Branding Kicker 108 Format Hot Country | Frequency 107.9 MHz ERP 100,000 watts | |
City Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi Broadcast area Biloxi-Gulfport, Mississippi | ||
WZKX (107.9 FM, "Kicker 108") is a hot country music formatted radio station based in Gulfport–Biloxi-Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi. The station is owned by Coast Radio Group, Inc., and they broadcast with an ERP of 100,000 watts.
Contents
History
In the early 1980s WZKX was one of the only AOR radio stations on the Gulf Coast. With the station located in Orange Grove - just north of Gulfport Mississippi, many of the "redneck rockers" relied on "Rock 107" to play heavier album tracks from Boston to Rush. A "Power Rock Song" at the top of the hour was the only requirement for most of the FM Air personalities.
Just like the plot in the 1978 movie "FM", management brought in tapes and playlists and by 1982 free form AOR disappeared (along with some talent like late night's DJ Jeff Davis, though Mark "In the Middle" McGraw remained.)
In 1987, WZKX started broadcasting at its 1,400-foot (430 m) tower in McHenry, Mississippi, and became a Top 40 hits outlet as Power 108 for South Mississippi until a 1994 switch to country as Kicker 108.
The original Power 108 airstaff was Brian Rhodes mornings, with the late Dave Melton, Sr. doing news, Mark McCraw doing middays (Mark in the Middle), P.D. The Real Rick James doing afternoons, and Mark ("The Top Gun") Gunn doing nights. Reverend Red (Collins Powell) did late nights.
Signal
WZKX's upgraded 1,500-foot (460 m) tower with a 100,000-watt signal can reach east to Mobile, Alabama, west to New Orleans, Louisiana, and north to Laurel, Mississippi.