KFTK-FM

KFTK-FM
City	Florissant, Missouri
Broadcast area	Greater St. Louis
Branding	FM News Talk 97.1
Slogan	In Touch and Up to Date
Frequency	97.1 MHz FM (also on HD Radio) 97.1-2 FM "MyRedLounge"
Translator(s)	98.7 K254CR (St. Louis)
Repeater(s)	1490 KFTK (East St. Louis)
First air date	1977
Format	News/Talk
ERP	100,000 watts
HAAT	171 meters (561 feet)
Class	C1
Facility ID	73890
Callsign meaning	K FM TalK
Former callsigns	KSCF (1977–1980) KCFM (1980–1985) KLTH (1985–1989) KHTK (1989–1992) KXOK-FM (1992–2000) KFTK (2000–Present)
Affiliations	Westwood One Network Premiere Networks Fox News Radio
Owner	Emmis Communications (Emmis Radio License, LLC)
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	971talk.com

KFTK-FM (97.1 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Florissant, Missouri, broadcasting to the Greater St. Louis media market. KFTK-FM airs a news/talk radio format and featuring local and nationally syndicated conservative hosts. Owned by Emmis Communications, the station's studios are located in the Powerhouse building at St. Louis Union Station, while the transmitter is located off Norwood Drive in O'Fallon. KFTK-FM's programming is also simulcast on AM 1490 KFTK in East St. Louis, Illinois and on FM translator station K254CR at 98.7 FM in St. Louis.

It is affiliated with Fox News Radio and on weekdays features Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Brian Kilmeade, Coast to Coast AM with George Noory, and This Morning, America's First News with Gordon Deal. Weekends include Glenn Beck and Jonathan Brandmeier.

Local talent includes former KMOV-TV 4 reporter Jamie Allman (morning host), Marc Cox (early afternoons) and Dave Glover (late afternoons), the lawyer-turned-comedy/current events talk show host whom the station developed its lineup around when it changed to a talk radio format. Other local weekend talent include Dr. Randy Tobler, Bob Stockdale (money talk), Rodney Boyd (Insider Talk), Stacy Washington (Stacy on the Right) & Annie Frey.

History

The station originally signed on the air in 1977, as KSCF. The call letters stood for St. Charles and Florissant. The station featured a middle of the road/easy listening format. One of the original owners was Harlan "Grant" Horton, a longtime St. Louis broadcaster at KSD, WRTH, KMOX, KXOK AM 630 and WEW. The sign on of 97.1 caused KADI-FM to move from its original frequency of 96.5 to 96.3 to accommodate the new radio station.

K-Lite 97.1/Breeze 97/Hot 97

In 1980, after the KCFM call letters were dropped by 93.7, they were picked up by 97.1, and the station aired an Adult Contemporary format until 1985, when the call letters would change once again to KLTH "K-Lite 97", with a Soft Adult Contemporary format. KLTH gradually segued into a format called "Breeze 97," which was "New Adult Contemporary," an early predecessor to the Smooth Jazz format. In 1989, the station was sold once again, and the new owners flipped the station to Top 40 as "Hot 97" with the call letters KHTK. The Top 40 format ended when former Top 40 station WKBQ was briefly under lease by the station's owner Saul Frischling of Pittsburgh, and both top 40 stations were merged at 106.5, taking personalities from both stations.

Mix 97.1 KXOK

In November 1992, the station changed call letters to KXOK-FM, and flipped to Urban AC as "Mix 97-1", after the Urban Oldies format from the former KXOK (630 AM) was moved to FM. "Mix" would try to compete with the Urban AC leader in St. Louis, KMJM ("Majic 108"). The two stations simulcasted briefly before the AM was taken off the air completely, pending a sale to a religious broadcaster.

97FM The Rock

In 1998, Frischling sold KXOK to the Sinclair Broadcast Group, which owned ABC affiliate KDNL. In September of that year, the Urban format was dropped, and the station began simulcasting KPNT. On September 25, KXOK began stunting with a 48-hour loop of "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns 'n' Roses. Two days later, KXOK switched formats to classic rock as "The Rock" while retaining the KXOK-FM call letters.^[1] The station enjoyed the most success seen on the frequency to that date as a competitor to Emmis Communications' KSHE.

97.1 FM Talk

In the fall of 2000, Emmis Communications added to its St. Louis radio portfolio by purchasing properties from Sinclair Broadcasting, which wanted to focus on its television properties. The sale to Emmis led KXOK and KSHE to become sister stations. Upon purchasing KXOK, and to avoid overlap with KSHE, KXOK changed formats to talk radio on October 16, 2000;^[2] the call letters changed to KFTK two days later.^[3] Initially, the station focused on a female audience, which included such syndicated personalities as Bob and Sheri, Dr. Joy Browne, Clark Howard, Dr. Laura, Phil Hendrie, Rhona at Night, Loveline, and John and Jeff. The station used the name "97.1 FM Talk." Failing to reach much of an audience, the station shifted towards more political talk in 2002, adding such talkers as Don Imus, Bill O'Reilly, and Sean Hannity. The station briefly changed its name to "97-1 the Link...Real Life Radio" but soon returned to the "FM Talk" moniker.

The call sign was modified from KFTK to KFTK-FM on September 8, 2016.^[3] On September 15, 2016, KFTK-FM began simulcasting on AM 1490 WQQX, renamed KFTK, and FM translator station 98.7 K254CR to improve the station's coverage in downtown St. Louis and the Illinois side of the market.^[4]

KFTK-FM is the only talk station in the St. Louis market that carries a sizable number of nationally syndicated radio shows. The two main talk stations in St. Louis, KTRS and KMOX carry mostly local programs. KTRS runs Jim Bohannon and First Light, while KMOX airs The Rush Limbaugh Show and Overnight America with Jon Grayson.

References

↑ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1998/RR-1998-10-02.pdf
↑ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2000/RR-2000-10-13.pdf
1 2 "Call Sign History (KFTK-FM)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
↑ Venta, Lance (September 15, 2016). "FM NewsTalk 97.1 St. Louis Adds Two Additional Signals". RadioInsight. Retrieved September 15, 2016.

External links

Query the FCC's FM station database for KFTK

Radio-Locator information on KFTK

Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for KFTK

Radio stations in the St. Louis market

by AM frequency	550 590 630 690 730 770 850 880 920 1010 1080 1120 1190 1260 1280 1320 1350 1380 1400 1430 1460 1490 1570 1600

by FM frequency	88.1 88.7 89.1 89.5 89.5 89.7 89.7 89.9 89.9 90.3 90.7 91.5 92.3 93.3 93.7 94.1 94.7 95.5 96.3 97.1 97.7 98.1 98.5 99.1 99.9 100.3 100.7 101.1 101.7 101.9 102.5 103.3 104.1 104.5 104.9 105.7 106.5 107.3 107.7

NOAA Weather Radio frequency	162.450 162.550

by callsign	K270BW K297BI KATZ KCFV KCLC KDHX KDO89 KEZK KFAV KFNS KFNS-FM KFTK KFTK-FM KFUO KGNA KGNX KHOJ KHZR KJFF KLJY KLLT KLOU KMJM-FM KMOX KNLH KNOU KPNT KPVR KQQX KQQZ KRAP KSD KSHE KSIV KSIV-FM KSLQ KSLZ KSTL KTJJ KTRS KWMU KWRE KWUR KXEN KXFN KXI70 KXQX KYFI KYKY KYRO KZQZ WARH WBGZ WCBW-FM WEW WFUN-FM WGNU WHHL WIJR WIL WLCA WRYT WSDZ WSIE WXOS

Defunct, now internet-only	KFUO-FM

Satellite radio local traffic/weather XM Channel 217 Sirius Channel 151 Nearby radio markets Cape Girardeau Columbia-Jefferson City Hannibal/Quincy Marion–Carbondale Mount Vernon Springfield, IL See also List of radio stations in Missouri List of radio stations in Illinois

News/Talk radio stations in the state of Missouri

Stations	KALM – Thayer KAPE – Cape Girardeau KBMV-FM – Birch Tree KCMO – Kansas City KELE - Mountain Grove KFEQ – Saint Joseph KFMO – Flat River KFRU – Columbia KFTK-FM – Florissant KHMO – Hannibal KJFF – Festus KJPW – Waynesville KLPW – Union KMBZ – Kansas City KMOX – Saint Louis KREI – Farmington KRMS – Osage Beach KRZK – Branson KSGF – Springfield KSGF-FM – Ash Grove KSIM – Sikeston KSIS – Sedalia KTRS – Saint Louis KTTR – Rolla KTTR-FM – St. James KTUI – Sullivan KWOC – Poplar Bluff KWOS – Jefferson City KWPM – West Plains KWTO – Springfield KZIM – Cape Girardeau KZRG – Joplin

Defunct:	KUKU – Willow Springs

See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in Missouri

Emmis Communications

Radio stations	KBPA KFTK-FM KGSR KLBJ KLBJ-FM KLZT KNOU KPNT KPWR KROX-FM KSHE Rádio Expres Radio FM Plus Radio Fresh! STAR WBLS WEPN-FM ¹ WFNB WFNF WFNI WIBC WLHK WLIB WQHT WTHI-FM WWVR WYXB

Magazines	Atlanta Cincinnati Orange Coast Indianapolis Monthly Los Angeles Texas Monthly

¹ Operated by ESPN Radio under a local marketing agreement.

Coordinates: 38°46′44″N 90°43′44″W / 38.779°N 90.729°W / 38.779; -90.729

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