KFLT-FM (104.1 MHz) is a listener-supported, non-commercial Christian radio station in Tucson, Arizona.[2] It is the flagship station of Family Life Broadcasting, Inc. Most of the day, it airs Christian Contemporary music with several Christian talk and teaching shows heard in middays and at night. National religious hosts on KFLT-FM include Charles Stanley, Jim Daly and David Jeremiah. The station holds periodic on-air fundraisers to support its operation.
| Frequency | 104.1 MHz (HD Radio) |
|---|---|
| Branding | Family Life Radio |
| Programming | |
| Format | Christian radio |
| Affiliations | Family Life Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | May 4, 1994 (as KKHG) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | K Family Life Tucson |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 20403 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 3,000 watts |
| HAAT | 100 meters (330 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 32°17′24″N 111°01′08″W / 32.290°N 111.019°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | myflr.org |
KFLT-FM's studios and offices are on North Oracle Road. The transmitter site is on the city's northwest side, off North Kain Avenue, near Interstate 10.[3]
History
editClassic rock (1994–1997)
edit
On May 4, 1994, the station officially signed on. Its original call sign was KKHG. It aired a classic rock format, calling itself "The Hog."[4]
It was owned by The Journal Broadcast Group, a subsidiary of the Milwaukee Journal publishing company. KKHG had studios on North Country Club Road.
Modern adult contemporary (1997–2006)
editOn November 14, 1997, KKHG flipped to Modern AC as KZPT, "The Point."[5]
Throughout most of its time, it ran under the name "104-1 The Point" and played many 1980s titles along with adult contemporary hits of the day. It had to compete with AC powerhouse KMXZ-FM, and was getting good ratings until late 2004. Some of the DJs were Darla Thomas, Angie Handa, Kathy Rivers, Greg Curtis, Sheila K, and Drew Michaels. Darla Thomas was the Operations Manager for all the Tucson radio stations owned by the Journal Broadcast Group until November 2010. Greg Curtis later moved to KMXZ.
Hot adult contemporary (2006–2007)
editIn 2006, KZPT changed its branding to "Z104.1", with the playlist shifting to Hot AC, and adopted the slogan "Modern Hit Music." The station also added Ken Carr to the DJ line-up, after he had hosted afternoons on KRQQ.
Talk (2007–2018)
editOn April 10, 2007, the station switched to "The Truth," a conservative talk format which it would broadcast for the next 11 years. On April 17, 2007, KZPT changed its call sign to KQTH. In March 2010, The Truth was the top rated talk radio station in Tucson, and the fifth-most-listened-to station overall.[6]
On April 21, 2014, KQTH dropped "The Truth" branding, changing to "104.1 KQTH".[7] The station kept its schedule of mostly syndicated conservative talk hosts.
Changes in ownership
editIn July 2014, Journal Broadcasting announced that it had agreed to sell its broadcasting assets to the E. W. Scripps Company, and that both companies would spin off their publishing assets into a new company known as Journal Media Group. The transaction was completed in April 2015.[8][9]
In January 2018, Scripps announced that it would sell all of its radio stations, which included KQTH.[10] In August 2018, Lotus Communications announced that it would acquire Scripps' Tucson and Boise clusters for $8 million. However, to comply with FCC ownership limits, Lotus stated that it would divest KQTH and KTGV.[11] As the sale would put Lotus over federal ownership limits in a market, KQTH would be sold to Family Life Broadcasting for $800,000.[12] The sale was approved on October 10, and the deal was completed on December 12.[13][14]
Christian (2018–present)
editAt the end of the day on December 11, 2018, KQTH dropped its talk format and switched the following day to Family Life Radio's Christian radio format.[15] The station changed its call sign to KFLT-FM on December 13, 2018.
Family Life's previous station in Tucson, KFLT (now KDRI), was subsequently sold to Tucson Radio, owned by several local business people, including veteran DJ Bobby Rich. It flipped to an oldies format in August 2019.[16][17]
References
edit- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KFLT-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Spring 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-03-01. Retrieved 2010-04-16.
- ^ Radio-Locator.com/KFLT-FM
- ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1997, page B-25
- ^ https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1997/RR-1997-11-21.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Tucson Arbitrends Rating Report - Dec-Jan-Feb 2010". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2010-04-16.
- ^ Less Truth & More News in Tucson
- ^ "E.W. Scripps, Journal Merging Broadcast Ops". TVNewsCheck. July 30, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
- ^ "Scripps, Journal Merger Complete". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
- ^ "Scripps To Sell Its Radio Stations". All Access. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
- ^ "Lotus Grabs Scripps' Stations In Two Markets". Radio & Television Business Report. 2018-08-07. Retrieved 2018-11-12.
- ^ Scripps Closes Lotus Sale, Completing Broadcast Radio Exit., InsideRadio.com, 12 December 2018, Retrieved 13 December 2018.
- ^ Notice CDBS Public Access, Federal Communications Commission, 10 October 2018, Retrieved 14 December 2018.
- ^ Consummation Notice, CDBS Public Access, Federal Communications Commission, 13 December 2018, Retrieved 14 December 2018.
- ^ KQTH Tucson to End Talk Programming Radioinsight - December 11, 2018
- ^ "Bobby Rich Drives Back To Tucson With KDRI Launch". RadioInsight. 2019-08-05. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
- ^ "Tucson Radio Acquires KFLT Tucson". RadioInsight. 2019-04-26. Retrieved 2019-08-03.
External links
edit- Official website
- Facility details for Facility ID 20403 (KFLT-FM) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- KFLT-FM in Nielsen Audio's FM station database