Kiss Fm has come in for a lot of stick recently.

Probably England's most famous dance station has during its reign had a calibre of DJ's ranging from Giles Peterson, Carl Cox, Doctor Bob Jones Paul "Trouble Anderson, Colin Faver, Jazzy M , Trevor "The Madhatter" Nelson Dave Rodigon, Groove Rider and Fabio Bobbi and Steve, Patrick Forge, Norman Jay, Manaseh, Steve Jervier, Jazzy B(Soul2 Soul), Judge Jules, the list goes on....

DJ's that most stations in the world would die to have...!!

All these DJ's were part of the Kiss Fm Empire.
A sort of Knights of the Dance table you could say...??

However, all is not well.
The fact that Kiss Fm has had its roots as a pirate radio station is the key
to understanding the annoyance felt by many in England...

The major accusation by many is that Kissfm 100 has "Sold out". Its day time playlist seems to the cause of this annoyance.

Those who remember the Station before it attained legal status, are now shaking their heads in disbelief. Is this the Kiss that they used to listen to?

I think many have come to the conclusion that a station that promised so much has now missed an opportunity to change the concept of how radio could have operated without the need for pirates.

There was optimism that Kiss could change the attitudes of the moneymen with their attitudes towards Underground dance music.

Wasn't the ethos of Kiss Fm to bring about the fundamental principles of making underground dance music to be taken seriously in the commercial music settings of the UK?

Wasn't the ethos of good music always supposed to come first, and dross second?

Wasn't the ethos of Kiss Fm supposed to allow DJ's who knew their S%8* be allowed to playing their kind of music on air, that bought them fame and notoriety in the first place, instead of having to dilute their styles to cater for advertising promotions?

I used to get embrassed during Kiss's daytime radio policy when top
UK DJ's (*In what ever filed they excelled in!!) where asked to play
the latest trendy pop tune.

Could you imagine Trevor Nelson playing the latest "Steps single...
Or even Worse still Doctor Bob Jones..playing the latest Blondie track
(*By the way that's number one! In England - 7th February, 1999).

That leads me nicely into the leaving from the station of Doctor Bob James,
who has been with the station for 10 years.

We learn that his departure from the station was to do with the latest reshuffle that has seen Steve Jackson leaving his Morning Glory show @ Kiss; and we also learn that Paul "Trouble" Anderson has been relegated from his regular spot to the Saturday night graveyard shift.

Jones feels that the station is no longer representative his musical directions.
What about us?

Okay, we can't go back to the days before Kiss became legal.
Its not going to be those days again where you felt that
Kiss was your own pivate Rare Groove Club.

No those days can never come again.
Maybe with another pirate though, but not with Kiss.
When you become legal, your entering a different ball game.

Staff is needed to run a much bigger operation, and those staff need to be paid.
These mean Sales Staff, Radio technicians, Accountants and finally Administrative staff.

However, one the exciting concepts that you had about Kiss fm was that, given the chance they could have changed the way Radio broadcasting was being to us delivered in this country, and maybe the world.

Kiss was supposed to have changed the money men views about black music.

A Radio Station which could show that musical freedom was marketable.

A Radio Station that would employ the cream of the
UK DJ's that knew their fields inside out.

Giving us, the listener, the best Commercial radio station in the world, in terms to the quality of dance music being put out.

Kiss Fm in my view as well as many others feel that Kiss has failed them.

By this we mean in its original role as an advocate of Black and independent dance music.

This can be felt by an huge increase in number of Pirate radio stations
that have grown within London over the last 3 years.

It was thought that when Kiss got granted their license in 1990,
that we had a station that would serve as a voice for quality over dross.

One that could have the power and influence that would see Dance music given the proper respect
that even is even now seen as a quick way to make money.

Kiss Fm radio station is one of those great should have beens.
Please come back to us Kiss!!!