembers The Singer |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/whitney-houstons-hometown-radio-station-remembers-the-singer-1098915/ |access-date=September 7, 2024 |website=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref>

Notable station personalities during the Kiss years included:
* [[Barry Mayo]] (1981)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jazz |first=All About |date=July 11, 2019 |title=Barry Mayo Reframed: From Radio Mogul to Photographer and Award Winning Filmmaker Chasing Light |url=https://www.allaboutjazz.com/barry-mayo-reframed-from-radio-mogul-to-photographer-and-award-winning-filmmaker-chasing-light-by-christine-passarella |access-date=September 7, 2024 |website=[[All About Jazz]] |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Jazzy Jay]] (1983)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scott |first=Dana |title=Kool DJ Red Alert Celebrates 40 Legendary Years on the Radio |url=https://rockthebells.com/articles/kool-dj-red-alert-40-years-radio/ |access-date=September 7, 2024 |website=rockthebells.com |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Shep Pettibone]] (Mastermixer) (1981–1984)<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=September 7, 2017 |title=Celebrating 15 years of Running Back with Gerd Janson and Tony Humphries |url=https://djmag.com/content/celebrating-15-years-running-back-gerd-janson-and-tony-humphries |access-date=September 7, 2024 |website=DJ Mag |language=en}}</ref>
* [[DJ Chuck Chillout]] (1982–1989)<ref>''The Source'' Magazine, November 2004, "Hip Hop Iconz Volume 9: Chuck Chillout Breaking The Ice," pp.&nbsp;78–80.</ref>
* [[Tony Humphries (musician)|Tony Humphries]] (1982–1994)<ref name=":5" />
* [[Wendy Williams]] (1989–1994)<ref name="Billboard 1990">{{cite magazine |last1=Ross |first1=Sean |last2=Rosen |first2=Craig |last3=Stark |first3=Phyllis |date=May 12, 1990 |title=Vox jox |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |page=14 |volume=102 |issue=19 |id={{ProQuest|1505961644}}}}</ref>
* [[Ashford & Simpson]] (1995–1999)<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 8, 2024 |title=ASHFORD & SIMPSON: VERSED IN ANGELOU |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1997/07/18/ashford-simpson-versed-in-angelou/f1e20799-7f92-4eb7-9a36-44c7a4f14dae/ |access-date=September 7, 2024 |work=The Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>
* [[Roberta Flack]] (1995–1999)<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 18, 1997 |title=Two Radio Stations Battle Bitterly for the Soul of the City |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/18/nyregion/two-radio-stations-battle-bitterly-for-the-soul-of-the-city.html |access-date=September 6, 2024 |website=The New York Times}}</ref>
* [[Isaac Hayes]] (1996–2001)<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 29, 2012 |title=Final Farewells at a Legendary Radio Station |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/30/nyregion/final-farewells-at-kiss-radio.html |access-date=September 6, 2024 |website=The New York Times}}</ref>
* [[Kool DJ Red Alert]] (Mastermixer) (1983–1994; 2007–2012)<ref name="TroySmith">{{cite web |last1=D |first1=Davey |last2=Smith |first2=Troy L. |title=Hip Hop History: Kool DJ Red Alert Gives the Ultimate Interview |url=https://hiphopandpolitics.com/2013/10/04/hip-hop-history-kool-dj-red-alert-gives-ultimate-interview/ |access-date=November 1, 2023 |website=Davey D's Hip Hop Corner}}</ref>
* [[Tom Joyner]] (2001–2003; 2011–2012)<ref name=":3" />
* [[Michael Baisden]] (2003–2012)<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=JOHNSON |first=STEPHON |date=May 6, 2012 |title=Kiss it goodbye: Station meets unceremonious fate |url=https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2012/05/06/kiss-it-goodbye-station-meets-unceremonious-fate/ |access-date=September 7, 2024 |website=New York Amsterdam News |language=en-US}}</ref>
* [[DJ Cocoa Chanelle]] (Mastermixer) (2011–2012)<ref name=":4" />
* [[Ed Lover]] (2011–2012)<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 4, 2011 |title=Ed Lover Joins KISS FM - XXL |url=https://www.xxlmag.com/ed-lover-joins-kiss-fm/ |access-date=September 7, 2024 |website=XXL Mag |language=en}}</ref>