K273BH
K273BH (102.5 FM, "Hot 102.5") is a translator broadcasting the mainstream urban format of the HD3 subcarrier of iHeartMedia's KTCZ-FM. Licensed to Fridley, Minnesota, it serves the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area inside the I-494/I-694 beltway. The station is currently owned by Educational Media Foundation, through operated by iHeartMedia, with full acquisition by iHeart pending regulatory approval. All the offices and studios are located in St. Louis Park and the transmitter is atop the IDS Center in downtown Minneapolis.
 | |
| City | Fridley, Minnesota |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Minneapolis-St. Paul |
| Frequency | 102.5 MHz |
| Branding | "Hot 102.5" |
| Slogan | "Twin Cities' hip-hop and R&B" |
| Programming | |
| Format | Commercial; Mainstream urban |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Educational Media Foundation |
| Operator | iHeartMedia (Full acquisition pending) |
| Sister stations | K244FE, KDWB-FM, KEEY-FM, KFXN-FM, KQQL, KTCZ-FM, KTLK, W227BF |
| History | |
| First air date | 2010 |
| Call sign meaning | (serially assigned) |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 140150 |
| Class | D |
| ERP | 250 watts |
| HAAT | 235.9 m (774 ft) |
| Repeater(s) | KTCZ 97.1-HD3 |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | https://hot1025.iheart.com/ |
History
In 2010, the translator signed on carrying KDWB-FM's HD2 sub-channel, which aired a dance music format known as "The Party Zone." In 2013, this would be dropped for a relay of the Air 1 network, which is also carried on KTCZ-HD2. The relay would move to W225AP (92.9 FM) and K249ED (97.7 FM).
On June 5, 2015, at 3 p.m., after stunting for an hour with songs with the word "hot" in the name, KTCZ-HD3/K273BH launched with a classic hip hop format, branded as "Hot 102.5".[1][2] The format would shift to urban on February 12, 2018, while retaining the "Hot" branding.[3]
On August 7, 2019, iHeartMedia subsequently announced its intent to acquire the station outright, citing EMF's discomforts of allowing an urban contemporary format on stations the organization owns.[4] This acquisition is part of a complex swap deal, which will see EMF buying K244FE.
References
- Classic Hip Hop Hot 102.5 Minneapolis Debuts
- Hot 102.5 Debuts
- Hot 102.5 Minneapolis Flips to Urban
- Venta, Lance (7 August 2019). "iHeartMedia & EMF Swap Thirteen Translators". Radio Insight. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
External links
- KTCZ in the FCC's FM station database
- KTCZ on Radio-Locator
- KTCZ in Nielsen Audio's FM station database