KWEN
| Company type | Commercial radio station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | 1961 |
| Headquarters | Tulsa , United States |
| Products | Radio broadcasting (country music format) |
| Owner | Cox Media Group |
KWEN (95.5 FM) operates as a commercial radio broadcaster based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Owned by Cox Media Group, the station features a country music programming format. Its studios are situated on Memorial Drive in Tulsa, while the transmission facility is positioned along Route 97 in Sand Springs.
History
The station began operations in 1961 under the call letters KRMG-FM, serving as the FM sister station to KRMG and owned by Swanco Broadcasting. Initially, it simulcast the AM station’s programming at a power of 2,950 watts. In the mid-1970s, it transitioned to a beautiful music format and adopted the KWEN call sign.
Swanco also controlled KKNG in Oklahoma City, marketing both stations together as the "King and Queen of Oklahoma," with KWEN symbolizing the "Queen." During this era, KWEN boosted its transmitting power to 100,000 watts, although its antenna height remained relatively low.
In 1977, Curtis Communications took ownership and introduced a Top 40 format in 1978, which quickly rose to market leadership. Katz Broadcasting acquired KWEN in 1981 and shifted its focus to country music, positioning it against competitors like KTFX (now classic rock station KJSR) and AM country leader KVOO. As country music migrated to FM frequencies, KWEN emerged as Tulsa’s leading country outlet, prompting KVOO’s move to FM at 98.5 MHz.
Newcity Communications purchased Katz Broadcasting in 1986 and added KRMG to its holdings in 1987, bringing both stations back under one corporate umbrella. Throughout the 1980s, KWEN increased its antenna height to over 1,300 feet, significantly broadening its coverage area from Kansas down to Tulsa’s suburban regions near Oklahoma City.
In 1997, Cox Media from Atlanta acquired both KWEN and KRMG and subsequently expanded its Tulsa media assets by adding three more FM stations and two television stations.
HD Radio
KWEN transmits using the HD Radio digital technology.
Previously, its HD2 subchannel broadcast a Contemporary Christian format known as "Spirit 105.7," which was simulcast on FM translator K289CC at 105.7 MHz. On January 19, 2018, KWEN-HD2 adopted an active rock format branded "105.7 The Bone."
On December 11, 2020, K289CC switched from active rock to business news under the name "Success 105.7," simulcasting content from KWEN-HD4. After discontinuing HD3 and HD4 subchannels, the business news programming was relocated to HD2.
In March 2023, Screen Door Broadcasting quietly changed K289CC/95.5-HD2 to an Oldies format titled “Groovy 105.7,” spotlighting music from the 1960s and 1970s and reintroducing this genre to Tulsa following iHeartMedia’s 2018 format change of K228BR from Oldies to Classic Rock.