City Clayton, Missouri Branding Classic 99 First air date 1948 | Broadcast area Greater St. Louis Frequency 99.1 MHz FM Format Classical | |
KFUO-FM was a classical music radio station in St. Louis, located at 99.1 MHz FM. It was branded as "Classic 99 KFUO-FM". KFUO-FM transmitted with an effective radiated power of 100 kW. KFUO-FM was among the oldest FM stations west of the Mississippi River, broadcasting since 1948. KFUO-FM's studios were located on the campus of Concordia Seminary, one of two graduate theological seminaries operated by the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). The station was owned by the LCMS, which still owns the KFUO AM radio station. KFUO-FM's transmitter was located in Affton, Missouri.
KFUO-FM began as a listener supported station, but moved to a commercial format several years ago.
KFUO-FM was voted best classical music station in America in 2005.
KFUO-FM broadcast RBDS data, which showed:
Program Service: KFUO FM Radio Text: CLASSICAL MUSIC FOR ST. LOUISCLASSIC99.com
KFUO-FM was sold to Gateway Creative Broadcasting in March 2010, and approved by the FCC in May. Classic 99 ended its 62-year classical music format at 10:00 PM on July 6, 2010 after playing Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. This also ended the remaining station in St. Louis devoted completely to classical music. The new owners launched a listener-supported Contemporary Christian music format branded as Joy FM on July 7, 2010 at 7:00 AM, despite a huge outcry by the local fine arts community to keep classical music alive in the area. A petition was filed with the FCC, alleging that the pending transfer was not open to public bidding. However, on May 7, 2010, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the FCC had approved the sale of KFUO-FM to Joy FM. The new call sign of 99.1 FM is KLJY.
At the time of the transmitter shutoff on July 6, 2010, the classical and sacred web stream continued at CLASSIC99.com. Ron Klemm, Dick Wobbe, and John Clayton, all formerly of KFUO-FM, continued the music ministry, which has grown since 2010. CLASSIC99.com remains active and continues to stream classical and sacred music. It continues to look for new digital delivery channels for its local and worldwide audience.
Since April 2013, CLASSIC99.com has shared its music library of some 30,000 CDs with a new classical broadcast station in St. Louis branded as "RAF STL" and managed and founded in part by former KFUO-FM program director Jim Connett. The new station features Tom Sudholt of KFUO-FM each afternoon and early evening, Connett later each evening, Ron Klemm's JOY program on Sunday mornings, and John Clayton, also from KFUO-FM, in a new, locally produced, weekly classical guitar program. WRR-FM in Dallas, Texas has also shared its music library with the new station, which broadcasts a low power analog signal on 107.3 MHz and a 48 kbit/second digital stream on 96.3-2, an HD channel of FM station KNOU.