Over the years, for whatever reason, it seems like “pure” Rhythmic CHR has failed in Houston. The two most recent attempts to make the format work have been on limited signals. One of these attempts was “Kiss 98-5, Kiss Again 103-3” (KHYS/KJOJ), which replaced the previous NAC/Jazz format, on February 24, 1997. Kiss offered a Dance-oriented approach targetted at Latinos, similar to Power 96 in Miami. Styles of music heard on the station included house, freestyle, bass, tropical, and R&B. While the station seemed to be making some progress in the ratings early, it never got to the next level. During the Spring of 1998, KHYS/KJOJ shifted to a more Mainstream format — essentially a more Rhythmic version of the heritage Mainstream CHR in the market, KRBE. The ratings remained dangerously low…and so on January 1, 1999, Kiss 98-5, Kiss Again 103-3 flipped to the Rhythmic Oldies (a.k.a. “Jammin Oldies”) format that was being cloned all over the country.
