KJR-FM

KJR-FM (95.7 FM) is a Seattle, Washington, radio station that is broadcasting a classic hits format. It operates at 95.7 MHz with 100,000 watts effective radiated power with a transmitter near Issaquah, Washington on Cougar Mountain,^[1] and also on the Internet via streaming audio and operates from its studios in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood northwest of downtown. KJR-FM is owned by iHeartMedia.

KJR-FM broadcasts in HD.^[2]

History

KJR

KJR-FM is a replication of KJR (AM) when it was a rock/top-40 station from 1958 to 1982. The AM station is now a sports station, which started in 1991.

95.7 FM

This station signed on the air on May 25, 1960 and was owned until 1963 by Rogan Jones, founder of the radio automation firm IGM. It had a beautiful music format under the callsign KGMJ. It was sold to the owners of KIXI (880 AM) who kept the beautiful music format as a simulcast of the AM station, as well as changing call letters to KIXI-FM on October 19, 1978.

In 1980, the simulcasting ended. The AM side adopted an oldies format while the FM side programmed an adult contemporary format that emphasized on instrumentals and easy listening music as "KIXI Light". The station was sold in 1986 to the Ackerley Group (owners of KJR), and changed call letters and monikers to KLTX "95.7 K-Lite", on April 28, 1986, while retaining the adult contemporary format. The station had a series of translators located in and around Seattle from the late 1980s through early 1990s. These included K292AL Everett (106.3 FM), K285AE Olympia (104.9 FM, now KUBE), K277AB Edmonds (103.3 FM), and K277AA Seattle (also located at 103.3 FM). The station was known for having a wide and diverse playlist, a rarity for an AC station.^[3]

After 3 weeks of stunting with a mix of music ranging from 1980s' pop, grunge rock, rap, all-'60s music, country, and Hot Adult Contemporary (and branded as "The Northwest's New 95.7", a nod to KUBE's early years in the 1980s), the station's format was changed to All-'70s Hits on April 29, 1994, and changed call letters to KJR-FM on June 1.^[4] The following month, KJR AM & FM would be sold to a partnership with New Century Management and Ackerley titled "New Century Media" (Ackerley would re-acquire full control of the two stations in February 1998).^[5][6] The station was home to The Lost 45s with Barry Scott during the mid-'90s. The station would gradually shift towards a general classic hits format in 1997. The station was usually ranked in the middle of the ratings, capturing about a 3 share of the market.^[7]

In early 2000, the station gradually added more 1980s and 1990s music, while still being called KJR-FM. The station officially flipped to Rock AC with the branding "Mix 95.7" in May 2000. The call letters would change to KMBX on August 11, 2000. This format was only temporary.

At 7 PM on October 28, 2000, KMBX began stunting with a loop of a heartbeat sound effect. At 7 AM on October 30, KMBX flipped to a rhythmic oldies format with the branding "95-7 The Beat."^[8] The call letters were also changed to KBTB on January 29, 2001. This format did moderately well in the ratings; however, with the nationwide decline with the rhythmic/urban oldies format, the station fell in the ratings as well.

Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia) bought the station in May 2002, and on May 29, at 6 PM, after playing "Last Dance" by Donna Summer, the station started stunting as "Quick 96", where the station played 1200 10-second clips of certain songs from any given genre.^[9][10] On May 31, at 5 PM, the stunting concluded and during a live broadcast from the Space Needle, the station changed formats back to classic hits and changed call letters back to KJR-FM a month later. The first song on the revived "KJR-FM" was "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive.^[11] The station featured music from the 1970s and the 1980s, and some 1960's music. The second incarnation of the format has done tremendously well in the Arbitron ratings, usually peaking in the Top 5. In 2008, KJR-FM started rebroadcasting actual American Top 40 shows from the 1970s^[12] after KBSG flipped formats.

On November 12, 2010, at 3 PM, the station started playing round the clock Christmas music (though the majority of it was classic Christmas tunes) and changed monikers to "Christmas 95.7". On December 26, KJR-FM rebranded as "Oldies 95.7", but retained the classic hits format.^[13] However, the station dumped 1980s' music, but kept 1970s' tracks and added more 1960s' tracks. It was one of two stations targeting the Puget Sound area with an oldies/classic hits format, the other being KMCQ.

On April 1, 2011, KJR-FM became the new home of Bob Rivers' morning show. Rivers was let go by rival KZOK-FM the previous September.

On November 4, 2011, Clear Channel did not transfer the KJR-FM calls to its sister station 102.9 FM after that station, which was KNBQ (now KFOO), began simulcasting KJR 950.

By December 2011, KJR-FM added 1980s' music back into its playlist. It also updated its logo, and rebranded as simply "95.7 KJR."

KJR-FM has since added actual American Top 40 shows from the 1980s, including those KJR/950 had aired in addition to the AT40 1970s rebroadcast that the station had aired since 2008. The rebroadcasts are heard on the weekends. KJR-FM has also added Dick Bartley's Classic Countdown show, also on weekends. Since 2010, KJR-FM has also billed itself during the holiday season as "Seattle's Radio Home for the Holidays," airing continuous Christmas music until returning to its classic hits format every December 26. KJR-FM's playlist, by this point, consisted of hits from 1964-1989.

Over the last two months of 2013 and into 2014, KJR-FM altered its format to add more classic rock and grunge rock artists. The station registered domains pointing towards a flip to classic rock, classic alternative, or modern rock, with a likely rebranding to 95.7 The Jet, to match Seattle's nickname as "Jet City", as it is home to Boeing, and to match the old callsign of KJET (now KLFE) at 1590 AM, which was one of the first alternative rock stations in the country from 1982-1988.^[14] On July 29, 2014, KJR-FM went jockless (except for the morning show), and began promoting "a new 95.7 taking off" on August 8 at 10 AM, after Bob Rivers' final morning show (Rivers announced his retirement on July 28).^[15]

On August 8, at 10:08 AM, following Bob Rivers' goodbye show, KJR-FM flipped back to classic hits and rebranded as 95.7 The Jet. The first song on "The Jet" was Jet Airliner by The Steve Miller Band.^[16] The flip resulted in the dropping of the remaining 1960s music, with an increased emphasis on 1970s and 1980s hits.

References

External links

• KJR-FM website
• Query the FCC's FM station database for KJR
• Radio-Locator information on KJR
• Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for KJR

Coordinates: 47°32′40″N 122°06′26″W / 47.54444°N 122.10722°W / 47.54444; -122.10722