KPLZ
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| City | Seattle, Washington |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Seattle-Tacoma metropolitan area |
| Branding | Star 101.5 |
| Slogan | Today's Best Mix & Throwbacks |
| Frequency | 101.5 MHz |
| First air date | 1959 (as KETO) |
| Format | Hot adult contemporary |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| HAAT | 372 meters |
| Class | C0 |
| Facility ID | 21663 |
| Callsign meaning | K-PLus Z (former handle) |
| Former callsigns | KETO (1959–1976) KVI-FM (1976–1981) |
| Owner |
Sinclair Broadcast Group (Sinclair Radio of Seattle Licensee, LLC) |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | star1015.com |
KPLZ-FM (101.5 FM) is a commercial radio station located in Seattle, Washington. KPLZ broadcasts on a frequency of 101.5 MHz with an ERP of 100,000 watts through a transmitter located on Cougar Mountain, while its studios and offices are co-located with television partner KOMO-TV within KOMO Plaza (formerly Fisher Plaza) in the Lower Queen Anne section of Seattle, directly across the street from the Space Needle.
From its founding in 1959 until 1976, the station at 101.5 was KETO and carried easy listening and country music formats.
During the 1970s, AM radio dominated the Seattle airwaves. The major country station was KAYO 1150. Top 40 stations in the city included KOL, which became country station KMPS in the mid-1970s. In 1976, Seattle was a two-station battleground between KING 1090 and the legendary KJR 950. When Golden West Broadcasters bought the station, they decided to name the station KVI-FM or "The FM KVI", and flip to a Top 40 format, becoming the company's first station with the format. The first song played under the new format was "Beginnings" by Chicago. The FM KVI's first Program Director was Frank Colbourn, who relocated to Seattle from Monterey, California to sign-on the new format.
The new format quickly became very popular as AM music began to lose its audience to the FM band. Colbourn lead the station to ratings success, and earned the station twelve gold records from artists such as Stevie Wonder, Exile, and Donna Summer. However, there was some confusion between KVI (which aired a talk format), and its new Golden West Broadcasters sister station, KVI-FM. The station then, in 1978, became "K-Plus 101" and changed its call letters to KPLZ. This signaled the beginning of the end of contemporary music stations on Seattle AM radio.
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