City Southside, Alabama Frequency 105.9 MHz | Branding Rock 105.9 First air date 1992 (as WRHY) | |
Broadcast area Gadsden and Anniston, Alabama Slogan Gadsden and Anniston's Rock Station | ||
WKLS (105.9 FM, "Rock 105.9") is a radio station broadcasting a mainstream rock format. Licensed to Southside, Alabama, USA, it serves East Alabama including Gadsden, Anniston and Pell City. Named 2015 Radio Station of the Year by the Alabama Broadcasters Association on March 21, 2015. The station is owned by Williams Communications, Inc.
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Programming
On-air personalities include Hurricane Shane in the mornings; The Deacon of Rock with Fraser Deacon in the afternoon; and Sixx Sense featuring Nikki Sixx of the bands Mötley Crüe and SIXX A.M. Weekend programming included normal rotation with weekend personality "Slyder" until his death from a seizure and heart attack on April 6, 2009. Also on the weekend are syndicated shows the Sideshow Countdown and Hard Drive.
History
The station was assigned the WFXO call letters by the Federal Communications Commission on March 4, 2008, and on October 2, 2012 changed their call letters to the current WKLS. The broadcast callsign was considered a heritage in the neighboring metro Atlanta radio market to the east, where it was assigned to "96 Rock", later named "Project 9-6-1" (now WWPW FM 96.1, "Power 96-1") for over three decades from the 1970s until the late 2012. The WKLS callsign stands for the initials of the founding owners: Don Kennedy, James Lathom, and Arthur Swan ("K", "L", and "S"). They formed the station in 1960 with a $25,000 investment, selling it ten years later for $750,000. The station moved from Centre, Alabama to Southside, Alabama on August 20, 2013.