KCMS

KCMS is an FM radio station licensed to Edmonds, Washington, serving the Seattle market. It broadcasts a Contemporary Christian music format branded as Spirit 105.3.

The station broadcasts at 105.3 MHz from Seattle (with a transmitter on Cougar Mountain), and includes translators broadcasting on 92.1 MHz (K221BG) in Aberdeen, Washington; 103.5 MHz (K278BH) in Astoria, Oregon; and 103.9 MHz (K280FF) in Chehalis, Washington. It is owned and operated by Crista Ministries. The station's main transmitting antenna is located on Cougar Mountain and transmits at 54 kW, while studios are located in the Seattle suburb of Shoreline.

KCMS broadcasts in HD.

KCMS (HD) is a simulcast of "Spirit 105.3" on HD 1.

"Pure Music Radio" is on HD 2.

KCIS is simulcast in HD on HD 3.

The station is ranked 21st in the Seattle-Tacoma Arbitron PPM ratings data for September 2011 with 2.5 percent of the market share.

History

Prior to 1984, KCMS was known as KBIQ; the original calls were KGFM. KBIQ was used from about 1970 to 1984. That callsign now belongs to a Contemporary Christian music station in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The prior usage of the KCMS callsign was for a non-religious station broadcasting at 103.1 MHz from Indio, California. In that context, the "CMS" was promoted as meaning "Classical Music Station."