WKKV-FM facts for kids
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| Broadcast area | Racine/Milwaukee |
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| Frequency | 100.7 MHz (also on HD Radio) |
| Branding | V-100.7 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Urban Contemporary HD2: Soft AC "The Breeze" |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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Sister stations
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WISN, WMIL-FM, WOKY, WRIT-FM, WRNW |
| History | |
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First air date
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August 1948 (as WRJN-FM) |
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Former call signs
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WRJN-FM (1948–1969) WRAC-FM (1969–1970) WRKR (1970–1986) WHBT-FM (1986–1987) WBZN-FM (1987–1991) |
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Call sign meaning
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"KK" likely for the Kinnickinnic River's common nickname, with the "V" a common branding for R&B and hip-hop stations |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 68758 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 50,000 watts |
| HAAT | 152 meters (499 ft) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | v100.iheart.com |
WKKV-FM (100.7 MHz), also known as V-100.7, is a popular radio station. It plays urban contemporary music, which means you'll hear a lot of hip-hop and R&B songs. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and serves the Milwaukee area. It broadcasts with a powerful signal of 50,000 watts and is licensed to Racine, Wisconsin. Its studios are located in Greenfield, a suburb of Milwaukee.
The music on V-100.7 mostly includes current hip-hop and R&B hits. However, late at night on weekdays, the station airs a special program called Quiet Storm. This show features slower R&B and classic soul songs, perfect for winding down.
V-100.7 has one of the strongest signals in its area. Its signal can travel across Lake Michigan all the way to the state of Michigan. You can usually hear V-100.7 clearly as far west as Madison, Wisconsin, north to Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and south into the Chicago suburbs. Sometimes, especially in the summer, the signal can travel even further. This happens when warm air and cool lake water create special conditions that help radio waves travel longer distances.
WKKV is also known for hosting an annual music event called "Jam 4 Peace."
Contents
Station History
The radio station we know as WKKV-FM started broadcasting a long time ago. It first went on air on August 26, 1948. Back then, its original call letters were WRJN-FM. These call letters were shared with its sister station, WRJN. The station was owned by the company that published the Racine Journal Times newspaper.
Changing Names and Music Styles
In early 1969, another radio station owner in Racine bought WRJN-FM. A few months later, the station changed its name to WRAC-FM.
In December 1970, WRAC-FM changed its music style to a rock-based Top 40 format. This meant it played the most popular rock and pop songs of the time. It also got a new name: WRKR. At first, it focused on listeners in Racine, Kenosha, and the southern part of Milwaukee County. Over time, WRKR started trying to reach the whole Milwaukee area. For a while, WRKR was the local station that played American Top 40, a very popular music countdown show.
New Sounds and Current Format
Around 1986, because many other stations were also playing Top 40 music, WRKR started adding some lighter R&B songs. For less than a year, it was known as "Heartbeat 101" with the call letters WHBT-FM. This station was one of the first in the country to play a mix of R&B music in this way.
In September 1987, the station changed its format again to new-age music and became WBZN-FM, known as Breezin' 100.7. Then, on June 6, 1991, the station made its final big change. It switched to the Urban contemporary format it has today and became WKKV-FM, or V-100 FM.
For many years, WKKV-FM featured the "Doug Banks Morning Show." In December 2007, this show ended, and the station brought in Steve Harvey for the morning slot. After six years, in August 2013, Steve Harvey's show was replaced. WKKV-FM then became one of the first stations to broadcast The Breakfast Club, a popular morning show from New York.
HD Radio Channels
WKKV also uses HD Radio technology. This means it can broadcast more than one channel at the same time using a digital signal.
On April 25, 2006, the station announced that its HD2 subchannel would play gospel music. In the summer of 2009, the gospel format was changed to "All My Jams." This channel played adult urban contemporary music and was available through the iHeartRadio smartphone app.
Later, on December 15, 2011, the station's HD3 subchannel started broadcasting progressive talk programs from another station in Madison, Wisconsin. This gave Milwaukee its first station with this type of talk show. However, this format ended in November 2016. After that, WKKV-HD2 began to repeat the sports programming from station WOKY (920). On November 30, 2018, it changed again to play soft adult contemporary music, calling itself "The Breeze." This change happened because WOKY's sports programs moved to another station's main channel.
