City Crookston, Minnesota Frequency 96.1 FM (MHz) | Branding 96.1 The Fox First air date 1985 | |
Broadcast area Grand Forks, North Dakota Slogan Your Station for the Classics | ||
KQHT (96.1 FM, "96.1 The Fox") is a radio station broadcasting a classic hits format. It is licensed to Crookston, Minnesota, and it serves the Grand Forks, North Dakota metropolitan area. It began broadcasting in 1985. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc..
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KQHT also broadcasts University of North Dakota men's ice hockey and football games as the flagship station, while sister station KSNR broadcasts University of North Dakota men's and women's basketball home games, and sister station KKXL-AM broadcasts University of North Dakota women's ice hockey.
Programming
In addition to its music programming, the station broadcasts play-by-play coverage of University of North Dakota football and men's hockey games.
History
The station began life in 1985 as KLZC, and become KQHT in 1986. KQHT began as a Top 40 station in 1986 as "Magic 96" competing with XL93. In 1998 it changed to an adult contemporary format. It renamed itself "KQ96" in 1996, and "Mix 96.1" in 1998. In the late 1980s, the on-air talent included Ross Holland (Fast Eddie Fingers) Program Manager, Steve Gunner (future Program Manager), Rick Acker, Tim Burns, and Ron Phillips (The Iceman). During that early 1990s battle with KKXL, there were personalities like Magic Mark & Paul Braun, Josh Jones, Shelley Carr, "Smilin'" Wade Williams, "Jammin" Jay Murphy, Denny "Crash" Shields, Michael Knight (Mike Cruise), Pat Ebertz, Bobby Brady, Minimum Wage Mike, Harry Callahan, Kim Cooley, Jack Hammer, and Nick Logan.
In 2000, Clear Channel bought KQHT and several other radio stations in Grand Forks. KQHT changed its format to classic hits (a mixture of classic rock and oldies music formats) calling itself as "96.1 The Fox". Clear Channel also got a contract with the University of North Dakota to broadcast Fighting Sioux basketball, hockey, and football games. Hockey and football games are broadcast on KQHT while basketball games are aired on sister station KSNR 100.3. The slogan was changed from "Classic Hits" to "World Class Rock" in 2004, and programming evolved towards a broad-based classic rock format. The station began leaning towards an oldies format after KSNR changed from oldies to country in 2005. When competitor KNOX-FM changed from classic country to classic rock in 2007, The Fox shifted back to a classic rock format. KQHT switched back to classic hits in 2010 after KNOX-FM changed from classic rock to Top 40 (CHR) to compete with sister station KKXL-FM "XL93".