WOW FM Manila 103.5 DWKX

WOW FM Manila 103.5 DWKX Live Streaming

DWKX, branded as 103.5 Wow FM, is an FM radio station in the Philippines owned by Advanced Media Broadcasting System, Inc. The station's studio is located in Jollibee Plaza, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, with its transmitter located in Mandaluyong City. It is a 24-hour operating station except on Mondays where it signs-off at midnight, and except Holy Week of each year where it signs-off at midnight of Maundy Thursday and lasts until 3 am of Easter Sunday.

It was known as K-Lite 103.5 from 1995–2007 and Heart 103.5 from January 2007 - June 2007.

In November 2006, the management of K-Lite decided to reformat and reorganize the station. In December of the same year, it was relaunched as Heart 1035 with new on-air personalities. They transferred their studio from Paragon Plaza to Jollibee Plaza.

On June 19, 2007, at exactly 9:00 pm, 103.5 underwent another change of format, rebranding as 103.5 Max FM (identified on-air as "one-oh-three and-a-half Max FM" until June 18, 2010). By 2009 they switched directions to Top 40/Dance but kept the 103.5 Max FM moniker intact.

But by late August 2010, the station underwent a complete reformat as it shifted from an A-B format to a "pang-masa" format. This is The Radio Partners Inc.'s first venture into the mainstream, mass-based market.

103.5 K-Lite (1995–2006)
K-Lite from 1995 to 2006.

Seven of Manila's best disc jockeys (Joe Schmoe, Paul Reno, Jay Latin, Dick Reese, Joshua, Martin Gill and Little David) set out to form a radio station that would best the much-established and well-known old hands of the industry. The new station occupied the frequency, studios and equipment formerly handled by the defunct standards music station DWCS (103.5 CS, then owned by Global Broadcasting System) and changed its call sign to DWKX. K-Lite started airing on October 23, 1995.The first DJ to go on the air was Joe Schmoe; his first song was Pride (In the Name of Love) by U2. Within a few months, it became the favorite radio station of the young professionals and more outspoken listeners.

Offering the best of adult contemporary music and spicing everyday music fare with daring, thought provoking talk, Manila's "First InterActive Radio Station" became a reality. Through the years, K-Lite aired quality talk shows including the groundbreaking program, Talk Back with Joshua (replaced by Vince in 2005) and Jinji, as well as Nitelite with Li'l David, Monica and The Blade, Girl Talk with Monica and Jinji, Sportslite with Anthony Suntay and Twisted with Jessica Zafra and Li'l David. K-Lite made radio talk shows a staple in the FM band.

The station changed its format to attract more audiences from different demographics. From "Right Kind of Lite" format in the late 1990s to "Best Music of the 80s, 90s & Today" in the turn of the century to "Manila's Lite Alternative" in 2003 to 2006. K-Lite began playing alternative rock and sometimes hard rock music on a more frequent basis.

103.5 K-Lite made promotional events that meant more than just parties. The station brought their loyal listeners to get front row seats to the Grammy Awards, International concert tours and celebrity events, and later on, serving free Starbucks Coffee to the call centre agents in the past few years. K-Lite also made its milestone as the very first radio station that covered The Dodgeball Cup on The Morning Brew.

Disc jockeys of K-Lite made their final broadcast altogether on November 30, 2006 to give thanks to their beloved listeners.

Its lite alternative format has since been carried over to sister station Jam 88.3.

Heart FM 1035 (2007)

On January 1, 2007, Heart 103.5 debuted on the airwaves as "Easy Listening the Way it Should Be. The format was easy listening (a mix of contemporary alternative & R&B). They later switched their slogan to "Easy Listening. Redefined."

The lineup consisted of the shows as "THE RIDE" with Janice & Migz from 6-10am, "THE WORKSPACE" with Micky from 10am-2pm, "THE PITSTOP" with Claudine from 2-4pm, & "SUNDOWN" with Tanya from 4-8pm. Past shows: "THE CHATROOM" with Lia from 8pm-12MN & "THE FLIGHT" with Mikey from 12MN-4am.

Heart 1035 had a number of promotional events in the span of six months (Heart Cinemania Premieres, Drives & Jives Stickering, Heart on Air & Ice, Voices for Albay, and others). But in May 2007, Heart 1035 sponsored "The Best Damn Thing" Contest where they sent one of their loyal listeners to Hong Kong to meet Avril Lavigne in person for a special Asian Launch of her album "The Best Damn Thing" at the Hong Kong Convention Center.

Also in May 2005, Heart 1035 won the award for Caltex Fastbreak to the NBA Promo as "The Best Radio Station in Execution of a Promo" beating out other competing radio stations (Jam 88.3, Wave 89.1, Magic 89.9, RX 93.1, Hit 99.5 (now 99.5RT), and Crossover 105.1).

On June 18, 2007, the Heart personalities made their final broadcast as a group.

Though Heart 1035 lasted for only six months, due to management & other issues, it was renamed as "103½ Max FM".

103.5 Max FM (as an AC station, 2007–2009)

"At exactly 9:00 p.m. of June 19, 2007 (originally planned 12:00am July 2nd, 2007), 103.5 presented a new format that sounds more mature akin to adult contemporary. The music covers both old and new hits with a new station name: 103.5 (initially read on air as one-oh-three and-a-half) MAX FM. Their slogan is "In Tune with Manila". The format resembles of the first iteration of 99.5 RT, which at that time was known as 99.5 Hit FM.

103.5 Max FM (as a Dance station, 2009–2010)
Max FM logo from 2009 to 2010.

In mid-2009, the station's sound shifted to a predominantly dance format, with new slogans "Move To It!" and "Manila's Leading Dance Source," introduced to emphasize as such. DWKX's flip to Dance puts them in competition with DZUR, whose direction focuses mostly on pure underground club product, as opposed to DWKX's straight-ahead broader approach. In addition, DWKX also becomes the first fully licensed commercial Dance radio outlet to cover Metro Manila since the demise of 89 DMZ, whose frequency is currently occupied by Rhythmic contemporary sister station Wave 891.

On June 19, 2010, right on the third anniversary of the station, and prior to that, it underwent some minor changes, among others the line-up of DJs and their shows, the revision of how they identify themselves on-air (they dropped the "one-oh-three and-a-half Max FM" in favor of "one-oh-three point five Max FM", as the former is said to be not that much suitable for radio), and the dropping of some of its long-running local programs and foreign syndicated dance programs.

On August 5,2010, the jocks of Maxville made their final broadcast to give thanks to their listeners. Max FM resurfaced as an Internet radio station now called Global Max Radio, which was launched last October 1, 2010.

103.5 Wow FM (August 23, 2010-present)

On August 23, 2010 at 5am, DWKX relaunched as a mass-based station branded 103.5 Wow FM. Laila Chikadora was the first DJ to go on board that morning, followed by Mister Fu & other top-rated DJs.[1] The station's tagline is Lahveet!, which is the Tagalog bastardization of Love it!. This is TRPI's first venture into the mainstream, mass-based market.