WKIM
| Broadcast area | Memphis metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 98.9 MHz |
| Branding | The Roar of Memphis |
| Programming | |
| Format | Talk Radio |
| Affiliations | Westwood One CBS Radio News WREG-TV Tennessee Titans Radio Network Memphis Tigers Radio Network |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WGKX, WRBO, WXMX | |
| History | |
First air date | 1948 (as KTMO in Kennett, Missouri) |
Former call signs | KTMO (1958–2001) KXMI (4/2001–5/2001) WJZN (2001–2004) WMPW (2004–2006) |
Call sign meaning | KIM FM (former format) |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 33671 |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 100,000 watts horizontal 98,100 watts vertical |
| HAAT | 187 meters (614 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 35°09′18″N 89°49′19″W / 35.155°N 89.822°W |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | newstalk989.com |
WKIM (98.9 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Munford, Tennessee, and serving the Memphis metropolitan area. It is owned by Cumulus Media and airs a news/talk radio format.
The studios are located on Murray Road at the Memphis Radio Group building in East Memphis. The transmitter site is in Cordova, Tennessee, off Raleigh-Lagrange Road.[1] WKIM has an effective radiated power of 100,000 watts, the current maximum for American FM stations.
Programming
Weekdays on WKIM begin with the "Memphis Morning News with Ditch and Bob" followed by a local sports talk show "Jeff & Tyler" (Jeff Brightwell and Tyler Springs). Nationally syndicated Dan Bongino is heard middays, followed by another local talk show, "The Nation of Jake." Nights feature syndicated talk from Ben Shapiro, Michael J. Knowles, Jim Bohannon, "Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis," "America in the Morning" and "First Light." Most hours begin with CBS Radio News.
WKIM carries Tennessee Titans football and University of Memphis Tigers football and basketball. That includes weekly coaches' shows with Tigers football coach Ryan Silverfield and men’s basketball coach Penny Hardaway.
History
Smooth Jazz and Rhythmic Contemporary
The station signed on the air in 1948. It was in Kennett, Missouri, and used the call sign KTMO. In 2001, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) gave it permission to move into the more lucrative Memphis radio market. After its relocation, it began playing smooth jazz as "Smooth Jazz 98.9" WJZN. That lasted three years.
In November 2004, the station changed to a rhythmic contemporary format as WMPW, "Power 99", putting it in competition with urban contemporary WHRK, rhythmic KXHT and mainstream top 40 WHBQ-FM.
Kim FM and Gen X
On September 15, 2006, at 2 p.m., WMPW flipped to a female-leaning adult hits format as "98.9 Kim FM" under new call letters WKIM. The first song on "Kim FM" was Like a Prayer by Madonna. After several books of substandard ratings, about a year later, the station flipped formats to Hot AC. The change still did not draw enough listeners.
On March 31, 2010, at 5 p.m., the format was flipped to 1990s hits as Gen X 98.9. The first song on "Gen X 98.9" was Losing My Religion by R.E.M.[2] By that autumn, the station added some current hits, making it a 1990s/Hot AC hybrid format.
Talk, Hip-Hop and AC
On April 25, 2011, the station switched to a talk format, branded as "News/Talk 98.9".[3] Because the station is owned by Cumulus Media, many of the shows heard on News/Talk 98.9 were from the co-owned Westwood One Network.
On February 27, 2015, at Noon, WKIM flipped to classic hip-hop, branded as "98.9 The Vibe." The first song on "The Vibe" was "Hip Hop Hooray" by Naughty by Nature. WKIM was one of two stations in the market airing the format; WIVG was the other. (That station has since flipped back to alternative rock).[4]
On October 31, 2017, at Noon, WKIM began stunting with Christmas music as "Christmas 98.9." On December 26, at 6 a.m., WKIM flipped to adult contemporary as "98.9 The Bridge." The switch puts WKIM in competition with Entercom-owned WRVR, one of Memphis' leading radio stations.[5] From early November until the Christmas holidays, WKIM switched to all-Christmas music. Weekday mornings, WKIM carried the syndicated Bob & Sheri Show from WLNK in Charlotte.
Return to Talk
On May 25, 2021, Cumulus Media announced a five-year agreement to carry University of Memphis Tigers athletics on WKIM. The Tigers had previously been heard on iHeartMedia's WREC 600 AM and WEGR 102.7 FM. Concurrently, it was also announced WKIM would flip back to a talk radio format as "News/Talk 98.9, The Roar of Memphis".[6]
WKIM also became the Memphis affiliate for the Tennessee Titans Radio Network. In addition, WKIM affiliated with CBS Radio News for world and national news coverage.
References
External links
- News Talk 98.9 official website
- Facility details for Facility ID WKIM ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's FM station database