KTLO-FM (97.9
FM) is a
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...
licensed to
Mountain Home, Arkansas. The station broadcasts an
adult standards format and is owned by Mountain Lakes Broadcasting Corp.
History
On January 7, 1969, Mountain Home Broadcasting Corporation, the owner of
KTLO (1240 AM), filed with the
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdicti ...
to build a new FM radio station in Mountain Home.
The construction permit was granted on July 1, 1970, and KTLO-FM began broadcasting at 98.3 MHz on January 11, 1971. $30,000 in new equipment was installed at the KTLO studios on
Highway 5
Route 5, or Highway 5, may refer to routes in the following countries:
International
* Asian Highway 5
* European route E05
* European route E005
Argentina
* National Route 5
Australia New South Wales
* M5 Motorway (Sydney)
* The De ...
to prepare for the launch of the stereo outlet. KTLO-FM broadcast from a hilltop tower located west of the studios and AM transmitter site. Early FM programming was in a block format, with contemporary and country music interspersed with news features. KTLO-AM-FM was sold in 1975 to four new investors for $400,000.
By the mid-1980s, KTLO had settled into a middle-of-the-road music format
known as "Stardust 98". The 1990s saw ownership and technical changes for KTLO-FM. The former began with a $775,000 sale of KTLO-AM-FM to Charles and Scottie Earls in late 1994. The Earls oversaw a major technical overhaul for the FM outlet: in 1996, it increased its power to 50,000 watts and relocated to 97.9 MHz from a transmitter on Crystal Mountain, with the programming remaining the same. The Earls divested their remaining shares in KTLO-AM-FM and
KCTT-FM 101.7 to the Ward and Knight families in 2010 in a transaction that gave the Earls full control of
KOMC-FM and
KRZK in
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County. Branson is in the Ozark Mountains. The community was named after Reuben Branson, postm ...
; the two families had previously been minority owners in Mountain Lakes.
Among KTLO-FM's regular programs is ''Talk of the Town'', an interview show. ''Talk of the Town'' had previously been hosted by Brenda Nelson, who retired after 34 years on air in 2009 after airing some 8,000 interviews.
References
External links
KTLO-FM website*
{{Mountain Home-Mountain View AR Radio
TLO-FM
Adult standards radio stations in the United States
1971 establishments in Arkansas
Radio stations established in 1971
Mountain Home, Arkansas