KGY FM radio is local country

Country music is back in the South Sound.

On Saturday, KGY FM 96.9 shifted to an all-hits country music format – – with a twist. Using social media, listeners will be able to tell the station what they want to hear.

Country music fans can go to SouthSoundCountry.com and offer ideas and suggestions for the new station, according to Operations Manager Kevin Huffer. “We invite everyone to tell us what they want to hear,” he said.

“The recent demise of another country station, which is now doing sports, led us to conclude that there was a huge hole in the market,” Huffer said. “There are more than a million people in the South Sound who will now have their own country station with information and personalities relevant to their home towns.”

KGY AM/FM General Manager Jackson Dell Weaver said that radio was the original social media. “It was people talking to people and we want to use the new social media tools to expand how we talk to our audiences and vice-versa.”

Music programming on KGY FM 96.9 is being handled by Ken Moultrie of The New Broadcast Partners. Moultrie has programmed numerous successful country stations in the Puget Sound and elsewhere during his career.

KGY 1240 AM celebrates its 90th anniversary this year. It was one of the first radio stations in the state. The Kerry family has operated the station since 1937. KGY 1240 AM is a local news, weather, and sports station.