The station currently known as WKIX began its life in the late 1940s as WFMC, 105.5 FM, an apparent stand alone which preceded WFMC 730AM. It's unclear whether or not the station stayed on the air very long, but it eventually ended up at 102.3 FM as the sister station of WFMC 730 AM and was known as WFMC-FM in the late 1970s and early '80s before becoming urban WOKN in 1982. In 1991, WOKN became AC-formatted WEQR (96.9 FM had abandoned the call letters and format in 1990 to replace 104.3 FM as country-formatted WKTC "Katie Country"). Later Hot AC, WEQR began simucasting with new sign-on WEQQ, 95.5 FM, in Pinetops as "The Double Q" in 1996. When 96.9 FM became WKIX on January 9th, 1998, 95.5 FM became WKTC (now WPWZ) and WEQR continued as Hot AC "The Double Q" for three years until 96.9 FM became 80s-oldies WYMY in 2001. WEQR picked up the historic WKIX call letters and simulcast WKXU "Kix 101.1 FM" briefly before becoming separatly programmed, yet identically branded as "Kix 102.3". In 1999, WKIX (then WEQR) upgraded their transmitter plant allowing partial coverage of Raleigh and eastern Wake County. In 2004, owner Curtis Media won FCC approval to change WKIX's city of license from Goldsboro to Smithfield. This will allow the 102.3 FM signal to serve the Triangle. That same year, WKIX began branding as "Country 102", only to return to the "Kix 102" branding in mid-2006. On December 29th, 2006, the WKIX call letters moved again to another spot on the dial, Kinston's 97.7 FM, the former WWNF. The WWNF call letters moved from 97.7 to 102.3. The two simulcasted the country format until February 1st, when 102.3 FM began simulcasting oldies outlet WWMY, "Y-102.9 FM". December 26th, 2008, exactly two years to the day the WKIX call letters left the 102.3 spot on the dial, they returned as 97.7 switched to a hot adult conteporary format using the historic WEQR call letters.
