WKTU

Infobox Radio station
name = WKTU


city = Lake Success, New York
area = New York City area
branding = 103.5 KTU
slogan = "The Beat Of New York"
airdate = 1948
frequency = 103.5 FM (MHz) HD Radio
103.5-2 FM Country (HD Radio)
WKTU-HD3: Pride Radio
format = Commercial; Rhythmic AC
power =
erp = 6,000 watts
haat = 415 meters
class = B
facility_id = 6595
callsign_meaning = We Kater (play on the word Cater) To YoU
former_callsigns =
owner = Clear Channel
webcast = [http://www.ktu.com/pages/listenlive.html Listen Live!]
sister_stations = WAXQ, WHTZ, WLTW, WWPR-FM
website = [http://www.ktu.com/ www.ktu.com]
affiliations =
coordinates = coord|40|44|54.00|N| 73|59|10.00|W|region:US_type:city

WKTU (103.5 FM, "KTU") is a radio station based in New York City. The station's broadcast transmitter is located on the top of the Empire State Building and its city of license is Lake Success, New York, with offices formerly in the "Newport" section of Jersey City, New Jersey. As of February, 2008, the studios and offices were moved to the AT&T Building in the TriBeCa section of Manhattan along with sister stations WHTZ, WWPR-FM, WAXQ, and WLTW. The station offers a Rhythmic Hot Adult Contemporary format, emphasising classic dance music from the 1970s through the 1990s (but plays current product as well).

History

The original WKTU

"See WXRK section on WKTU for the original WKTU that existed from 1975-1985 and achieved great fame as a disco station in the late 1970s."

WNNJ and pre-move WPAT-FM

The 103.5 frequency first went on the air in 1948, as WNNJ, which then changed its name to WPAT-FM. FM listenership was very light in those early days of FM broadcasting, and during the 1950s the station would sometimes be off the air for long stretches without anyone knowing it was gone.

By 1957 WPAT-FM had relocated to its much better-known frequency of 93.1.

WTFM

In 1958, the 103.5 FM frequency in New York City went back on the air as WTFM. They played an instrumental-based easy listening format until 1978, when the old WKTU (on 92.3) went from an adult contemporary format to a disco music format. As an easy listening station, WTFM's ratings were low, as WRFM and WPAT had higher ratings with the same format. So in the fall of 1978, WTFM switched to an adult contemporary format, even though ratings would remain low with the new format.

WAPP

In 1982, Doubleday bought the station, and that June, the station switched to an Album-oriented rock format similar to WPLJ and WNEW-FM down the dial. The station was renamed "The Apple 103.5", with the call letters WAPP. The station went commercial-free for the duration of that summer, and as a result, it became the highest-rated radio station in New York City. Then, when the station added commercials, listeners switched back to WPLJ and WNEW-FM, and so ratings went down. In 1983, when WPLJ switched to a CHR format, the station's ratings got a slight boost.

In 1983, a then-unknown Bon Jovi visited WAPP 103.5FM "The Apple". He spoke with the D.J., Chip Hobart, who suggested Bon Jovi let WAPP include the song "Runaway" on the station's compilation album of local homegrown talent. Bon Jovi was reluctant but eventually gave them the song, on which Bon Jovi had used studio musicians to play on the track "Runaway" (which was written in 1980). WAPP worked with WOR-TV (now WWOR-TV) in nearby Secaucus, NJ on a music video show, "Rock 9 Videos", for a short time in 1984.

As 1984 progressed, WAPP's ratings were on the upswing. However, the station's owners decided to change the station's format to CHR that fall. They felt that if stations that they owned in Washington, D.C. and Minnesota could do well with the format, then this station could as well. This would not be the case, as the station could not compete with WPLJ or Z-100, and their ratings fell. Not even a change back to a rock format in the summer of 1985 could solve the station's ratings woes.

The pre-move WQHT

In 1986, Emmis Communications would buy the station from Doubleday, as Doubleday was in the process getting out of the radio business. That August, after stunting with classic rock for a 36 hour period, the station relaunched as "HOT 103", with the call letters WQHT. The new station, which played a mix of pop hits, dance songs, rap songs and r&b songs, was an instant ratings success.

The post-move WYNY

On September 22, 1988, WQHT would change frequencies, as Emmis acquired NBC's radio stations. Since Federal Communications Commission regulations at the time required that a company can only own one FM radio station in a market, Emmis sold the 103.5 frequency to Westwood One. At the same time, they moved the format at 103.5 FM to the 97.1 FM frequency which they acquired from NBC. As a result, WYNY, which was running a country music format at the 97.1 frequency prior to the sale, would move from 97.1 FM to 103.5 FM.

The station, now known as "Country 103.5", had mediocre ratings in their first few months at its new frequency. Even though rumors of a format change were always existent at the station, the country format remained. In 1993, the station would be sold to Broadcast Partners, whom were committed to keeping Country on WYNY. As a country station, Jim Kerr would be the station's morning show host from 1990 to 1993, while their airstaff included Dan Daniel, Randy Davis, Ray Rossi, Lisa Taylor and Charlie Berger.

Meanwhile, Hot 97 began to move away from Dance music in 1993 and toward hip hop. By 1994 they played almost no dance music. After Hot 97 changed to an Urban Contemporary format in 1994, New Yorkers demanded a Dance music station.

In the spring of 1995, Broadcast Partners opted to sell to Evergreen Media, and after a lot of speculation about the station's future, Evergreen confirmed in January 1996 that the station would be changing formats. On the final weekend that the station would play country music (which would be from February 2 to February 4, 1996), the entire airstaff said goodbye in a very melodramatic manner. After airing the syndicated "After Midnight" show in the early morning hours of February 5, the country music format was gone from the station. Later that year country would resurface on several suburban stations, one of which would get the WYNY calls, resurfacing in late 1998. Beginning at 6 a.m. the next morning, immediately after the syndicated country music show ended, the station simulcast then rock station WRCX (now WKSC-FM and playing CHR)based out of Chicago until February 6 at 6 a.m. That day they simulcast KKBT out of Los Angeles playing an Urban Format (today they offer Urban AC) until 6 a.m. on February 7. That day they simulcast WLUP based in Chicago which had a Talk format (now a Rock station). Beginning at 6 a.m. on February 8, WYNY simulcast KIOI based in San Francisco offering an Adult Contemporary format (now a Hot AC). On February 9 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., WYNY simulcast WXKS-FM in Boston, playing a CHR format that at that time leaned slightly Alternative. At 6 PM the simulcasting of sister stations ended.

"The new" WKTU

At 6 p.m. on February 9, 1996 the station started airing a tape loop of sounds of a heart beating and liners about a new radio station coming. Then, the next day at Noon, WKTU was relaunched at 103.5 FM as "The Beat of New York 103.5 KTU" with a dance-based CHR format. Its first song played in the re-launch was "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now!)" by C&C Music Factory. The station instantly skyrocketed to number one in the Arbitron ratings, although in the decade since they have cooled down considerably. Drag performer Rupaul co-hosted mornings with Michelle Visage and Freddie Colon around this period, further helping their ratings.By 2002, the moderate amount of rap played on the station was gone and the station evolved into more of a Hot Rhythmic AC.

Some believe that the cause for the lower ratings is the fact that WNEW-FM changed to a Rhythmic AC format, even though WNEW's ratings, which were among the lowest for any New York City FM station while they kept that format, have remained about the same since their format change. Core dance music fans tend to blame the lower ratings on the feeling that 'KTU doesn't hop on to current dance music songs as quick as other stations (such as Long Island's WDRE - Party 105.3) and tend to stay with the older music to compete with WNEW-FM, which is no longer a Rhythmic format radio station.

On May 31, 2006, WKTU announced that actress/comedian Whoopi Goldberg would become the station's new morning host, and that KTU would serve as the flagship station for her syndicated morning show. Her show, which airs mostly on AC and Rhythmic outlets in the United States, especially those owned by WKTU's parent company Clear Channel, began on July 31, 2006. The news of Goldberg being named 'KTU's new morning star, and the departures of popular afternoon drive DJ Broadway Bill Lee and late night hostess Jewelz in June 2006, led to talk that KTU might switch formats (some suspected an upbeat female targeted Hot AC-type direction similar to sister station KBIG/Los Angeles) with Goldberg's arrival. KTU management insisted that there were no plans to flip formats, even with Goldberg in mornings. Another surprise move was the reunion of former KTU morning hosts Goumba Johnny and "Hollywood" Sean Hamilton, who now host the afternoon show for the station as of September 5, 2006. Hamilton continues to host his popular syndicated show (The Weekend Top 30) heard in over 200 cites across America.

However, on September 9, 2006, after many format flips by Clear Channel Communications of other radio stations throughout the country, 'KTU took on the upbeat Rhythmic AC direction by playing only popular current rhythmic material, as well as increasing the airplay of older rhythmic sounds such as soul, disco and freestyle.

On November 28, 2007, WKTU announced that it has dropped Whoopi's morning show. According to station management, the reason was due to Goldberg's duties on The View, although it may also have to do with the show's ratings. [David Hinckley, "WKTU Cans Whoopi Goldberg," "New York Daily News", November 28th, 2007.] Her show continued to air in syndication through Premiere Radio Networks until April 18, 2008, when she called it quits. Cubby Bryant, who served as Goldberg's sidekick, left the syndicated show and returned to WKTU in January 2008 to host his own morning show.

WKTU's ownership

As a result of a series of transactions from Evergreen Media, SFX Communications, and Clear Channel Communications in the late 1990s and early 2000s, WKTU is currently owned by the people at Clear Channel Communications

HD2 Operation

Like other Clear Channel stations WKTU began Multicasting in the late winter of 2005. On WKTU HD 1 the Rhythmic A/C format heard on the original analog station while WKTU HD 2 plays Country Music similar to the previous Country station occupying 103.5. HD stations can only be received with an HD Radio. HD Radios receive both the primary analog station, the duplicate HD Feed and the Multicasting feeds. Stations can put as many as three sets of HD programming on one dial position plus their original analog broadcast.

References

External links

* [http://www.ktu.com/ WKTU Website]
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