City St. Paul, Minnesota Branding "KS95" First air date November 1, 1965 | Broadcast area Minneapolis-St. Paul Slogan "Today's Variety" | |
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Frequency 94.5 FM (MHz)
(also on HD Radio) | ||
KSTP-FM (94.5 FM) is a radio station serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota area. It is one of the flagship stations of Hubbard Broadcasting, which also owns several other TV and radio stations across the United States, along with other properties. They have long been known on-air as "KS95". The station currently airs a Hot adult contemporary format. The station's studio facility, located on the boundary line between St. Paul and Minneapolis, is shared with sister stations KSTP (1500 AM), KSTP-TV (channel 5), KTMY (107.1 FM), and KSTC-TV (channel 45). The station's transmitter is located at Telefarm Towers in Shoreview, Minnesota.
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History
Twin Cities stations were experimenting with frequency-modulated transmissions in the late 1930s. KSTP engineers had started running W9XUP at 29.95 Mc/s by 1938. This "ultra-short-wave" station continued regular broadcasts until at least 1944. Other Twin Cities stations also experimented with FM, but not as extensively. WCCO operated a low-power station, but it apparently went off the air quickly. WTCN's FM transmission stayed around longer, but remained intermittent.
Hubbard launched KSTP-FM originally at 102.1 MHz in 1947. The station shut down in 1952 and the license was cancelled, but it was re-established in 1965 on its present-day frequency of 94.5 MHz. 102.1 is now home to KEEY-FM.
The station occasionally simulcast its AM sister's MOR format, and aired a beautiful music format until 1975. That year, KSTP-FM switched to soft rock as "KS95", later evolving into adult contemporary and their current Hot AC format.
The station dropped 1980s music in July 2010 and imaging was changed from "80s, 90s and Today" to "90s, 2K and today." At the end of 2013, the station adopted the slogan "Today's Variety".
KSTP-FM served the radio flagship for the Minnesota Vikings from 1985-1987.
The station's studios are located on University Avenue at the western edge of St. Paul, just a few steps away from neighboring Minneapolis. There is a large transmitter tower behind the station, though it is not directly used for broadcasts today. Instead, the station broadcasts from the Telefarm paired tower setup in Shoreview (shared with KSTP-TV, WCCO-TV, KARE, and WUCW).
HD radio
KSTP-FM began HD radio broadcasting in 2013, and in December of that year, added a simulcast of all-sports sister station KSTP (AM 1500) on its HD2 subchannel, a simulcast moved from another Hubbard-owned station, KTMY-HD2. The station added an HD3 subchannel, affiliated with ESPN Deportes Radio in September 2016.
Awards
KSTP-FM has also won numerous Marconi and Crystal Awards from the National Association of Broadcasters, 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 National Association of Broadcasters to stations that demonstrate outstanding community service, was won in 2004; KSTP-FM won it again in 2007. Winners were honored at the Radio Luncheon on April 17, 2007, during the NAB Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. KSTP-FM won a Marconi Award as "Large Market Station of the Year" in 2013. In 2012, KSTP-FM's afternoon show, Moon & Staci, won a Marconi Award for "Personality of the Year" Large Market. On September 11, 2014, KSTP-FM's morning show, Ryan and Shannon, won a Marconi Award for "Personality of the Year" Large Market. And on October 1, 2015, it was announced that KSTP-FM had once again won a Marconi Award, for "Large Market Station of the Year."