WKTZ-FM

WKTZ-FM is a non-commercial station located in Jacksonville, Florida, broadcasting on 90.9 FM.

History

WKTZ-FM signed on as an AM radio station in October 1964. The FM radio station signed on in 1973. Its easy listening radio format was founded by Jack H. Jones, the President and Chairman of Jones College.

Originally, WKTZ-FM aired a jazz radio format with the call letters of WFAM eventually becoming an easy listening radio format with the current call letters of WKTZ-FM. Before the station went to the easy listening radio format, it was the FM college radio station WFAM-FM, which had a different radio format for certain parts of the day. In the morning it played classical music, afternoons it was Top 40 and in the evening it was Jacksonville's only jazz station. The students manned the station as part of their classes in broadcasting. WKTZ used to be on 96.1 MHz until the intellectual property moved to 90.9. WFAM used to be on 91.1 MHz until a required broadcast power change required that it move to its present frequency.

As one of the last remaining "beautiful music" stations, WKTZ-FM had a loyal and devoted audience, which grew nationally after the advent of streaming via the internet on its website. WJAX 1220, WKTZ-FM's AM sister station, featured the syndicated Jones Standards adult standards radio format and also streamed online to internet radio.

Facing declining broadcast ratings and the aging of its audience (83 percent of their listeners were over age 55), the stations' licenses were sold to religious broadcaster EMF for US $3.375M, which announced plans to re-launch the stations with Christian formats. At 3:30PM EST on November 6, 2014, both WKTZ-FM 90.9 FM and WJAX (now WKTZ) 1220 AM went dark, with the internet streams staying active. A week later, WKTZ-FM and WKTZ were back on the air as Christian contemporary "K-Love."

External links

• Query the FCC's FM station database for WKTZ
• Radio-Locator information on WKTZ
• Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for WKTZ