KNOU

KNOU (96.3 FM) is an FM radio station in St. Louis, Missouri. The station airs a Top 40 (CHR) radio format branded as "Now 96-3". Owned by Entercom, the station's studios are located on Olive Street in St. Louis, while its transmitter is located off Watson Road in Shrewsbury.

For the radio station that was KNOU until August 2012, see KWMZ-FM.
KNOU
CitySt. Louis, Missouri
Broadcast areaGreater St. Louis
BrandingNow 96.3
Slogan"All The Hits"
Frequency96.3 MHz FM (HD Radio)
96.3-2 FM Classical "Classic 107.3"
96.3-3 FM Smooth jazz "Hip 96.3"
Translator(s)107.3 K297BI (St. Louis, relays HD2, owned by Radio Arts Foundation)
First air dateDecember 11, 1959 (as KADI-FM at 96.5)
FormatTop 40 (CHR)
ERP92,000 watts
HAAT309 meters (1,014 ft)
ClassC1
Facility ID27022
Call sign meaningSounds like "now" (station branding)
Former call signsKADI (1959–1975, 1978–1979)
KADI-FM (1975–1978, 1979-1987)
KRJY (1987-1994)
KIHT (1994-2015)
Former frequencies96.5 MHz (1959-1972)
OwnerEntercom
(Entercom License, LLC)
Sister stationsKEZK-FM, KYKY, KFTK-FM, KMOX
WebcastListen Live
Listen Live (HD2)
Websitenow963.com
classic1073.org (HD2)

KNOU has two HD Radio channels:

  • 96.3-HD2 airs a classical music format operated by the non-profit Radio Arts Foundation, branded as "Classic 107.3" (relayed on FM translator K297BI 107.3 FM)
  • 96.3-HD3 airs a smooth jazz format as "Hip 96.3".

History

The 96.5 frequency originally signed on the air on December 22, 1959[1] as KADI, the sister station to AM 1460 KADY in St. Charles. The stations were owned by William R. Cady (hence the KADI call letters); KADI-FM, the first new commercial FM in St. Louis since 1955, mostly simulcast the AM station's programming. In 1965, as KADY failed due to financial difficulties, KADI was sold to Vanguard Broadcasting and returned to the air in 1966. In 1969, Richard J. Miller, owner of KXLW 1320 in suburban Clayton (now KSIV), acquired KADI and relaunched it with a progressive rock format. In 1972, KADI-FM was moved down one notch on the FM dial to 96.3 MHz to allow new station KSCF (now KFTK-FM) in Florissant to go on the air at 97.1 MHz.

In May 1987, the station's call letters were changed to KRJY and the station switched to a soft adult contemporary format as "K-Joy 96" (later "J96").[2] In late 1991, the station switched to 1950s/1960s oldies as "Jukebox 96."

In 1993, the station was sold by R.J. Miller to Heritage Media, who also owned 92.3 WIL-FM and 1430 WRTH. On March 24, 1994, at noon, the station adopted the KIHT call letters and "K-HITS 96" identity, flipping to a "Greatest Hits of the '70s" format, which would evolve into classic hits over the next few years.[3] Heritage's St. Louis properties were sold to the Sinclair Broadcast Group in the mid-1990s, and Sinclair sold the station to Emmis Communications in 2000. Shortly after, 96.3 became the flagship for the #1 rated "Steve & DC" morning program in October 2000. The fans of the much-talked about duo immediately followed them down the dial from 106.5 to 96.3 and lifted KIHT-FM from 10th place to #1 in Persons 25-54 in only one ratings period upon the release of the Arbitron Fall 2000 book—a feat that continues to go unmatched in St. Louis radio history.

In 2014, while keeping a Classic Hits direction, KIHT added more music from the late 1980s to the early 2000s, to compete against adult hits-formatted 106.5 WARH.

On January 30, 2015, at 5 a.m., after playing "Mama Said Knock You Out" by LL Cool J, KIHT flipped to an adult-leaning Top 40/CHR as "Now 96-3". The first song on "Now" was "Blank Space" by Taylor Swift.[4][5] On February 5, 2015, KIHT changed call letters to KNOU to match the "Now" branding. In January 2018, KNOU and KFTK-FM were sold by Emmis to Entercom. In March 2018, after Entercom began managing the station under a local marketing agreement, KNOU shifted to a more mainstream CHR as its positioning was redundant to new sister station KYKY.[6][7]

References
  1. "Radio Station KADY..." St. Louis Post-Dispatch. December 18, 1959. p. 8F. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
  2. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1987/RR-1987-05-08.pdf
  3. "Heritage Switches KRJY/St. Louis From '50s-'60s 'Jukebox' To '70s Gold Mine" (PDF). Radio & Records. pp. 10, 23. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  4. "KIHT St. Louis Flips To CHR Now". RadioInsight. 2015-01-30. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  5. KIHT (K-Hits) St. Louis Format Change to "Now"
  6. "Now 96.3 St. Louis Moves Back To CHR As Entercom Takes Over". RadioInsight. 2018-03-01. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  7. "Sale Prices For Emmis St. Louis Sales To Entercom & Hubbard - RadioInsight". RadioInsight. 2018-02-23. Retrieved 2018-03-02.

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