KOHT
KOHT (98.3 FM) is a rhythmic contemporary station serving Tucson, Arizona, and is licensed to Marana, (a northwestern suburb of Tucson). It has been owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. since July 30, 2001 and broadcasts at 98.3 MHz with an ERP of 6 kW. The station's playlist is primarily Rhythmic Top 40, hip hop and R&B. Its studios are located north of downtown Tucson along Oracle Road, while the transmitter site is near the Tortolita Mountains in unincorporated Pima County.
 | |
| City | Marana, Arizona |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Tucson, Arizona |
| Frequency | 98.3 MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Hot 98.3 |
| Slogan | Tucson's #1 For Hip Hop Smooth Blend Of The Best R&B (HD2) |
| Programming | |
| Format | Rhythmic contemporary Smooth R&B/Urban AC ("Slow Jams") (HD2) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | iHeartMedia, Inc. (iHM Licenses, LLC) |
| KMIY, KNST, KRQQ, KTZR, KXEW, KYWD | |
| History | |
First air date | 1981 |
Former call signs | KOPO (1981–1985) KXMG (1985–1992) |
Call sign meaning | HOT -- the O and H are transposed |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 8143 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 6,000 watts |
| HAAT | 56 meters (184 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 32°27′9″N 111°5′11″W |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live Listen Live (HD2) |
| Website | https://hot983.iheart.com/ |
History
KOHT has been a Rhythmic Top 40 station since the '80s. It was first sold to Art Laboe in the '90s and functioned in a rhythmic/urban format along with an occasional mix of Mexican hits. Laboe owned KOHT until 2001 when Clear Channel Communications purchased the station. It maintains an exclusive rhythmic/urban format today although no longer includes Mexican hits as it previously did.
Longtime Program Director and Air Talent R Dub! announced he was leaving the station in February 2007 to move to Recife, Brazil. However, in early March 2007, he was offered the Program Director position at KHHT Hot 92 in Los Angeles and opted for California instead. He continues his Slow Jams show, albeit now based in Los Angeles.
Fred Rico joined KOHT in March 2007 as Program Director, coming from Honolulu, Hawaii. Melissa Santa Cruz joined KOHT, holding the midday slot as of November 2007. She had previously hosted middays at 93.7 KRQ, and had once hosted at KOHT in the mid-1990s. Pablo Sato joined KOHT in January 2008 as the new morning and afternoon host.
As of January 18, 2010, Mojo In The Morning began syndication on 98.3 from Detroit as the new morning show. Mojo Morales had previously hosted mornings in Tucson with Besty Bruce on KRQ up until 2000, when Morales moved to Detroit. His morning show has been very successful in the Detroit area. In August 2013, Mojo was dropped, and KOHT became a charter affiliate of The Breakfast Club, based from New York on sister station WWPR-FM (Power 105.1). The Breakfast Club is mainly geared toward urban contemporary audiences, so KOHT was the only iHeartMedia-owned Rhythmic CHR to carry the show until May 12, 2016, when The Breakfast Club was added at Boston sister station WJMN.
Former talent that worked at KOHT have gone on to work at other media sources: Kid Corona (On-Air Personality), now works for CBS Radio's KALV-FM and KMLE in Phoenix, Ariz., David "Easy D" Leighton (Intern Producer), now works as a columnist for the Arizona Daily Star newspaper, in Tucson, Ariz., and Rolando Nichols (On-Air Personality), now works as a Network News Anchor at MundoFox.
External links
- KOHT in the FCC's FM station database
- KOHT on Radio-Locator
- KOHT in Nielsen Audio's FM station database