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| Broadcast area | Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 107.9MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Kool 108 |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Classic hits |
| Subchannels |
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| Affiliations |
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| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | August 1, 1968 (1968-08-01) |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | Play on the word "Cool" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 54457 |
| Class | C |
| ERP | 95,000watts 100,000 withbeam tilt |
| HAAT | 333 m (1,093 ft) |
| Translator(s) | |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | kool108.iheart.com |
KQQL (107.9FM, "KOOL 108") is acommercialradio station serving theMinneapolis-St. Paulradio market and islicensed to suburbanAnoka. It playsclassic hits and is owned byiHeartMedia, Inc. Thestudios and offices are on Utica Avenue South inSt. Louis Park.[2]
KQQL's has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 95,000watts (100,000 withbeam tilt).[3] Thetransmitter is off St. Francis Boulevard NW inNowthen, Minnesota.[4] It broadcastsdigital radio usingiBiquity'sHD Radio format, with the HD2 subchannel airing the African-American-orientedBlack Information Network service. The HD3 subchannel carries asports radio service known as "KFAN Plus".FM translatorW227BF (93.3 FM) is fed by the HD2 subchannel, whileK244FE (96.7 FM) is fed by the HD3 subchannel.
KQQL broadcasts aclassic hitsradio format known as "Kool 108". KQQL mainly plays music from the 1980s and 1990s, with a few songs from the 1970s and 2000s that are heard daily. KQQL uses the slogan "Minnesota's Best Variety of the 80s and 90s". KQQL switches to allChristmas music from early November to December 26, using the slogan "Minnesota's Christmas Station".
On August 1, 1968, the stationsigned on as KTWN, thesister station of KANO in Anoka (1470 AM, nowKMNQ inBrooklyn Park).[5] At first, KTWN’s effective radiated power was 57,000 watts on a 320-foot tower.
In the 1970s, KTWN cycled through several formats. For a time, it playedbeautiful music, then had a short stint as aclassical music station, beginning September 1, 1974.[6][7] Then, it tried afull-serviceMiddle of the Road (MOR) format, focusing on the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities. From1978 to1983, KTWN carried ajazz format. At the time, the station was operated by Jack Moore, who had previously runWAYL, the market's leading beautiful music station.
The station was sold to Colorado-based Sunbelt Communications, with the new owners immediately switching the station's format to asoft adult contemporary andoldies hybrid on September 24, 1983.[8][9] Thecall sign became KGBB ("B108").[10][11]
Later, the station became "Magic 108" with the call letters KMGW (later KMGK). The station's signal limitations were a hindrance, with competition from full-market stations such asWLTE andKSTP-FM.
In the mid-1980s, KMGK got permission from theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) to become a full-powered station, increasing power to 100,000 watts on a tower more than 1,000 feet inheight above average terrain (HAAT), making the station's signal equal to other major Twin Cities FM stations. In 1988, KMGK was acquired by Trumper Communications.[12]
On September 30, 1988, at noon, after playing "Do You Believe in Magic?" byThe Lovin' Spoonful, KMGK beganstunting with a loop of variousversions of the 1960s oldie "Louie, Louie". At noon on October 3, the station was reborn as KQQL, "Kool 108". While some FM stations had oldies as part of theirplaylists, KQQL was the first all-oldies FM station in the Twin Cities area. The first song on "Kool 108" was "Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay" byDanny & the Juniors.[13][14]
The oldies format originally spanned the era of the early days of rock 'n roll music of the mid-1950s through the late 1960s. In the mid-1990s, some 70s hits were added. By 2000, the 1950s hits were removed, and the station shifted to hits of the 1960s and 1970s (with an occasional early 1980s song thrown in). For a brief time, KQQL was the FMflagship station forMinnesota Vikingsfootball, with games beingsimulcasted with co-ownedsports radio stationKFAN.
In 1997, KQQL was acquired by Chancellor Media Corporation.[15] Three years later, Chancellor was merged intoClear Channel Communications, based inSan Antonio.[16] (In 2014, Clear Channel changed its corporate name toiHeartMedia, Inc.)
In the early 2000s, KQQL began switching toChristmas music during the holiday season. It would usually begin on the Friday beforeThanksgiving at 5 p.m. and conclude at midnight onChristmas Day. KQQL would compete withCBS-ownedadult contemporary stationWLTE until that station flipped tocountry music in December 2011, which ended its Christmas music tradition. In 2008, KQQL started the Christmas music earlier than usual, on the weekend of November 15. This may have been triggered by WLTE flipping its format earlier in the week.
KQQL's format was tweaked again in 2006 to anoldies/classic hits hybrid, positioned as "Super Hits of the 60s & 70s". Some 1980s hits were also included. KQQL also began airing "American Top 40" episodes from the 1970s hosted byCasey Kasem. KQQL also aired classic 1980s American Top 40 shows for a short time, but the station dropped the AT40 '80s broadcasts after the station cut back on playing '80s music.
On April 28, 2009, KQQL released all on-air personalities, including morning host Lois Mae and radio veteran Dan Donovan.Disk jockeys on KQQL werevoicetracked from other Clear Channel stations, with news coming fromKOA inDenver. However, in mid-2010, KQQL hired several new on-air personalities, including radio veteran andKARE 11 reporter Lee Valsvik.[citation needed]
On December 27, 2009, the station tweaked to aclassic hits format and dropped most1960s titles while adding some1990s songs, with a primary focus on 1970s and 1980s hits. Direct competition withCumulus Media'sWGVX (Love 105) ended when that station switched formats toadult contemporary music in early 2012. At this time,AT40: The 80s returned, andDick Bartley'sClassic Countdown was added to the lineup.
In January 2019, KQQL slightly tweaked its format and officially dropped all music from the 1960s and many hits from the 1970s while adding some 2000s music. At the same time KQQL began airingThe Ellen K Show on Saturday mornings. The station's format now primarily focuses on music from the 1980s and 1990s.
On April 25, 2006, Clear Channel Communications announced that KQQL's HD2 subchannel would carry a format focusing on hit music from the 1980s. The HD2 station, called "Kool 1-0-80s", showcased every song to hit the Top 40 in the 1980s.
During the summer of 2011, the HD2 subchannel changed its programming to a simulcast of AM all-sportssister stationKFXN. On September 8, 2011, the "Score" sports format began airing exclusively on KQQL-HD2. The Score's former signal on690 AM flipped to ethnic programming, mainly serving theHmong community.
In August 2012, the HD2 subchannel was changed back to "Kool 1-0-80s", now usingiHeartRadio's "My 80s" service, with many of the same 1980s hits format it had before.
On May 23, 2014, KQQL-HD2 flipped tourban adult contemporary and began simulcasting onFM translator W227BF (93.3 MHz), licensed toShoreview, Minnesota.[17] Soon after, it started stunting with several types of music, changing every few days.
On June 13, 2014, KQQL-HD2 changed to analternative rock format, branded as "ALT 93.3".[18]
On June 29, 2020, 15 iHeart stations in markets with large African-American populations, including W227BF/KQQL-HD2, beganstunting with African-American speeches, interspersed with messages such as "Our Voices Will Be Heard" and "Our side of the story is about to be told," with a new format slated to launch on June 30.[19][20] On June 30, it was made official that W227BF/KQQL-HD2 would be a charter affiliate of iHeart's newBlack Information Network, which is anall-news format specifically geared toward African-American listeners.[19]
Around the same time, KQQL's "Kool 1-0-80s" format moved to KQQL's HD3 channel, feeding FM translator W244CS at 96.7 MHz, licensed toCalhoun Beach.[21] The translator serves the Southeast metro area of the Twin Cities.[22] On June 12, 2015, KQQL-HD3 and W244CS changed to anLGBTQ-centricdance/EDM format from iHeartRadio, branded as "96.7Pride Radio".
On August 27, 2018, KQQL-HD3 and K244FE dropped the Pride Radio format and flipped toall-sports as "KFAN Plus".[23] Pride Radio now is heard on the HD2 subchannel of co-ownedKDWB-FM.
In July 2023, KQQL activated its HD4 sub-channel, simulcasting theK-Love network relayed on translators K260BA (99.9 FM) and K288GR (105.5 FM) due to ongoing tower maintenance at its primary station,KTCZ-HD2.[24][25]
As of August 31, 2023, K288GR and K260BA have switched their relay back to KTCZ-HD2, as tower maintenance has been completed.
45°20′20″N93°23′28″W / 45.338861°N 93.391056°W /45.338861; -93.391056
