KTHR (107.3 FM, "ALT 107.3") is a

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 ...

operating in

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the List of cities in Kansas, most populous city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397, ...

. The station airs 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 on East Douglas Avenue in Downtown Wichita, and the transmitter is located outside

Colwich, Kansas Colwich is a city in Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States, located northwest of Wichita. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,455. History Colwich was founded in 1887. The name is a portmanteau of Colorado and Wichita, ...

History

KTHR's format history includes

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 ...

(or back then known as beautiful music) as KARD, which later evolved into an

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 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...

format. On March 3, 1981, the station's call letters changed to KKRD-FM (which would then be modified to KKRD on April 14, 1982), but maintained its Adult Contemporary format. By 1983, KKRD changed its format to

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

/ CHR to compete with KEYN (now a classic hits station). Jack Oliver, the station's program director at the time, hired Wichita's number one morning show host, Tim Peters. Following the hiring of Peters, the station overtook KEYN in ratings, making KKRD the #1 station in Wichita, forcing KEYN out of the format in 1989. By around 2000,

Rhythmic Top 40 The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and previously named Rhythmic Songs, Rhythmic Top 40 and CHR/Rhythmic) is an airplay chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on ...

station KDGS, "Power 93.9", dethroned KKRD by becoming the highest-rated Top 40 station in Wichita. In the hopes of attracting listeners, KKRD would tweak its programming and shake up its airstaff; longtime morning show host Don Hall, who had been teamed with Patti Masten since 1996, would move to sister station

KZSN KZSN (102.1 FM broadcasting, FM, "102.1 The Bull") is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Hutchinson, Kansas, the station serves the Wichita area. The station is currently owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. Its studios are ...

in January 2003, and would be replaced by Brad Streeter and Kracker (with Masten remaining as a co-host), followed by Sid, Emily, and Kracker. In addition, KKRD rebranded as "The New 107.3" on May 9, 2003. Despite the changes, the station's ratings would not improve much; in the Winter 2004 ratings period for the Wichita market, KKRD held a 3.1 share of the market, far behind KDGS' 8.7 share. On June 14, 2004, at midnight, KKRD dropped its Top 40/CHR format after 21 years and began stunting with a loop of reruns of the '' Bob & Tom Show''; at the same time, sister station

KRZZ KRZZ (93.3 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial radio station located in San Francisco, California, broadcasting to the San Francisco Bay Area. KRZZ airs a regional Mexican radio format, music format branded as "93.3 La Raza". The station's ...

would also begin stunting by directing listeners to 107.3, and would adopt KKRD's old format on June 16 as KZCH, "Channel 96.3". On June 17, at 10 a.m., KRZZ's

classic rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

format would move to 107.3 and rebrand as "107.3 The Road" with call letters KTHR adopted on June 28. On October 30, 2009, KTHR rebranded as "The Brew." "The Brew" differed from traditional classic rock stations in that it features a mix of music with a pop lean, that's appealing to both men and women. On August 29, 2014, at 9 a.m., after ''Bob & Tom'', KTHR began stunting with Wichita-centric songs and history clips from Wichita and area natives, which began with "

Wichita Lineman "Wichita Lineman" is a 1968 song written by Jimmy Webb for American country music artist Glen Campbell, who recorded it backed by members of the Wrecking Crew. Widely covered by other artists, it has been called "the first existential country ...

" by

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American country musician and actor. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour'' on CBS television from ...

. One hour later, KTHR flipped to

, branded as "ALT 107.3".Clear Channel Brews Alternative in Wichita
/ref> The first song on "ALT" was "

Seven Nation Army "Seven Nation Army" is a song by American rock duo the White Stripes. It is the opening track on their fourth studio album, ''Elephant (album), Elephant'' (2003). V2 Records released the song to American alternative radio on February 17, 2003, a ...

" by

The White Stripes The White Stripes were an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (guitar, keyboards, piano, vocals) and Meg White (drums, percussion, vocals). They were a leading group of 2000s indi ...

, which mentions Wichita in its lyrics. The flip marks the first alternative station in Wichita for the first time in 8 years, when KANS flipped to

Regional Mexican Regional Mexican music refers collectively to the regional subgenres of the country music of Mexico and its derivatives from the Southwestern United States. Each subgenre is representative of a certain region and its popularity also varies by ...

in 2006.

References

External links

KTHR official website
* {{IHeartMedia THR Alternative rock radio stations in the United States Modern rock radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1967 1967 establishments in Kansas IHeartMedia radio stations