KCTR-FM
Radio station in Billings, Montana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
KCTR-FM (102.9 MHz, "Cat Country 103") is a commercial radio station in Billings, Montana. KCTR airs a country music format.[2] Licensed to Billings, Montana, United States, the station serves the Billings area. The station is currently owned by Townsquare License, LLC.[3]
| |
| Broadcast area | Billings Metropolitan Area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 102.9 MHz |
| Branding | Cat Country 102.9 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Country |
| Affiliations | Compass Media Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | August 1979 (as KOOK-FM)[1] |
Former call signs |
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| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 16773 |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| HAAT | 152 meters (499 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 45°45′57.7″N 108°27′18.5″W |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | catcountry1029 |
History
The station began broadcasting in August 1979 as KOOK-FM, sister station to KOOK (970 AM). The new outlet used Schulke Radio Productions's automated beautiful music format with just eight commercial units an hour.[1]
KOOK-AM-FM was acquired by "Major" Dan Miller, a 25-year employee of the stations, and the Mesa Broadcasting Company of Chicago in 1983.[4] Citing low support, KOOK-FM flipped to country as KBIT on January 16, 1984.[5] The station returned to KOOK-FM on November 4, 1985, as part of a format and call sign trade between the AM and FM stations that moved country to AM and the former contemporary hit radio format on KOOK to FM.[6] The move failed to generate increased interest in the stations, and Miller left the management group and KOOK.[7]
After the FM station improved in listenership over the course of 1987, KOOK-KBIT was sold again in 1988, to Citadel Associates of Phoenix.[8] Citadel wasted little time changing the format on KOOK-FM back to country; KOOK and KBIT began simulcasting as KCTR-AM-FM, retiring the KOOK call letters from Billings radio after having been used since 1951.[9]
In October 2007, a deal was reached for KCTR-FM to be acquired by GAP Broadcasting II LLC (Samuel Weller, president) from Clear Channel Communications as part of a 57 station deal with a total reported sale price of $74.78 million.[10] What eventually became GapWest Broadcasting was folded into Townsquare Media on August 13, 2010.[11]
