KSTP-FM (94.5 MHz) is a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

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 ...

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

, serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul radio market. It is the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the ...

FM station of

Hubbard Broadcasting Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc. is an American television and radio broadcasting corporation based in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was founded by Stanley E. Hubbard. The corporation has broadcast outlets scattered across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, ...

and airs a

hot adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when radio was compelle ...

. The station has long been known on-air as "KS95." The

studio A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...

s and offices, located on University Avenue, along the boundary line between St. Paul and

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origin ...

, are shared with

sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...

s KSTP (AM),

KSTP-TV KSTP-TV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, serving the Twin Cities area as an affiliate of ABC. It is the flagship television property of locally based Hubbard Broadcasting, which has owned the ...

, KTMY, and

KSTC-TV KSTC-TV (channel 5.2) is an independent television station licensed to Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, serving the Twin Cities area. Owned by Hubbard Broadcasting, it is sister to Saint Paul–licensed ABC affiliate and company flagship ...

. There is a broadcasting tower behind the station, though it is only used as an emergency back-up, in case there are problems with the main tower (which is located in

Shoreview, Minnesota Shoreview is a city in Ramsey County, Minnesota. The population was 25,043 at the time of the 2010 census. In 2008, Shoreview ranked fourth in a ''Family Circle'' list of best family towns. Geography According to the United States Census Burea ...

). KSTP-FM has an

effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would h ...

(ERP) of 95,000

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James ...

s (100,000 with

beam tilt Beam tilt is used in radio to aim the main lobe of the vertical plane radiation pattern of an antenna below (or above) the horizontal plane. The simplest way is mechanical beam tilt, where the antenna is physically mounted in such a manner as ...

). The

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the ...

is located at

Telefarm Towers The Telefarm Towers is a transmission site for FM radio and television broadcasting in Shoreview, Minnesota consisting of two guyed towers. The towers, called ''Shoreview Towers'' by local residents, are owned by Telefarm, Inc., a joint vent ...

, off County Road F West. KSTP-FM broadcasts in the

HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...

hybrid format; the HD-2 subchannel carries the all sports programming heard on KSTP (AM).

History

The current KSTP-FM began broadcasting in November 1965. It was founded by Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc., which already had extensive broadcasting experience, including sister station KSTP (AM). In 1938 and 1939 KSTP (AM) had also operated a high-fidelity AM

Apex The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional entities * Apex (comics), a teenaged super villainess in the Marvel Universe * Ape-X, a super-intelligent ape in the Squadron Supreme universe *Apex, ...

"experimental audio broadcasting station", W9XUP, originally on 25,950 kHz and later on 26,150 kHz. In 1946 an FM station, also with the call sign KSTP-FM,

signed on Signing may refer to: * Using sign language * Signature, placing one's name on a document * Signature (disambiguation) * Manual communication, signing as a form of communication using the hands in place of the voice * Digital signature A digi ...

at 102.1 MHz. This first KSTP-FM was shut down in 1952 and the license was cancelled, due to management not believing that FM radio would be profitable. It mostly

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simul ...

the AM station, which was an affiliate of the

NBC Red Network The NBC, National Broadcasting Company's NBC Radio Network (known as the NBC Red Network prior to 1942) was an American commercial radio network which was in operation from 1926 through 2004. Along with the Blue Network, NBC Blue Network it was ...

, and the stations carried NBC's schedule of dramas, comedies, news and sports. The vacated 102.1 assignment is now home to KEEY-FM. As more stations added FM counterparts in the 1960s, the current KSTP-FM debuted on November 1, 1965, now on its present-day frequency of 94.5 MHz. This new KSTP-FM also simulcast its AM sister's programming, a

full service Full service or Full Service may refer to: * Full-service radio, a wide range of programming * Full Service Network, a communications company Entertainment * "Full Service", a song by the New Kids on the Block from their album ''The Block'' * Ful ...

middle of the road format of popular music, news and sports. In the late 1960s, the FM station began separate programming, airing a

beautiful music Beautiful music (sometimes abbreviated as BM, B/EZ or BM/EZ for "beautiful music/easy listening") is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in North American radio from the late 1950s through the 1980s. Easy listening, elevator mu ...

format. With several other Twin Cities FM stations also devoted to

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, ...

music, Hubbard would flip KSTP-FM to

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

branded as "KS95" in 1975. By 1991, KSTP-FM had evolved into a

format. KSTP-FM served as the radio flagship for the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all-s ...

from 1985 to 1987.

HD Radio

KSTP-FM began

HD radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...

broadcasting in 2013, and in December of that year added a simulcast of all-sports sister station KSTP

1500 AM The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 1500 kHz: The Federal Communications Commission categorizes 1500 AM as a U.S. clear-channel frequency. WFED Washington, D.C. and KSTP St. Paul are the dominant Class A stations on 150 ...

on its HD2 subchannel, a simulcast moved from another Hubbard-owned station, KTMY-HD2.http://www.hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=47 The station added an HD3 subchannel, affiliated with the Spanish-language

ESPN Deportes Radio ESPN Deportes Radio was an American Spanish language sports radio network created and produced by Disney-owned ESPN. Programming included call-in talk shows and commentary from hosts about a full range of sporting events, including soccer, Ameri ...

in September 2016. The HD3 subchannel was discontinued in September 2019, after

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

discontinued ESPN Deportes Radio.

Awards

KSTP-FM has won numerous Crystal Awards, Marconi Awards and Service to America Awards from the

National Association of Broadcasters The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) is a trade association and lobby group representing the interests of commercial and non-commercial over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States. The NAB represents more than ...

(NAB), noting the station's dominance in its format and dedication to community service. KSTP-FM's first Crystal Radio Award, which is given annually by the NAB to stations that demonstrate outstanding community service, was won in 2004. The station won Crystal Awards again in 2007 and 2014. KSTP-FM has been honored with several Marconi Awards from the National Association of Broadcasters recognizing the top performing radio stations in America. 2000 - Adult Contemporary Station of the Year, 2007 - Large Market Station of the Year, 2012 - Legendary Station of the Year, 2012 - Large Market Personality of the Year-Moon and Staci, 2013 - Large Market Station of the Year, 2014 - Large Market Personality of the Year-Ryan and Shannon, 2015 - Large Market Station of the Year, 2018 - Adult Contemporary Station of the Year. The National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation awarded KSTP-FM the prestigious Service to America Award in 2001, 2008, 2010 and 2014. This award recognizes outstanding community service by local broadcasters. In 2013 KSTP-FM won an Upper Midwest Regional

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for Musical Composition/Arrangement for the song "Clouds."

Past slogans

* "KS95, for the great ones. In stereo." (mid-1970s) * "Gentle is KS95" (mid-1970s) * "Always 95 And Sunny, KS95" (1981-1991) * "80s, 90s and Today" (1991-2010) * "Variety... 90s, 2K and Today" (2010-2014) * "Today's Variety" (2014-2019) * "Today's Variety from 2K to Today" (2019-)

References

External links

KSTP-FM official website
*
FCC History cards for KSTP-FM
(covering 1965–1981)
Radiotapes.com
Historic Minneapolis/St. Paul airchecks dating back to 1924 including KS95 and other Twin Cities radio stations. *Rick Burnett'
TwinCitiesRadioAirchecks.com
Historical recording of KSTP and other Twin Cities Radio stations. {{coord, 45.062, N, 93.140, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title Hubbard Broadcasting Radio stations in Minneapolis–Saint Paul Hot adult contemporary radio stations in the United States Adult top 40 radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1965 Regional Emmy Award winners