WKSE
Radio station in Niagara Falls, New York, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WKSE (98.5 FM) branded Kiss 98.5, is a commercial radio station licensed to Niagara Falls, New York, and serving the Buffalo metropolitan area. It airs a contemporary hit radio format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. The station's studios are located on Corporate Parkway in Amherst, New York.
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| Broadcast area | Western New York |
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| Frequency | 98.5 MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Kiss 98.5 |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Contemporary hit radio |
| Subchannels |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | January 1, 1946 |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | "Kiss" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 34384 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 46,000 watts |
| HAAT | 128 meters (420 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 43.005°N 78.993°W |
| Translator | HD2: 104.7 W284AP (Buffalo) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (via Audacy) |
| Website | www |
WKSE has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 46,000 watts. Its transmitter is off Staley Avenue on Grand Island, New York. WKSE broadcasts using HD Radio technology; its HD2 and HD4 digital subchannel simulcasts co-owned WGR's sports radio programming, while the HD3 subchannel simulcasts co-owned WBEN.
History
The station signed on the air as WHLD-FM on January 1, 1946.[2] It was the FM counterpart to WHLD and largely simulcast the AM station's programming in its early years. In the late 1960s, it switched to a beautiful music format with some classical music programming as well.
The station changed its call sign to WZIR in 1980, adopting a progressive/underground rock format that lasted roughly a year as "The Wizard." By 1984, it was a rock format as WRXT; the current Top 40/CHR format has been in place since September 1984, with the WKSE calls in place by 1985. Much of its playlist overlapped that of then-sister station Star 102.5 at times. (The two stations' programming eventually fully merged onto WKSE's signal in June 2023 as 102.5 was sold off that month.[3]) WKSE carried the syndicated weekly show The Rockin' America Top 30 Countdown with Scott Shannon throughout the 1980s.
Morning host Janet Snyder has been with the station since 1994,[4] paired with sidekick Nicholas Picholas for most of that time. Afternoon host Sue O'Neill had previously held the same position on Star 102.5 until 2023.[5] The remainder of the lineup consists of voice-tracked hosts with generic mononyms, "Julia" (whose show ended in January 2026[6]) and "Bru."
WKSE sold its broadcast tower to Vertical Bridge in March 2019. WKSE continues to use the tower under a leasing arrangement.[7]
