Radio KISW-FM (The Rock Station)

KISW (99.9 FM) is a radio station in Seattle, Washington. Its format is active rock, with the slogan, "The Rock of Seattle".

KISW commenced broadcasting on January 18, 1950. KISW played classical music under the tutelage of its founder and first owner, Ellwood W. Lippincott (1904-1977). From 1954 to 1956, the station was managed by Harvey Manning. KISW abandoned classical music in 1971.

In 1969 the station was purchased by Kaye-Smith, a partnership of famed entertainer Danny Kaye and Lester Smith. At that time Kaye-Smith were also the owners of the number one pop music station in Seattle, KJR-AM. By 1971 KISW had switched to a rock based progressive or underground style of format pioneered by Tom Donahue at KMPX and KSAN in San Francisco.

KISW was not the first commercial station in the Seattle/Tacoma market to experiment with rock and roll programming on the FM radio dial - KOL had already accomplished some success with their FM frequency. Through the early and mid-seventies KISW evolved, as most of the FM progressive stations did, into the more tightly controlled album oriented rock (AOR) format.

A key period in KISW’s history began in the late 70s, when the station adopted the slogan “Seattle’s Best Rock”. Seeming to embrace a younger, more blue-collar aesthetic than Seattle’s other (AOR) stations, KISW added hard rock and heavy metal into the music mix - even in the mornings.

KISW worked with radio consultants Burkhart/Abrams. Lee Abrams had developed a successful hybrid of AOR that applied the principles of Top 40.

Station Manager Steve West and Program Director Beau Phillips developed what would be a long line of top-notch, clever and irreverent KISW radio personalities. The air staff in 1980 included the morning team, John Langan and Mike West, who went by the moniker "Those Dudes". Gary Crow and Bob Hovanes worked together in the afternoon. Both duos ran outrageous audio skits of Leave It To Beaver 1980 and Mr. Bruce’s Neighborhood (a sendup of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood) , along with fake news and other off-color parodies.

After a couple shuffles in the mid 1980s, Gary Crow and Mike West ("Crow & West") aired during afternoon drive, while John Maynard was paired with Robin Erickson ("Robin & Maynard") for the mornings with their fictional sidekick Roy Otis. Both proved extraordinarily popular. But after KISW was sold and management changed, both teams left the station together in 1987 to start rival rock station KXRX.

The exit of Crow & West with Robin & Maynard threw KISW into a long search for a top notch air-talent to compete for Seattle listeners. Eventually, Bob Rivers debuted on KISW in 1989. Bob had gained notoriety in Boston and Baltimore for his parody songs and an 11-day, on-air marathon during a Baltimore Orioles losing streak.

A disgruntled former employee, Vincent L. Hoffart, who was fired from KISW in the late 1970s has continually challenged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) renewal application of KISW. In 1987 he wrote a book about his dealings with the FCC, KISW, and Kaye-Smith titled A Case Of Notorial Imperfections which was reprinted in 2006 as Gippergate.

In 1991 as an April Fool's prank the radio station changed their format to "classical rock" for a day.

In August 2000 the popular "Twisted Radio" show led by Bob Rivers left to join rival radio station KZOK-FM, resulting in a slump in the station's ratings. Howard Stern's nationally syndicated show was signed in May 2001 as a replacement. But by 2005 Stern switched to satellite radio.

On November 30, 2005, the Tom Leykis Show was moved to KISW from sister station KQBZ (which flipped to country), after nearly 1,000 fans called the station and sent emails to stop the switch through protest sites.

On January 3, 2006 at 5:00 am PST, The BJ Shea Morning Experience replaced Howard Stern.