 | |
| Broadcast area | Greater St. Louis |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 105.7MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 105-7 The Point |
| Programming | |
| Format | Modern rock |
| Subchannels | HD2:Sports radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KSHE,WARH,WIL-FM,WXOS | |
| History | |
First air date | March1967 (as KSGM-FM) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | "Point" |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 56525 |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 54,000watts |
| HAAT | 254.4 meters (835 ft) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live Listen Live (HD2 and HD3) |
| Website | 1057thepoint.com tmastl.com (HD2) |
KPNT (105.7FM, "105-7 The Point") is a commercialradio stationlicensed toCollinsville, Illinois, and broadcasting toGreater St. Louis. It mainly airs amodern rockradio format, with some elements ofactive rock. It is owned byHubbard Broadcasting.
KPNT has studios and offices inCreve Coeur (with a St. Louis address).[1] Thetransmitter is off Mackenzie Road in Shrewsbury, just outside theSt. Louis city limits, on a tower used by numerous local TV and FM stations. KPNT broadcasts inHD, and similar to their primary channel, KPNT's HD2 sub-channel feature a replay ofsports radio "The Morning After STL".
KPNT is considered a "move-in" station. In March 1967, the stationsigned on inSte. Genevieve, Missouri, about 50 miles south of St. Louis.[2] It had thecall sign KSGM-FM and wassimulcast with itssister station,KSGM (AM 980); the call letters were derived from the stations' city of license. (KSGM has since moved across theMississippi River toChester, Illinois.) KSGM-FM broadcast at 27,000 watts from a 285-foot antenna, with only limited coverage of the southern part of the St. Louisradio market.
In 1987, KSGM-FM was bought by Channel One Communications for $7.5 million.[3] The power was boosted to 100,000 watts, giving the station coverage of the St. Louis metropolitan area. Channel One launched ahot adult contemporary music format with the new call letters, KSTZ, and was known as "Kissed FM" and by mid 1990 briefly as CHR "Kiss FM".
On March 6, 1991, KSTZ was rebranded as "The Fox" with analbum oriented rock (AOR) format and new set of call letters, KFXB.[4] KFXB began a simulcast onsister station WFXB (nowWXOS) on 101.1 FM.
The simulcast was broken in February 1993; following several days ofstunting with various sound effects and television show theme songs, on February 17, the station adopted the current call sign, KPNT, and flipped tomodern rock, partially inspired by the success of St. Louis' first full-time alternative rock stationKYMC, a small non-profit station broadcasting out ofBallwin, Missouri. The first song on "105.7 The Point" was "Radio Song" byR.E.M.[5][6][7]
In 2000, KPNT was purchased byEmmis Communications, which owned rival rock stationWXTM. Emmis changed the format of WXTM and shifted many of its staff to KPNT includingThe Howard Stern Show, program director Tommy Mattern, and afternoon DJ Jeff "Woody" Fife. Many longtime KPNT staff members were dismissed. The station also shifted to a harder rock sound.[8]
FollowingHoward Stern's departure from terrestrial radio at the end of 2005, the station began airing the syndicatedRover's Morning Glory. The show never caught on and was dropped in January 2007.[9]
In 2006, KPNT expanded the playlist to include a wider variety of active rock artists while maintaining a strong emphasis on alternative artists. The new slogan, "Everything Alternative", was adopted to promote this change.
In January 2013, KPNT moved its city of license from Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, toCollinsville, Illinois, and its transmitter moved north fromJefferson County, Missouri, to St. Louis. The license for this change was issued by theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) on February 27, 2015. The station was required to reduce itseffective radiated power from 100,000 watts to 54,000 watts andheight above average terrain from more than 1,300 feet to 835 feet, but the trade was considered beneficial to KPNT by moving its transmitter within the immediate St. Louis metropolitan area, now using a TV and FM tower off Mackenzie Road.
In 2014, the station launched "The Rizzuto Show" as their morning program. The show runs from 6:07 to 9:33am followed by commercials until 10am. The show has won numerous awards and has earned strong ratings. The personalities arehost Scott Rizzuto, musician Moon Valjean ofGreek Fire/Goldfinger, Lern (formerly atKSHE), comedian Rafe Williams, and King Scott. Co-host Jeff Burton died in August 2022.[10] In January 2023, producer/co-host Tony Patrico was fired for inappropriate conduct.[11]
KPNT is also well known for promoting an annual music festival known asPointfest. In recent years, the station has added a Throwback Pointfest.
KPNT produced a series of compilation albums, featuring tracks submitted by local up and coming artists from throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area. This series of albums is known as Pointessential (stylized as POINTESSENTIAL). Bands featured in the Pointessential series before they became well known have includedGravity Kills,The Urge,Stir,Modern Day Zero,Cavo, Die Symphony, andAutovein. The CD series was an annual release from 1994 through 1999. After KPNT was sold toEmmis Communications, the series was temporarily suspended. It was brought back again in 2002 after a three-year break when the station renewed its commitment to the local music scene in St. Louis.[12]
In May 1995, KPNT reported thatR.E.M. drummerBill Berry had died, reportedly receiving the information fromWarner Music Group via fax. It was later revealed to be a hoax. Berry had recently undergone an operation to relieve an aneurysm he suffered during the band's tour in support ofMonster.[16]
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