SYRACUSE -- Management at KISS-FM say they're almost finished rebuilding following a fire that destroyed their studios almost one year ago. But when the internet stream and Part 15 transmitters come back online, they won't be covering the Syracuse area. Instead, station management tells CNYRadio.com they're heading north, preparing to do battle in the Watertown market.
The website at kissfmcny.com now features a new logo for "KISS 106.1 / 101.5" with the tagline, "the north country's new hit music station." Although the website promises an August 2011 launch, KISS-FM management says they're hoping for a "soft launch" sometime later this month or early next month, with the "official" launch in mid-August. The station is planning to establish low-power broadcasts on four frequencies under FCC Part 15 regulations, as follows:
While transmitter power levels will be limited as per FCC Part 15 regulations, they're hoping the height of those antennae will help the signals reach plenty of listeners. "The AM [signals] are expected to go approximately 5-10 miles" from their transmitter sites, a KISS-FM official told CNYRadio.com.
It's also expected that this new reincarnation of KISS-FM will be streamed online, meaning fans who listened during the station's original incarnation in Syracuse will be able to tune in again, using their computers, smartphones and other internet-ready devices.
In addition to the CHR-like format offered by KISS-FM, management says "we will also be bringing with us a staton to combat the #1 station, Froggy 97" (WFRY). No word yet on the name of the new station, but we presume it'll carry a country format. Longtime readers of CNYRadio.com may recall, back when we used to cover the Watertown market, that WFRY has a reputation for regularly taking first-place (by a significant margin) in that market's ratings.
Original story revised with minor corrections at 8:50pm. Thanks to Lance Venta from RadioInsight.com for reminding us (via the CNYRadio.com Facebook Page) the FCC doesn't assign call letters to Part 15 stations.
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