KKGQ

KKGQ is a 95 kW radio station operating in Wichita, and licensed to Newton, Kansas. The station currently airs a rhythmic-leaning hot adult contemporary format, branded as "Q92 The Beat." The station is owned by the Wichita-based blind advocacy group Envision under their broadcast group division. KKGQ's studios are located next to Envision's headquarters on North Main in Wichita, while its transmitter is located on the south side of Newton.

History

What is now KKGQ started as KJRG-FM in 1959. It was a sister station to Newton-licensed KJRG and had its studios there; both stations were owned by George Basil Anderson. After spending its first 4 years at 92.1 FM, KJRG-FM relocated to its current dial position in 1963. For nearly 4 decades, the station aired a Beautiful music/Easy listening format. In 1975, KJRG-FM changed call letters to KOEZ. Despite the somewhat antiquated format the station was consistently in the top 10 of the Wichita markets' radio ratings in the latter half of the 1980's thru the '90's. After being purchased by Journal in 1999 and focused its audience to Wichita (as well as moving studios there), they flipped to an Adult Contemporary format as "Mix 92.3" and would later evolve to Adult Top 40. The station would change call letters to KMXW. The ratings quickly tanked. The station was the Wichita affiliate of the Dallas-based morning show Kidd Kraddick in the Morning (which moved to KFBZ in 2006). In the fall of 2002, the station flipped to "92-3 the Zone" with an automated Modern AC/Modern Rock format. One year later, the station would revert to Hot AC as "The New 92-3." In September 2004, KMXW flipped to a gold-based Rhythmic Adult Contemporary format as "Magic 92.3". None of these attempts garnered any ratings success. On January 16, 2007, KMXW flipped to classic country as "Classic Country 92.3". The call letters were changed to KFTI-FM. Almost instantly the station jumped back into the top 10 in the ratings.