KEXS (1090 kHz) is an AM radio station licensed to Excelsior Springs, Missouri, and serving the Kansas City metropolitan area. The station is owned by the Catholic Radio Network, and airs a Roman Catholic religious radio format. The call letters stand for its city of license, EXcelsior Springs. To support the station, KEXS periodically holds on-air pledge drives.
KEXS broadcasts at 10,000 watts by day. But because AM 1090 is a clear-channel frequency, reserved for Class A stations WBAL Baltimore and XEPRS Rosarito-Tijuana, the station must reduce power to 4,000 watts during critical hours and sign-off at night, to avoid interference. Programming is simulcast on sister station 890 KMVG and on FM translator K225CI at 92.9 MHz. The Catholic Radio Network also owns 1190 KDMR in Kansas City, which airs EWTN Radio Catholic programming.
KEXS first signed on the air in August 1968, operating as a daytime-only station, licensed to Excelsior Springs, Missouri. In its early years, the station broadcast at a low power of just 250 watts and served as a local community station for Excelsior Springs, featuring a format of country music and local news. In recent decades, prior to its current format, the station featured Southern Gospel music. The station's current format is Roman Catholic religious broadcasting, which the station promotes as providing "the truth of the Gospel message reflected in Catholic teaching on Sacred Scripture and Apostolic Tradition". To support its operations, the station periodically holds on-air pledge drives. The Catholic Radio Network, which owns KEXS, also operates sister stations KMVG (890 AM) and KDMR (1190 AM), which also serve the greater Kansas City area with religious programming.