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 radio ...
licensed to
Sapulpa, Oklahoma
Sapulpa is a city in Creek and Tulsa counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 20,544 at the 2010 United States census, compared to 19,166 at the 2000 census. The population as of 2022 is 22,205. As of 2019, the estimated popul ...
that serves the greater
Tulsa
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...
area broadcasting an oldies-leaning soft adult contemporary format. It is part of the
Stephens Media Group
Stephens Media Group is an Oklahoma based radio broadcaster that owns 75 radio stations particularly in small to mid-size markets. Its flagship stations are at its headquarters in Tulsa. Stephens refers to itself as "A portfolio of People", ref ...
(no relation to the newspaper owner) and has been on the air since 1977. Its studios are located at the
CityPlex Towers
CityPlex Towers is a complex of three high-rise office towers located at 81st Street and Lewis Avenue in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The complex was originally constructed by Oral Roberts University as City of Faith Medical and Research Center and meant to b ...
in South Tulsa.
Radio tower
KTSO broadcasts from a tower between Glenpool and Sapulpa, off Highway 75. The tower was constructed in 2014, while the station was still
KXOJ-FM
KXOJ-FM is a contemporary Christian radio station licensed to Glenpool, Oklahoma, serving the Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tulsa area at 94.1 FM. The station is owned by Stephens Media, through licensee SMG-Tulsa, LLC. Its studios are located at the CityPl ...
, and was part of an FCC granted class C3 upgrade, increasing the station to an ERP of 19,000 watts. The new signal also includes an HD signal that covers the Tulsa metro area.
Previously, KXOJ operated from a 361-foot tower near Sapulpa, operating at only 5,000 watts. Several inner-ring Tulsa suburbs such as Broken Arrow,
Claremore
Claremore is a city and the county seat of Rogers County in Green Country or northeastern Oklahoma, United States. The population was 19,580 at the 2020 census, a 5.4 percent increase over the figure of 18,581 recorded in 2010.Okmulgee only got a grade B signal.
History
Before August 16, 2016, 100.9 FM's call sign was KXOJ-FM. Every morning between 6 and 10am KXOJ-FM's on-air lineup included Dave Weston and Katie Rindt. Other veteran announcers included Bob Michaels, joined the station in 1998, and Gary Thompson 3pm to 7pm, who began intermittently working there in the early 1990s. After many years in morning drive, Heather Miles moved to the 10a to 3p shift in January 2016.
Despite the signal limitations, KXOJ won three
Dove Awards
A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards are presented annually. Formerly held in Nashville, Tennessee, the Dove Award ...
as Station of the Year.
In 2016, Stephens Media purchased
KTSO
KTSO (100.9 FM broadcasting, FM) is a radio station licensed to Sapulpa, Oklahoma that serves the greater Tulsa area broadcasting an oldies-leaning soft adult contemporary format. It is part of the Stephens Media Group (broadcasting), Stephens ...
at 100.9 FM. Starting on August 16, 2016 at 7:30, the KXOJ-FM call sign and format moved to 94.1 FM after 39 years of broadcasting at 100.9 FM. The move allowed KXOJ to move to KTSO's more powerful tower in west Tulsa, broadcasting at a full 100,000 watts–a near 400-fold increase. 100.9 FM changed call letters to KTSO and began stunting with a recorded announcement redirecting listeners to 94.1 FM.
On August 31, 2016, at 9 a.m., KTSO began stunting with Tulsa-related music. At 11 a.m., the stunt shifted to a loop of
The Gap Band
The Gap Band was an American R&B and funk band that rose to fame during the 1970s and 1980s. The band consisted of three brothers: Charlie, Ronnie, and Robert Wilson, along with other members; it was named after streets (Greenwood, Archer, an ...
's "
You Dropped a Bomb on Me
"You Dropped a Bomb on Me" is a funk song performed by the Gap Band, released in 1982 on producer Lonnie Simmons's label, Total Experience Records. In addition to the single release, the song was featured on the band's 1982 album ''Gap Band IV''.
...
". At noon, KTSO flipped to All-80s Hits as "Totally Awesome 80's 100.9", launching with 1,980 songs commercial free. The first song under the format was "
We Are The World
"We Are the World" is a charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album ''We Are the World''. Wit ...
" by
USA for Africa
United Support of Artists for Africa (USA for Africa) was the name under which 47 predominantly U.S. artists, led by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, recorded the hit single "We Are the World" in 1985. The song was a U.S. and UK number one for ...
.
On October 20, 2020, at 3 p.m., the “Totally Awesome 80s” format moved to translator 94.5 K233AU, which rebroadcasts KTSO's HD-2 sub-channel. At the same time, KTSO flipped to “Tulsa’s Soft Oldies”, focusing on music from the 1970s through the 1990s.
In November 2022, KTSO switched to Christmas music for the holiday season, marking the return to holiday music on Tulsa radio since KTGX-HD2 began stunting as "Christmas 93.5" in 2018.
HD Programming
KTSO is licensed by the
FCC
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 jurisdiction ...
to broadcast in the HD hybrid format.
The HD2 subchannel simulcasts on translator K233AU (94.5 FM) in Tulsa, and broadcast the former '80s Hits format that was on the main signal; it was branded as "Totally Awesome 80's". On February 22, 2022, KTSO-HD2/K233AU flipped back to Christian CHR as "NOW 94.5".https://radioinsight.com/headlines/221545/now-is-time-for-christian-chr-in-tulsa/ Now is Time for Christian CHR in Tulsa]