KTOY (104.7 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 ...

broadcasting an

urban adult contemporary Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music ...

format. Licensed to

Texarkana, Arkansas Texarkana is a city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Miller County, on the southwest border of the state. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 29,387. The city is located across the state line from its twin city ...

, United States, it serves the Texarkana area. The station is licensed to Texarkana Radio Center Licenses, LLC. Studios are located on Olive in

Texarkana, Texas Texarkana is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States, in the Ark-La-Tex region. Located approximately from Dallas, Texarkana is a twin city with neighboring Texarkana, Arkansas. The Texas city's population was 36,193 at the 2020 census. ...

just one block west of the Texas/Arkansas state line, and its transmitter is in

Wake Village, Texas Wake Village is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States, and a suburb of Texarkana, Texas. It is part of the Texarkana metropolitan area. The population was 5,945 at the 2020 census. History Wake Village was founded in 1944 for the war ef ...

History

On June 16, 1988, Jo-Al Broadcasting, Inc. (named for shareholders Emmie Jo Gamble and her brother-in-law Alcus Davis) filed for a construction permit to build a new radio station on 104.7 MHz in Texarkana, Arkansas. Gamble had been inspired to file after seeing a newspaper article concerning efforts by 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 promote women and minority ownership in broadcasting. It was one of three applicants for the frequency, competing with B & H Broadcasting System, Inc., and Dupre' Broadcasting Co. After the three applications were designated for comparative hearing in 1990, the applicants settled, and Jo-Al was granted the frequency. Gamble, a math teacher, continued teaching while building out the station, which took the call letters KTOY and became the first black-owned station in the state of Arkansas, with the same urban adult contemporary format it still carries. She did not retire from teaching until 2000. In February 2005, after three years of discussions, Gamble and Davis sold KTOY to Arklatex LLC, which owned four other radio stations in the market. The transaction was described as putting a "jewel" in the company's crown, as KTOY had become the area's top radio station. Eight years later, the stations were sold to Alaska Broadcast Communications, which was 20 percent owned by Richard Burns, for $2.75 million; Burns, an Australian citizen, became the first non-American national to own 100 percent of a United States broadcast station when the FCC approved a first-of-its-kind waiver in 2017, allowing Burns and his wife Sharon to take full ownership of the Frontier Media group. As part of a series of format shifts at the Frontier Media stations in January 2019, KTFS (940 AM) relaunched as "KTOY Gospel", a gospel-formatted brand extension of KTOY.

References

External links

* {{Urban Radio Stations in Arkansas

TOY A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pet ...

Texarkana, Arkansas Urban adult contemporary radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1992 1992 establishments in Arkansas