KPRS
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| City | Kansas City, Missouri |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Kansas City, MO-KS |
| Branding | Hot 103 Jamz |
| Slogan | The People's Station, Kansas City's #1 for Hip Hop and R&B! |
| Frequency | 103.3 MHz |
| First air date | 1950 |
| Format | Analog/HD1: Urban Contemporary HD2: Classic hip hop/R&B |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| HAAT | 303 meters |
| Class | C |
| Facility ID | 35495 |
| Callsign meaning | K Peoples Radio Station |
| Owner | Carter Broadcast Group |
| Sister stations | KPRT |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | kprs.com |
KPRS is an Urban contemporary radio station that broadcasts on the 103.3 MHz frequency licensed to Kansas City. The station's playlist consists of hip-hop, R&B, soul, jazz, and gospel music. According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), it is the oldest continually African American family-owned radio station in the United States. The station is owned by Carter Broadcast Group, and its studios are located in South Kansas City, as well as its transmitter (located separately).
In 1950, Andrew "Skip" Carter began operating KPRS as the nation's first Black radio station west of the Mississippi River with a transmitter donated by former Kansas governor, Alf Landon. KPRS, 1590, debuted as a 500-watt daytimer (now home to sister station KPRT) with a playlist that consisted of R&B and soul. In 1951, KPRS opened its first studio at 12th and Walnut street, Kansas City, Missouri. By 1952, Carter and Ed and Psyche Pate became business partners and purchased the station for $40,000 from the Johnson County Broadcasting Corporation. They moved KPRS to a new site at 2814 East 23rd Street in Kansas City.
In 1969, the Carters had controlling interest in the station. In 1971, KPRS-AM moved its programming to the 103.3 frequency on the FM dial became KPRS-FM, "Hot 103 Jamz" and the 1590 frequency became KPRT-AM, "Gospel 1590, The Gospel Source" an urban gospel-formatted station. The studios and offices moved to the Crown Center and the Carters moved to Florida to open a new corporate headquarters. Then four years later in 1975, KPRS Broadcasting Corporation, which was later renamed Carter Broadcast Group, became one of the first fully automated radio stations in the Midwest, and in the country for that matter. DJ's such as Chris King and Freddie Bell read news updates, while also announcing songs. (Bell called himself "Frederick" during newscasts.)
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