KTTB
Encyclopedia
KHTC is an American radio station in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota
. KHTC's nickname is "96.3 Now". The station airs a rhythmic contemporary
music format and its main competition is KDWB-FM. The station is licensed
to Edina, Minnesota
.
(FCC) on August 15, 1991
. In August 1993
, the station signed on as KARP, playing a wide mix of classic rock
, oldies
, country music
and farm
reports.
To increase the value of the station, KARP's owners decided to seek FCC permission to increase power and move the transmitter closer to the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. The transmitter was moved farther east and power was increased from 50,000 watts to 100,000 watts, giving the station a city-grade signal over much of the west metro area. The move also resulted in WJMC-FM
(96.3 FM) in Rice Lake, Wisconsin
downgrading from 100 kW to 50 kW, changing its frequency to 96.1 FM, and moving its transmitter north. The actions were approved by the FCC in September, 1999
.
, KARP was purchased by a group consisting of local investors Kandu Communications and Cincinnati, Ohio
-based Blue Chip Broadcasting, with the aim of bringing a quasi-urban
-formatted music FM station to Minnesota
for the first time. The station moved its transmitter to a new site later that month. The transfer in ownership to Blue Chip Broadcasting took place just after Noon on May 18, 2000. The station played all requests during the morning hours, with goodbyes from the DJ's and other staff. Morning hosts John Carrigan and John Mons gave a final farewell, followed by "Happy Trails
." They also announced that the KARP call sign
and format would be moving to KKJR (106.9 FM, now KARP-FM
) in Hutchinson, Minnesota
, on June 1. Following KARP's departure from 96.3 FM, the station began stunting, repeating a short list of songs from Prince
and Janet Jackson
.
The new B96 debuted on June 1, 2000
. In May 2001, Blue Chip sold the station to Radio One, a company that specializes in urban
formats. However, Radio One allowed its B96 Minneapolis station to maintain its rhythmic
formatted playlist (although B96 leaned towards urban
and played some urban exclusive songs that most rhythmic stations normally didn't play).
, Northern Lights Broadcasting, owned by the family of Minnesota Twins
owner Carl Pohlad
, announced the purchase of KTTB from Radio One for $28 million (USD
). The deal was approved by the FCC on August 20, 2007. Northern Lights had already stated that it would keep the station's staff and format intact.
In September 2008, Northern Lights Broadcasting filed an application to change KTTB's city of license
from Glencoe
to Edina
(the city in which the station's studios are located), move its transmitter to the tower in St. Louis Park
used by AM stations WWTC
and KYCR
, and decrease its power (from 100,000 to 24,000 watts) and antenna height. Northern Lights purchased 1310 AM KRBI in St. Peter
in late July, and changed its call sign to KGLB. It plans to change KGLB's city of license to Glencoe (which has no other radio stations licensed to it) to maintain local service to Glencoe. The deal was not approved, but Northern Lights' application to change KTTB's city of license to Edina, move the transmitter to New Hope
, and decrease its power (from 100,000 to 19,000 watts) was approved, and KTTB began transmitting from New Hope on August 20, 2009.
The move has strengthened KTTB's signal in urbanized portions of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The lower power meant the station lost coverage in the nearby smaller markets of Mankato
and St. Cloud
where it also had significant listenership.
lean at the station, while retaining the rhythmic
format. The final song on B96 was "Say My Name
" by Destiny's Child
, while the first song on Now was Miley Cyrus
' "Party in the U.S.A.
". The move put KHTC in an even closer rivalry to mainstream Top 40 (CHR)
station KDWB. According to radio promos, the station also features Commercial-Free Mondays. While they may be challenging KDWB, KHTC's Program Director Sam Elliott insists that "96.3 Now" will continue to have a Rhythmic flavor, will be more "Dance-oriented" than KDWB, will not play any songs that are too "Disney Pop"
, and will not add any pop/rock artists (like Nickelback
). KHTC is still a reporter in Nielsen BDS
' Rhythmic Airplay Panel
as well as in Mediabase
's Rhythmic Chart because of its rhythmic direction and playlist, and therefore does not meet the criteria to be included on their mainstream Top 40/CHR reporting panels.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. KHTC's nickname is "96.3 Now". The station airs a rhythmic contemporary
Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
music format and its main competition is KDWB-FM. The station is licensed
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
to Edina, Minnesota
Edina, Minnesota
Edina is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and a first-ring suburb situated immediately southwest of Minneapolis. Edina began as a small farming and milling community in the 1860s. The population was 47,941 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
.
Origins
The frequency was originally licensed as KQXA by the Federal Communications CommissionFederal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) on August 15, 1991
1991 in radio
The year 1991 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:* January 18 - Brian Beirne became one of the few celebrities from radio to get a "star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame....
. In August 1993
1993 in radio
The year 1993 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*WIBF debuts it's modern rock in Jenkintown/Philadelphia*March 13 - Eagle 106 WEGX becomes WJJZ Smooth Jazz 106.1 and featured Smooth Jazz format. the final song played for Eagle 106 was I Will Remember You by Amy Grant...
, the station signed on as KARP, playing a wide mix of classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
, oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
, country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
reports.
To increase the value of the station, KARP's owners decided to seek FCC permission to increase power and move the transmitter closer to the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area. The transmitter was moved farther east and power was increased from 50,000 watts to 100,000 watts, giving the station a city-grade signal over much of the west metro area. The move also resulted in WJMC-FM
WJMC-FM
WJMC-FM is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Rice Lake, Wisconsin, USA, the station serves the Rice Lake-Spooner area. The station is currently owned by TKC, Inc., and features programming from Westwood One....
(96.3 FM) in Rice Lake, Wisconsin
Rice Lake, Wisconsin
Rice Lake is a city in Barron County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 8,320. The city is located mostly within the Town of Rice Lake.-Geography:Rice Lake is located at ....
downgrading from 100 kW to 50 kW, changing its frequency to 96.1 FM, and moving its transmitter north. The actions were approved by the FCC in September, 1999
1999 in radio
The year 1999 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*January 1 - 102.1 The Zone stopped played at 6AM and 102.1 FM played a stunt of waves and announcement voice over of our newest radio station....
.
Buzzing like a "B"
In February 20002000 in radio
The year 2000 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*The Real Radio & Century Radio networks become active on - air, through the United Kingdom....
, KARP was purchased by a group consisting of local investors Kandu Communications and Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
-based Blue Chip Broadcasting, with the aim of bringing a quasi-urban
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
-formatted music FM station to Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
for the first time. The station moved its transmitter to a new site later that month. The transfer in ownership to Blue Chip Broadcasting took place just after Noon on May 18, 2000. The station played all requests during the morning hours, with goodbyes from the DJ's and other staff. Morning hosts John Carrigan and John Mons gave a final farewell, followed by "Happy Trails
Happy Trails (song)
"Happy Trails," by Dale Evans Rogers, was the theme song for the 1940s and 1950s radio program and the 1950s television show starring Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Rogers, always sung over the end credits of the program. Happy Trails was released in 1952 as a 78 RPM and 45 RPM by Rogers and Evans with...
." They also announced that the KARP call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
and format would be moving to KKJR (106.9 FM, now KARP-FM
KARP-FM
KARP-FM is a radio station licensed to serve Dassel, Minnesota, USA. The station, which began broadcasting in 1968, is currently owned by Iowa City Broadcasting Company.-Programming:...
) in Hutchinson, Minnesota
Hutchinson, Minnesota
According to the 2000 United States Census , there were 13,080 people, 5,333 households, and 3,418 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,763.6 people per square mile . There were 5,667 housing units at an average density of 764.1 per square mile...
, on June 1. Following KARP's departure from 96.3 FM, the station began stunting, repeating a short list of songs from Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
and Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
.
The new B96 debuted on June 1, 2000
2000 in radio
The year 2000 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*The Real Radio & Century Radio networks become active on - air, through the United Kingdom....
. In May 2001, Blue Chip sold the station to Radio One, a company that specializes in urban
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
formats. However, Radio One allowed its B96 Minneapolis station to maintain its rhythmic
Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
formatted playlist (although B96 leaned towards urban
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
and played some urban exclusive songs that most rhythmic stations normally didn't play).
Off to the "Northern Lights"
On June 14, 20072007 in radio
The year 2007 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*January 8: Nanci "The Fabulous Sports Babe" Donnellan returns to radio after a six-year absence, filling in for local hosts in Florida....
, Northern Lights Broadcasting, owned by the family of Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
owner Carl Pohlad
Carl Pohlad
Carl R. Pohlad was a successful financier and the owner of the Minnesota Twins baseball franchise from 1984 until his death in 2009.-Early life:...
, announced the purchase of KTTB from Radio One for $28 million (USD
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
). The deal was approved by the FCC on August 20, 2007. Northern Lights had already stated that it would keep the station's staff and format intact.
In September 2008, Northern Lights Broadcasting filed an application to change KTTB's city of license
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
from Glencoe
Glencoe, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,453 people, 2,103 households, and 1,446 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,045.6 people per square mile . There were 2,169 housing units at an average density of 813.7 per square mile...
to Edina
Edina, Minnesota
Edina is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and a first-ring suburb situated immediately southwest of Minneapolis. Edina began as a small farming and milling community in the 1860s. The population was 47,941 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
(the city in which the station's studios are located), move its transmitter to the tower in St. Louis Park
St. Louis Park, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 44,126 people, 20,782 households, and 10,557 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,122.5 persons per square mile . There were 21,140 housing units at an average density of 1,975.0 per square mile...
used by AM stations WWTC
WWTC
WWTC is a long-standing radio station serving the Twin Cities region. Despite its up-and-down history, the station spawned two of the area's major television stations and had some very innovative and unusual periods in its history...
and KYCR
KYCR
KYCR is a radio station serving the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area, and licensed to Golden Valley, Minnesota. The station is owned by Salem Communications and broadcasts a secular talk radio format...
, and decrease its power (from 100,000 to 24,000 watts) and antenna height. Northern Lights purchased 1310 AM KRBI in St. Peter
St. Peter, Minnesota
St. Peter is a city in Nicollet County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 11,196 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nicollet County.St...
in late July, and changed its call sign to KGLB. It plans to change KGLB's city of license to Glencoe (which has no other radio stations licensed to it) to maintain local service to Glencoe. The deal was not approved, but Northern Lights' application to change KTTB's city of license to Edina, move the transmitter to New Hope
New Hope, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,873 people, 8,665 households, and 5,268 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,098.6 people per square mile . There were 8,746 housing units at an average density of 1,717.4 per square mile...
, and decrease its power (from 100,000 to 19,000 watts) was approved, and KTTB began transmitting from New Hope on August 20, 2009.
The move has strengthened KTTB's signal in urbanized portions of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The lower power meant the station lost coverage in the nearby smaller markets of Mankato
Mankato, Minnesota
Mankato is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 39,309 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest city in Minnesota outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The county seat of Blue Earth County, it is located...
and St. Cloud
St. Cloud, Minnesota
St. Cloud is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the largest population center in the state's central region. The population was 65,842 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Stearns County...
where it also had significant listenership.
Getting more "Now"
At noon on January 6, 2010, Northern Lights Broadcasting changed its name to "96.3 Now" and call sign to KHTC, officially dropping the urbanUrban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
lean at the station, while retaining the rhythmic
Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
format. The final song on B96 was "Say My Name
Say My Name
"Say My Name" is a song by American R&B group Destiny's Child. The song was the third single from the group's 1999 album The Writing's on the Wall, released through Columbia label in 2000 . The single is the most successful of the four releases from the album and is considered to be one of their...
" by Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
, while the first song on Now was Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus is an American actress and pop singer-songwriter. She achieved wide fame for her role as Miley Stewart/Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana....
' "Party in the U.S.A.
Party in the U.S.A.
"Party in the U.S.A." is a pop song performed by American recording artist Miley Cyrus. The song was written by Dr. Luke, Claude Kelly, and Jessie J and produced by Dr. Luke. It was released on August 11, 2009, by Hollywood Records, as the lead single from Cyrus' first extended play The Time of Our...
". The move put KHTC in an even closer rivalry to mainstream Top 40 (CHR)
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
station KDWB. According to radio promos, the station also features Commercial-Free Mondays. While they may be challenging KDWB, KHTC's Program Director Sam Elliott insists that "96.3 Now" will continue to have a Rhythmic flavor, will be more "Dance-oriented" than KDWB, will not play any songs that are too "Disney Pop"
Radio Disney
Radio Disney is a radio network based in Burbank, California and headquartered out of the Disney Channel headquarters on West Alameda Ave., from where it has been based since November 2008. Prior to that, the network was based in Dallas, Texas...
, and will not add any pop/rock artists (like Nickelback
Nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
). KHTC is still a reporter in Nielsen BDS
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems, better known as BDS, is a service that tracks monitored radio, television and internet airplay of songs based on the number of spins and detections...
' Rhythmic Airplay Panel
Rhythmic Airplay Chart
The Rhythmic Airplay Chart is an airplay chart that is featured weekly in Billboard Magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on Rhythmic stations, whose playlist includes mostly hit-driven R&B/Hip-Hop, Rhythmic pop, and some Dance tracks...
as well as in Mediabase
Mediabase
Mediabase is a music industry service that monitors radio station airplay in 180 US and Canadian markets. Mediabase publishes music charts and data based on the most played songs on terrestrial and satellite radio, and provides in-depth analytical tools for radio and record industry professionals...
's Rhythmic Chart because of its rhythmic direction and playlist, and therefore does not meet the criteria to be included on their mainstream Top 40/CHR reporting panels.