KTHR

KTHR
City Wichita, Kansas
Broadcast area Wichita, Kansas
Branding ALT 107.3
Slogan "Wichita's Alternative Rock"
Frequency 107.3 MHz
First air date 1967 (as KARD)
Format Alternative rock
ERP 100,000 watts
HAAT 257 meters
Class C1
Facility ID 53600
Callsign meaning K THe Road (former branding)
Former callsigns KARD (1967-03/03/81)
KKRD-FM (03/03/81-04/14/82)
KKRD (04/14/82-06/18/04)
KZCH (06/18/04-06/28/04)
Owner iHeartMedia, Inc.
(Capstar TX LLC)
Webcast Listen Live
Website alt1073.com

KTHR (107.3 FM, "ALT 107.3") is a radio station operating in Wichita, Kansas. The station airs an alternative rock format. Its studios are located in Northeast Wichita and the transmitter is located outside Colwich, Kansas.

History

KTHR's format history includes Easy Listening (or back then known as Beautiful Music) as KARD, which later evolved into an Adult Contemporary format. By the early 1980s, the station's call letters changed to KKRD, but maintained its Adult Contemporary format.

By 1983, KKRD changed its format to Top-40 to compete with KEYN (now a Classic Hits station). Jack Oliver, the station's Program Director at the time, hired Wichita's number one morning show host, Tim Peters. Following the hiring of Peters, the station overtook KEYN in ratings, making KKRD the #1 station in Wichita, forcing KEYN out of the format in 1989. By around 2000, Rhythmic Top 40 station KDGS, "Power 93.9", dethroned KKRD by becoming the highest rated Top 40 station in Wichita.

On June 15, 2004, at Midnight, KKRD dropped its format after 21 years and began stunting with a loop of reruns of the Bob & Tom Show, (at the same time, sister station KRZZ would also begin stunting by directing listeners to 107.3, and would adopt KKRD's format on June 21st as KZCH, "Channel 96.3"). On June 17th, at 10 a.m., KRZZ's classic rock format would move to 107.3 and rebrand as "107.3 The Road" with call letters KTHR adopted on June 28th.[1] On October 30, 2009, KTHR rebranded as "The Brew." "The Brew" differed from traditional classic rock stations in that it features a mix of music with a pop lean, that's appealing to both men and women.

Bob & Tom, a syndicated morning show based in Indianapolis, aired weekdays from 5am - 9am and Saturdays 6am - 10am.

On August 29, 2014, at 9 a.m., after Bob & Tom, KTHR began stunting with Wichita-centric songs and history clips from Wichita and area natives, which began with "Wichita Lineman" by Glen Campbell. One hour later, KTHR flipped to alternative rock, branded as "ALT 107.3".[2] The first song on "ALT" was "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes, which mentions Wichita in its lyrics. The flip marks the first alternative station in Wichita for the first time in 8 years, when KANS flipped to Regional Mexican in 2006.

References

  1. ↑ "Big changes for two Wichita Clear Channel stations"- Wichita Business Journal, June 16, 2004
  2. ↑ Clear Channel Brews Alternative in Wichita

Coordinates: 37°46′41″N 97°30′40″W / 37.778°N 97.511°W / 37.778; -97.511


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