 | |
| Broadcast area | Beaumont/Port Arthur/Orange/Golden Triangle |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 105.3MHz |
| Branding | K-Love |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Contemporary Christian |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Educational Media Foundation |
| KHJK,KLVH | |
| History | |
First air date | November 1989; 35 years ago (1989-11) (as 104.9 KRTX inGalveston) |
Former call signs | KRTX (1987–1996) KLTP (1996–1998) KLTO (1998–2004) KPTI (2004–2009) KPTY (2009–2014) KXXF (2014–2023) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 479 |
| Class | C2 |
| ERP | 50,000watts |
| HAAT | 150 meters (490 ft) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
KLTW (105.3MHz) is anon-commercialFMradio stationlicensed toWinnie, Texas and serving theGolden Triangle. It airs aContemporary Christianradio format and is owned and operated byEducational Media Foundation.
KLTW has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 50,000watts. Thetransmitter is on Route 73 at Azalea Drive in Winnie.[2]
TheFederal Communications Commission (FCC) granted aconstruction permit to start a new FM station inGalveston on July 14, 1987. The originalcall sign was KRTX and it broadcast on 104.9 MHz, with a power of 3,000watts. In November 1989, itsigned on the air.[3] It was owned by the Breckenridge Broadcasting Company and it aired acountry music format.
On July 19, 1996, the call sign was changed to KLTP. The call sign was changed to KLTO on August 1, 1998. In 2003, the station was acquired by Tichenor Media, which flipped it to aSpanish language format.[4] Tichenor was later acquired byUnivision, the biggest Spanish-language television network in the U.S. The station'scity of license was changed to Winnie, serving the Golden Triangle, including Beaumont, Port Arthur and Orange. The dial position switched to 105.3.
On November 8, 2004, the call sign was changed to KPTI and the station begansimulcasting therhythmic contemporary format of itssister stationKPTY 104.9 FM inDeer Park, Texas. KPTI was re-constructed after being destroyed byHurricane Ike in September 2008.
On February 28, 2014, Excel Media purchased KPTY fromUnivision for $525,000. Excel Media changed the call sign to KXXF on March 21, 2014.[5] Excel was owned by Jim Walton, who launched the station with continuous plays of theWalton & Johnson syndicated wake-up show, which he co-hosted.
On April 8, 2014, KXXF endedstunting with Walton & Johnson episodes. It switched to a Texas-focusedadult hits format (encompassing country,blues,classic rock andclassic hits) and branded as "105.3 Free." It continued to carry The Walton & Johnson Show for AMdrive time.
On August 16, 2017, Jim King (Jim King of the Road) was hired by John Walton to host middays on KXXF. King's show began airing in mid-September, 2017.
On September 4, 2017, the station moved from adult hits toclassic country while keeping the "105.3 Free" branding.
Owner John Walton died on July 1, 2019.[6]
On December 1, 2019, KXXF became aclassic hits station, adding more rock and popoldies to itsplaylist.
On May 10, 2023, Excel Media and Walton's estate sold the station toEducational Media Foundation for $610,000.[7] EMF debuted itsK-Love programming there on June 1, 2023. The sale to Educational Media Foundation was consummated on September 19, 2023. On October 20, 2023, the station changed its call sign to KLTW.