KMXV

History

The station began in 1958 as KCMK-FM (Kansas City, Missouri/Kansas), a classical station, but had several format changes (primarily country) over the next sixteen years. County DJ Jack Wesley "Cactus Jack" Call was at the station (from KCKN) for one week when he was killed on January 25, 1963 in a car crash. Singer Patsy Cline sang at a benefit for him at Memorial Hall (Kansas City, Kansas) on March 3, 1963. She was unable to leave Kansas City the next day because the airport was fogged in and was killed in a plane crash on March 5, 1963 en route from Fairfax Airport to Nashville.

In 1974, KWKI-FM (call letters which began in 1971) became "The Rock of Kansas City." With this format, it became the first true mainstream FM rock station in Kansas City. After a short period of religious programming beginning in 1978, the station achieved its strongest ratings to date with a switch to soft adult contemporary as KLSI-FM ("Classy 93") on May 20, 1982. The first song on "Classy" was "Kansas City Lights" by Steve Wariner. Following the purchase of the station by Apollo Broadcasting in April 1990, the station rebranded as "Mix 93" in July of that year. In addition, their call letters were changed to KMXV (which were adopted on November 15 of that year), and the station shifted towards the growing Hot AC format, though the station's playlist largely remained the same (the Hot AC format was very similar to the Mainstream AC format at the time). Due to the lack of a full-signaled Top 40 outlet in the market (KISF's signal was mostly East of the city), KMXV began a slow transition to the format in late 1993 and early 1994, shifting the AC format and personalities over to then-sister KUDL. On March 28, 1994, the change to "Mix 93.3" was complete. In the beginning, KMXV offered a heavily dance-leaning rhythmic Top 40 direction. Regent Broadcasting bought the station in 1995, with Jacor purchasing it in 1997. Jacor then spun the station off (as well as newly acquired sister stations KBEQ, KFKF, KOWW and KYYS) to American Radio Systems. Infinity Broadcasting bought ARS on September 19, 1997, with Infinity changing its name to CBS Radio in December 2005. By 1996, it had returned to a more broad-based mainstream Top 40 approach that at times leaned towards adult/modern product. Despite being in competition with top 40 station KKSW and rival KCHZ offering more rhythmic content than KMXV (and, to a lesser extent, urban contemporary KPRS), Mix has maintained high ratings for years. However, this changed in late 2010, when KCHZ began overtaking them in the ratings, as that station was ranked #2 with a 6.2 share, while Mix had a 5.6 share and ranked #5. To combat this, the station began leaning more towards rhythmic content, while slightly edging away from its long-time adult lean, and with sister station KCKC having relaunched its AC format with an upbeat approach in 2014, KMXV has moved more towards a current-based presentation in line with other Top 40/CHRs in the United States.

Concert

KMXV produces an annual, day-long concert every year with the title "RED WHITE & BOOM". Artists such as Ashlee Simpson, Maroon 5, Kelly Clarkson, Jesse McCartney, Destiny's Child, Daughtry, Pink, Nick Lachey, Bon Jovi, Jordin Sparks, and Lifehouse have performed. It has been running for 14 years and is usually held in June. The concert was staged at the Sandstone Amphitheater in Bonner Springs, Kansas, although in 2011, the venue was changed to Worlds of Fun in Kansas City, Missouri. In 2012, "Red White & Boom" was held at Starlight Theatre on June 23.