KTPI-FM
| City | Mojave, California |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Antelope Valley |
| Branding | 97.7 KTPI |
| Slogan | "The AV's Best Country" |
| Frequency | 97.7 FM (MHz) |
| First air date | 1967 |
| Format | Country |
| ERP | 3,000 watts |
| HAAT | 91 meters |
| Class | A |
| Facility ID | 2320 |
| Callsign meaning | TehachaPI (city of license of KTPI-FM's original 103.1 signal) |
| Former callsigns |
KDOL-FM (prior to 8/15/85) KAVS (8/15/85-6/4/90) KHXT (6/4/90-6/8/90) KAVS (6/8/90-8/9/00) KVVS (8/9/00-12/21/07) KOSS (12/21/07-1/2/08) |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Owner | RZ Radio LLC |
| Sister stations | KAVL, KTPI |
| Website | 97-7 KTPI |
KTPI-FM (97.7 FM, "97-7 KTPI") is a commercial radio station which is licensed to Mojave, California and serves the Antelope Valley region of Southern California. It is owned by RZ Radio LLC and broadcasts a country music format.
History
Early years
The station originally signed on August 1, 1967 as KDOL-FM in Mojave, California; it aired a country music format as a simulcast of AM sister station KDOL.[1] In 1984, the simulcast ended and 97.7 began operating an automated top 40 format.
In July 1985, Chambers Broadcasting purchased KDOL-AM-FM for $475,000. As Chambers also owned KTPI (then on 103.1 FM), and the Federal Communications Commission at the time limited radio station ownership to one AM and one FM station per market, KDOL-FM was spun off to Antelope Broadcasting, which owned KAVL.[2] Antelope changed the call letters to KAVS and adopted the branding "Hot 97".
In September 1996, KAVS dismissed its entire staff and flipped to a satellite-delivered modern rock format.[3] In 1997, KAVS began simulcasting with KYHT (105.3) in Yermo and both stations broadcast as "High Desert Modern Rock 97.7 & 105.3".
Jacor/Clear Channel era (1998-2011)
In September 1998, Antelope Broadcasting sold its three stations — KAVS, KTPI, and KYHT — to Jacor Communications for $4 million.[4] Jacor would be purchased by Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia) the following year. KAVS and KYHT dropped their modern rock programming and began simulcasting the top 40 format of Clear Channel sister station KIIS-FM (102.7 FM) in Los Angeles part-time. In the early days of Jacor/Clear Channel ownership, KAVS hosted many on-air events in the Antelope Valley and Barstow areas.
The grouping of KIIS-FM (102.7 FM) in Los Angeles, KIIS (1220 AM) in Santa Clarita,[5] KAVS (97.7) in the Antelope Valley, KYHT (105.3) in Barstow/Victor Valley, and KFMS (101.9) in Las Vegas, Nevada created nearly continuous coverage of KIIS-FM between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. However, KFMS in Las Vegas was branded as "KISS" instead of "KIIS".
Following the Jacor/Clear Channel merger, the new owners made drastic changes that produced a ripple effect across Southern California radio. The KAVS/KYHT simulcast was discontinued, and the latter's operations were transferred to Clear Channel's Victorville office. KYHT continued with the KIIS-FM format for two years, after which it began simulcasting KZXY (Y102) in Victorville. KFMS in Las Vegas dropped its KIIS-FM simulcast and "KISS-FM" branding, introducing all-local programming and eventually changing formats altogether. Meanwhile, KAVS changed callsigns to KVVS in August 2000. Under Clear Channel ownership, the station progressively became less involved in the Antelope Valley community. Eventually, the station dropped all local content except advertisements and simulcast KIIS-FM full-time; the website for KVVS simply redirected to that of KIIS-FM.
On December 21, 2007, the KVVS call letters and the simulcast of KIIS-FM were moved to 105.5 FM in Rosamond, California; that station was previously known as "105.5 The Oasis". The KOSS call sign moved from 105.5 to 97.7, as did the country format from the then-KTPI on 103.1 FM; the 103.1 frequency then began simulcasting KYSR (Star 98.7) in Los Angeles. While the format of 97.7 was branded as "97-7 KTPI", the KTPI call letters remained at 103.1 in Tehachapi temporarily. On January 2, 2008, both KOSS and KTPI swapped call signs, with 97.7 FM now becoming KTPI-FM. The station at 103.1 took on the KOSS call letters briefly, changing to KSRY on January 10, 2008.
RZ Radio era (2011-present)
As a condition of approving a plan by Clear Channel to become a privately-held corporation, the FCC required the company to divest 194 stations in markets where it exceeded ownership limits by placing them into a trust until they are sold.[6] In January 2008, Clear Channel announced that KTPI-FM and sports radio outlet KAVL were transferred to the Aloha Stations Trust.[7] In December 2011, RZ Media LLC, owned by Saul Rosenzweig, purchased KTPI-FM and KAVL from the trust, and KTPI (AM) from Clear Channel directly, for a total of $800,000.[8]
Programming
Weekday programming on KTPI-FM includes Big D and Bubba (syndicated from Nashville, Tennessee) mornings and program director Shannon Smith in the midday timeslot, which features the "All Request Lunch Hour". Mark Haden is on-air during afternoon drive, followed by the syndicated show The Big Time with Whitney Allen Monday-Saturday evenings and CMT After Midnite with Cody Alan overnight. Weekends feature Crook and Chase and Ramblin' Ray.
References
- ↑ "Directory of AM and FM Radio Stations in the U.S." (PDF). Broadcasting Yearbook. Broadcasting Publications Inc. 1968. p. B-19. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
- ↑ "For the Record: Ownership Changes" (PDF). Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications Inc. July 22, 1985. p. 98. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
- ↑ "Street Talk" (PDF). Radio and Records. November 15, 1996. p. 26. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
- ↑ "Citadel Gets Citywide Coverage In Two Louisiana Towns" (PDF). Radio and Records. September 11, 1998. p. 6. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
- ↑ "Rumbles" (PDF). Radio and Records. March 22, 2002. p. 26. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
- ↑ "Clear Channel Says Aloha To 194 Stations" (PDF). Radio and Records. June 29, 2007. p. 5. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
- ↑ Venta, Lance (January 25, 2008). "Clear Channel Spinoff List". RadioInsight. RadioBB Networks. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
- ↑ "Trio bids Aloha to Clear Channel trust". Radio and Television Business Report. Streamline Publishing Inc. December 16, 2011. Retrieved May 15, 2018.