Technical Profile: WKNN

FM Technical Profile: WKNN

Station Name:: K 99
Frequency:: 99.1
Format:: Country
Transmitter Location:: [map][street view] Just west of MS-57 almost halfway between D'Ibberville and Vancleave. Co-located with WMJY-FM and WBUV.
Power (ERP):: 99 kW horizontal; 97.3 kW vertical
Antenna:: Directional
Antenna HAAT:: 984 feet
Other Information:: 60 dBu protected contour map, from the FCC.; :

PS-song title/artist
Time-?
Text-K99.1 Today's Best Country
PTY-Country
PI-KCVF-FM; AUX: 85 kW (88 w/ beam tilt) @ 568 feet. 60 dBu protected contour map, from the FCC.
More Information:: [FCC]; [FCCdata]; [Radio-Locator]; [Wikipedia]

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[Picture] Image with RDS data from an Insignia HD portable, showing the PI (call sign) and Radio Text fields. Note the incorrect PI field, common to iHeart Media stations.
[Picture] Image with RDS data from a Mazda car stereo, showing the PI (call sign), Radio Text and PTY (format) fields, from May 2017.

[Studio] Street View imagery of the iHeartMedia studios on Debuys Road in Biloxi.
Owner:: iHeartMedia
History:: This station dates back to an original construction permit issued to Crest Broadcasting Company, Incorporated, owners of WPMP AM 1580 in Pascagoula, in July 1964. The original grant was for 98.9 MHz, with 26.2 kW at 183 feet HAAT (Height Above Average Terrain), with the antenna on the WPMP AM tower off what was then US-90 (now Telephone Road). The station signed on in early December 1964 using a Collins 830E-1A transmitter feeding a Collins 37M-6 six section FM antenna. The station moved to 99.1 MHz in October 1965. Early Broadcasting Yearbook editions did not list formats for either this station or its AM sister, but it's likely that the FM simulcast the AM's mix of Country and Easy Listening in the early years.

The station filed in May 1976 a change to boost power to 100 kW at 346 feet HAAT, with a Gates FM-40H3 transmitter feeding a Gates FMS-6 six section FM antenna. That was later amended to include a Harris FM-20K transmitter and Harris FMS-12 twelve sector FM antenna. A license to cover for this change was filed in late December 1978.

By 1981, the Broadcasting Yearbook lists this station with a Beautiful Music format. The stations were acquired by Gulf Coast Country Corporation in September 1982. By the mid-80's, they'd flipped this station to Contemporary Country, the same format it has to this day. The station was granted a move to a new tower site in January 1986, moving to the currently-licensed location off MS-57 near the intersection of Gautier-Vancleave Road. With this move came a boost to 100 kW and 984 feet HAAT, giving the station a significant boost in coverage area. What that change was in the works, the stations went through other changes: In August 1985, they were acquired by Southern Star Broadcasting. In April 1986, they changed the call sign to WPMO and WPMO-FM. The license to cover for the boost to 100 kW and new tower site was granted in September 1985. The call sign changed to WKNN in January 1988.

The station would be acquired by SFX Broadcasting in 1997. They, in turn, were gobbled up by AMFM, Inc. in 1999. That is one of the precursor companies to Clear Channel Broadcasting, which is today known as iHeart Radio. Through the years, this station has been a popular and top-rated country outlet along the Mississippi gulf coast.