32°27′9.00″N111°5′11.00″W / 32.4525000°N 111.0863889°W /32.4525000; -111.0863889
 | |
| Broadcast area | Tucson metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 98.3MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Hot 98.3 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Rhythmic contemporary |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KHUD,KMMA,KNST,KRQQ,KTZR,KXEW | |
| History | |
First air date | 1981; 44 years ago (1981) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | "Hot" -- the "O" and "H" are transposed |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 8143 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 6,000watts |
| HAAT | 56 meters (184 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 32°27′9″N111°5′11″W / 32.45250°N 111.08639°W /32.45250; -111.08639 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | hot983.iheart.com |
KOHT (98.3FM) is anurban-leaning rhythmic contemporary station servingTucson, Arizona, and is licensed toMarana, (a northwestern suburb of Tucson). It has been owned byiHeartMedia, Inc. since July 30, 2001 and broadcasts with an ERP of 6 kW. The station's playlist is primarilyRhythmic Top 40,hip hop andR&B. Its studios are located north of downtown Tucson along Oracle Road, while the transmitter site is near theTortolita Mountains in unincorporatedPima County.
KOHT has been aRhythmic Top 40 station since the 1980s. It was first sold toArt Laboe in the 1990s and functioned in a rhythmic/urban format along with an occasional mix of Mexican hits. Laboe owned KOHT until 2001 whenClear Channel Communications purchased the station. It maintains an exclusive rhythmic/urban format today although no longer includes Mexican hits as it previously did.
Longtime program director and air talentR Dub! announced he was leaving the station in February 2007 to move toRecife, Brazil. However, in early March 2007, he was offered the Program Director position atKHHT Hot 92 inLos Angeles and opted for California instead. He continues hisSlow Jams show, albeit now based in Los Angeles.
Fred Rico joined KOHT in March 2007 as Program Director, coming fromHonolulu, Hawaii. Melissa Santa Cruz joined KOHT, holding the midday slot as of November 2007. She had previously hosted middays at93.7 KRQ, and had once hosted at KOHT in the mid-1990s. Pablo Sato joined KOHT in January 2008 as the new morning and afternoon host.
As of January 18, 2010,Mojo In The Morning began syndication on 98.3 fromDetroit as the new morning show. Mojo Morales had previously hosted mornings in Tucson with Besty Bruce onKRQ up until 2000, when Morales moved to Detroit. His morning show has been very successful in the Detroit area. In August 2013, Mojo was dropped, and KOHT became a charter affiliate ofThe Breakfast Club, based from New York on sister stationWWPR-FM (Power 105.1).The Breakfast Club is mainly geared towardurban contemporary audiences, so KOHT was the only iHeartMedia-owned Rhythmic CHR to carry the show until May 12, 2016, when The Breakfast Club was added at Boston sister stationWJMN.
Former talent that worked at KOHT have gone on to work at other media sources: Kid Corona (On-Air Personality), now works for CBS Radio'sKALV-FM andKMLE in Phoenix, Ariz., David "Easy D" Leighton (Intern Producer), now works as a columnist for theArizona Daily Star newspaper, in Tucson, Ariz., and Rolando Nichols (On-Air Personality), now works as a Network News Anchor at MundoFox.
