 | |
| Broadcast area | Des Moines metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 102.5MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Star 102.5 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Hot adult contemporary |
| Subchannels | HD2: 93.7 The Outlaw (Classic country) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KAZR,KIOA,KOEZ,KPSZ,KRNT | |
| History | |
First air date | 1970; 56 years ago (1970) (as KRNT-FM) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | "Stars", as in "Superstars" |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 58541 |
| Class | C |
| ERP | |
| HAAT | 384 meters (1,260 ft) |
| Translator | HD2: 93.7 K229CC (Des Moines) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | |
| Website | |
KSTZ (102.5 FM, "Star 102.5") is acommercialFMradio station inDes Moines, Iowa. The station airs ahot adult contemporaryradio format. KSTZ is part of Saga Communications' Des Moines Radio Group, with studios located on Locust Street in Des Moines.
KSTZ has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 92,000watts (100,000 watts withbeam tilt). Thetransmitter is located off Ankeny Boulevard (U.S. Route 69) nearAlleman.[1] KSTZ broadcasts in theHD Radio format. The HD2 subchannel carries aclassic country format known as "93.7 The Outlaw - Legends and Young Guns", which is also relayed on 250-watttranslator stationK229CC, at 93.7 MHz.[2]
The stationsigned on the air in 1970 as KRNT-FM.[3] It was the FM counterpart toKRNT (AM 1350). Both stations were owned by the Cowles family, publishers of theDes Moines Register. During those early years,Drake-Chenault'sautomated "Hit Parade" format was aired.
In 1974, the station became KRNQ ("Q-102").[4] That year, Cowles sold KRNQ and KRNT (AM) toStauffer Communications ofTopeka, Kansas. The two stations were sold to Saga Communications in September 1988.[5] KRNQ was originally an automatedTop 40 station. In January 1976, KRNQ began airingAmerican Top 40 withCasey Kasem, and thenShadoe Stevens, until April 1989. In 1984, the automation ended and the station began using localDJs. By the end of the 1980s, KRNQ was at or near the top of the localArbitron ratings.
In 1991, due to Saga's desire to reach older listeners, KRNQ's youthful Top 40 format was changed to a slightly olderhot adult contemporary format and was known as "Q102/KRNQ, Today's Hits and Yesterday's Favorites". KRNQ promised to play norap (even though it was rarely played on the station after Saga's purchase in 1988) and nohard rock, both of which were very much a part of popular music at the time. This format change left Des Moines with no contemporary hits outlet for nine years, untilKKDM's flip fromAlternative to Top 40/CHR in 1999. KRNQ became KSTZ on June 25, 1993.[6][7] (TheKRNQ call letters are now used for a station inKeokuk, Iowa.)
When the station re-imaged itself toadult contemporary on June 21, 1993, the positioning statement the station used was "Superstars of the 70s, 80s and 90s" (with the 'STZ' in the call letters forming an abbreviation for 'stars').[8] The station later switched to "The Best Variety of the 80s, 90s and Today." In 2001, the station began using the current positioning statement of "Today's Best Variety", returning to a hot AC direction. With KKDM becoming more of a factor since its 1999 debut, KSTZ has adjusted itsplaylist and adopted anadult top 40 format by adding a limited amount of adult-friendlyrhythmic music with artists suchRihanna andThe Black Eyed Peas in the mix.
Each Fall since 2005, the station has given away designer purses with the "Pick Your Purse" contest. Listeners enter on the station's website, then listen for their name to be read on the air. Once it is read, the listener has 10 minutes to call the station to claim the prize. The winner is allowed to pick from a selection of purses available on the station's website.[9]
Listeners compete to guess the identity of a specific sound aired on the station. Correct guesses are awarded a cash prize and generally qualify for an opportunity to win a car.[10]
One of the station's longest running promotions, listeners write in asking for whatever they would want for holidays. Selected winners are called by station personalities and awarded prizes.[11]
In 2013, a Christmas Wish was received by the station from Brenda Schmitz. Brenda wrote the Christmas Wish in August 2011,[12] one month before she died from ovarian cancer at the age of 46. She asked her friend to send her wish to the radio station once her husband, David, had found a new partner to help take care of their four sons. The wish went viral around the world and was picked up by many news outlets includingCNN,[13]Yahoo!,[14]The Huffington Post,[15] andMashable,[16] among others. The wish was for David and his new wife to take their sons toDisney World in Florida as well as other gifts for the family.
41°48′00″N93°36′29″W / 41.800°N 93.608°W /41.800; -93.608