KTOY
 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 104.7 MHz |
| Branding | 104.7 KTOY |
| Programming | |
| Format | Urban adult contemporary |
| Affiliations | Compass Media Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KBYB, KCMC, KTFS, KTFS-FM, KTTY | |
| History | |
First air date | 1992 |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 31348 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 3,100 watts |
| HAAT | 138 meters (453 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 33°25′45.4″N 94°7′11.7″W / 33.429278°N 94.119917°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | localfirstmediagroup.com/radio-brands/ktoy104 |
KTOY (104.7 FM) is a Docket 80-90 radio station broadcasting an urban adult contemporary format. Licensed to Texarkana, Arkansas, United States, it serves the Texarkana area. The station is licensed to BTC USA Holdings Management Inc.[2] Its studios are located on Olive in Texarkana, Texas just one block west of the Texas–Arkansas state line, and its transmitter is in Wake Village, Texas.
History[edit]
On June 16, 1988, Jo-Al Broadcasting, Inc. (named for shareholders Emmie Jo Gamble and her brother-in-law Alcus Davis) filed for a construction permit to build a new radio station on 104.7 MHz in Texarkana, Arkansas. Gamble had been inspired to file after seeing a newspaper article concerning efforts by the Federal Communications Commission to promote women and minority ownership in broadcasting.[3] It was one of three applicants for the frequency, competing with B & H Broadcasting System, Inc., and Dupre' Broadcasting Co. After the three applications were designated for comparative hearing in 1990, the applicants settled, and Jo-Al was granted the frequency.[4]
Gamble, a math teacher, continued teaching while building out the station, which took the call sign KTOY and became the first black-owned station in the state of Arkansas,[5] with the same urban adult contemporary format it still carries.[3] She did not retire from teaching until 2000.[5]
In February 2005, after three years of discussions,[6] Gamble and Davis sold KTOY to Arklatex LLC, which owned four other radio stations in the market.[7] The transaction was described as putting a "jewel" in the company's crown, as KTOY had become the area's top radio station.[6] Eight years later, the stations were sold to Alaska Broadcast Communications, which was 20 percent owned by Richard Burns, for $2.75 million;[8] Burns, an Australian citizen, became the first non-American national to own 100 percent of a United States broadcast station when the FCC approved a first-of-its-kind waiver in 2017, allowing Burns and his wife Sharon to take full ownership of the Frontier Media group.[9]
As part of a series of format shifts at the Frontier Media stations in January 2019, KTFS (940 AM) relaunched as "KTOY Gospel", a gospel-formatted brand extension of KTOY.[10]
Effective April 28, 2023, Frontier Media sold KTOY to Cliff Dumas' BTC USA Holdings Management Inc. for $60,000.
References[edit]
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KTOY". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Texarkana Radio Stations Part of Historic Foreign Ownership Deal – Texarkana FYI". March 27, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
- ^ a b La'Sha, Epiphany (February 3, 2021). "Texarkana's first black radio station hit the airwaves in 1992". ArkLaTex Homepage. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- ^ Stirmer, Joseph (March 19, 1991). "Summary Decision (6 FCC Rcd 7)". FCC Record. pp. 1703–1705. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- ^ a b "TASD honors Emmie Jo Gamble as Distinguished Alumna". Texarkana Gazette. August 24, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Davis, Anthony (June 7, 2005). "Texarkana Radio picks up KTOY, city's top station". Texarkana Gazette. p. 1.
- ^ "Deals". RBR Morning E-paper. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- ^ "Deals" (PDF). Inside Radio. March 6, 2013. p. 4. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- ^ "FCC OKs Groundbreaking Foreign Ownership Milestone". Inside Radio. February 27, 2017. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- ^ Venta, Lance (January 22, 2019). "Formats On The Move In Texarkana". RadioInsight. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
External links[edit]
- KTOY in the FCC FM station database
- KTOY in Nielsen Audio's FM station database