A Rogers-owned Vancouver-area FM station has shifted its branding to KiSS West Coast while retaining a music-focused format and adding home for Canucks radio broadcasts.
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A Vancouver FM radio station has updated its on-air and online branding from KiSS Throwbacks to KiSS West Coast, according to the station’s social media presence. The station is Rogers-owned and broadcasts at 104.9 FM in Vancouver.
The rebrand is connected to a broader set of recent programming changes that have taken place on the same frequency. The station previously used the KiSS Throwbacks name and appears to have moved to the KiSS West Coast identity without a publicly issued press release.
KiSS West Coast also operates on additional regional frequencies, broadcasting at 92.5 FM in Abbotsford and 107.5 FM in Chilliwack. Listeners in these communities would therefore see the same branding shift across the station’s coverage area.
Earlier programming changes included a move to bring Vancouver Canucks radio broadcasts to 104.9 FM. That development was announced on Instagram in a post stating that KiSS Throwbacks would become the home for Vancouver Canucks radio broadcasts.
With the station’s branding now reflecting KiSS West Coast, the Canucks announcement would correspondingly apply under the newer name. The station will carry Canucks games, but the available information indicates there will be no pre- or post-game coverage on the radio.
The change matters for listeners because it affects how and when they can hear team coverage. Without pre- or post-game programming, the station would transition from its regular music format to game broadcasts, rather than offering additional commentary segments before or after the match.
The KiSS West Coast identity represents the second rebrand for the station. It previously rebranded to KiSS Throwbacks last year, following an earlier period when the station operated under the Sonic 104.9 name.
Alongside the earlier switch to KiSS Throwbacks, the station also changed formats toward a “throwback” style of music. At the time, the station described playing throwback tracks from the 2000s and 1990s, as well as other familiar songs across those eras.
While the rebrand is described as subtle compared with other shifts that have occurred in Vancouver’s radio landscape in recent years, it marks another step in the ongoing reshaping of local FM programming.
Rogers did not issue a formal statement related to the branding change, and the information provided indicates the outlet attempted to reach Rogers for more details. For now, the practical takeaway for Metro Vancouver listeners is that the station at 104.9 FM remains the Canucks broadcast home, but under a refreshed KiSS West Coast brand.
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