KTPI-FM
| City | Mojave, California |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Antelope Valley |
| Branding | 97.7 KTPI |
| Slogan | The AV's Best Country |
| Frequency | 97.7 FM (MHz) |
| First air date | 1985 |
| Format | Country |
| ERP | 3,000 watts |
| HAAT | 91 meters |
| Class | A |
| Facility ID | 2320 |
| Callsign meaning | K T ehacha p i (Town name where the format's original 103.1 signal is located) |
| Former callsigns | KDOL-FM (prior to 8/15/85) KAVS (8/15/85-6/4/90) KHXT(6/4/90-6/8/90) KAVS(6/8/90-8/9/00) KVVS(8/9/00-12/21/07) KOSS(12/21/07-1/2/08) |
| Owner | RZ Radio LLC |
| Sister stations | KAVL, KTPI |
| Website | http://www.ktpi.com/ |
KTPI-FM (97.7 FM, "97-7 KTPI") is a country music formatted radio station serving the Antelope Valley region of Southern California.
The 97.7 frequency originally went on the air as KDOL-FM as a simulcast of KDOL (AM) with a country format. In 1984, the simulcast was split and 97.7 began operating an automated Top 40 format. That format continued when, in 1986, Chambers Broadcasting purchased KDOL-AM/FM; since Chambers also owned 103.1 KTPI, and FCC rules at the time prohibited ownership of more than one AM and one FM station per market, 97.7 was spun off to Antelope Broadcasting, which owned KAVL. Antelope changed the call letters to KAVS and adopted the slogan Hot 97 two years later. In 1997, KAVS began simulcasting with newly acquired 105.3 KYHT in Yermo and became known as High Desert Modern Rock 97.7 & 105.3. In 1998, Antelope Broadcasting was bought out by Jacor Communications (which was later bought by Clear Channel Communications) and KAVS/KYHT flipped from its modern rock format to Top 40. They began simulcasting 102.7 KIIS-FM in Los Angeles much of the time and in the early days did many local on air events in the Antelope Valley and Barstow area.
The grouping of 102.7 FM KIIS in Los Angeles, 1220 AM KIIS in Santa Clarita, 97.7 FM KAVS in the Antelope Valley, 105.3 FM KYHT in Barstow/Victor Valley, and 101.9 FM KFMS in Las Vegas created a nearly continuous coverage of KIISFM between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. However, 101.9 in Las Vegas was branded as KISS instead of KIIS.
After the Clear Channel/Jacor merger, the KAVS/KYHT simulcast was broken apart. KYHT's operations were transferred to the Victorville, California office, and continued with the KIISFM format for two years before KYHT went to simulcast KZXY Y102 in Victorville. As a result of KYHT's format flip, 101.9 KISSFM in Las Vegas changed to all local programming for a brief time, but eventually changed formats altogether. KAVS changed its callsign to KVVS and as time progressed, 97.7 became less and less involved in the community, eventually discontinued all local programming and became a full-time simulcast of 102.7 KIIS-FM but with local advertisements. 97.7 KIIS-FM's website eventually just became a redirect to 102.7's website.
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