KRAT (92.1

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...

, "Alt 92.1") is a commercial FM

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting 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 rad ...

located in

Sparks, Nevada Sparks is a city in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. It was founded in 1904, incorporated on March 15, 1905, and is located just east of Reno, Nevada, Reno. The 2020 U.S. Census counted 108,445 residents in the city. It is the List of citi ...

, broadcasting to the

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

area airing an

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

format. Its studios are located in Reno near the Reno–Tahoe International Airport, with a secondary office in Carson City, and its transmitter is located on Red Hill in North Reno.

History

The station signed on the air in 1993 as KSRN with an

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

format. In 2000, KSRN moved to a stronger signal at 107.7 FM to cover the

Carson City Carson City, officially the Carson City Consolidated Municipality, is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the 6th most populous city in the state. The m ...

and

Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; Washo language, Washo: ''dáʔaw'') is a Fresh water, freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada of the Western United States, straddling the border between California and Nevada. Lying at above sea level, Lake Tahoe is the largest a ...

areas. As a result, the 92.1 frequency became home to KJZS with its

smooth jazz Smooth jazz is commercially oriented crossover jazz music. Although often described as a "genre", it is a debatable and highly controversial subject in jazz music circles. As a radio format, however, smooth jazz radio became the successor to e ...

format. On September 13, 2010, KJZS changed its format to

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

, branded as "The Wolf", leaving the Reno radio market without a smooth jazz outlet. On November 9, 2010, KJZS changed its call letters to KWFP, to go with the "Wolf" branding. The Evans Broadcast Company, Inc. purchased this station, along with KURK in May 2016 from Wilks Broadcast Group. Evans already owned KCMY and KKFT. On August 25, 2018, at midnight, KWFP changed its format from country (which moved to KRFN-HD2 and 95.1) to alternative rock, branded as "Alt 92.1". The station changed its call sign from KWFP to KRAT on September 14, 2018.

KRAT-HD2

On December 28, 2023, KRAT launched an

adult album alternative Adult album alternative (also triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a radio format. See pages 9 and 10Mills, Joshua. "A New Radio Music Format: Rock for Prosperous Adults" New York Times, Feb 28 1994, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. Accessed September 4, ...

format on its HD2 subchannel, branded as "94.9 X", simulcast on

FM translator A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater ( two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tr ...

K235DC (94.9) in Reno.A New X Marked in Reno
Radioinsight - December 29, 2023

Booster

References

External links

* * * RAT (FM) Sparks, Nevada Alternative rock radio stations in the United States Modern rock radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1993 1993 establishments in Nevada {{Nevada-radio-station-stub