KTFC (FM)

KTFC
Frequency103.3 MHz
Programming
FormatChristian talk and teaching
NetworkBott Radio Network
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
July 1, 1965 (1965-07-01)
Call sign meaning
"Keep Talking for Christ"[1]
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID17199
ClassC1
ERP100,000 watts
HAAT193 meters
Transmitter coordinates
42°29′5.5″N 96°18′20″W / 42.484861°N 96.30556°W / 42.484861; -96.30556
Translator(s)K242BE (96.3 FM) Norfolk, NE
Links
Public license information
Websitebottradionetwork.com/station/103-3-fm-sioux-city-ia/

KTFC (103.3 FM) is a radio station in Sioux City, Iowa, United States. It is owned and operated by the Bott Radio Network, a regional broadcaster of Christian talk and teaching programming. The transmitter is located east of Sioux City.

Prior to being a Bott station, KTFC was a locally run Christian radio station for the Sioux City area under the same ownership for 40 years.

History

On May 16, 1964, Donald A. Swanson applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a new FM radio station on 103.3 MHz in Sioux City. The application was granted on August 26 of that year,[3] and KTFC began broadcasting on July 1, 1965.[4] It was on the air for 17 hours a day and broadcast sacred music, news, weather, and church announcements.[5] The Swansons expanded to an AM station, KTFJ (1250 AM) in nearby Dakota City, Nebraska, in 1988; at that time, KTFC's local programming included a daily broadcast for homemakers and weekly Bible quizzes.[1] In 1991, KTFG in Sioux Rapids, Iowa, came on the air as a rebroadcaster of KTFC; it only split from the Sioux City station to air two local church services.[6]

In 1992, Swanson—who, while the owner, quipped, "God owns the radio station; he just lets me run it"—sought relief from high electricity bills to keep the station in operation. He purchased and installed an 80-foot (24 m) wind turbine, acquired from a wind farm in Arizona, near the tower to generate electricity for KTFC.[7] Swanson used profits from a nearby farm to subsidize the station's operation.[8]

Swanson elected to sell KTFC and KTFG to Midwest Bible Radio, a division of the Good News Broadcasting Association of Lincoln, Nebraska, in 2005; no change in format was planned by the new owners.[6] He continued to own KTFJ until his death in 2011.[9] Bott Radio Network, through its subsidiary Community Broadcasting, Inc., purchased KTFC and KTFG in 2007.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b Johnson, Dan (July 31, 1988). "Swansons will add gospel radio on AM band this fall". Sioux City Journal. Sioux City, Iowa. p. C1. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KTFC". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ "History Cards for KTFC". Federal Communications Commission. (Guide to reading History Cards)
  4. ^ "KTFC (FM)" (PDF). Broadcasting Yearbook. 1968. p. B-63. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2022 – via World Radio History.
  5. ^ "New Radio Station, KTFC, Is Now on the Air Daily!". The Sioux County Index. Hull, Iowa. November 18, 1965. p. 3. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b Hayworth, Bret (July 16, 2005). "Christian radio broadcasting gets new owner". Sioux City Journal. Sioux City, Iowa. p. A6. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Zahren, Bill (August 26, 1992). "Wind will power area radio station". Sioux City Journal. Sioux City, Iowa. p. A3. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Zahren, Bill (December 15, 1992). "Owner's word gospel at wind-driven station". Sioux City Journal. Sioux City, Iowa. p. A1, A16. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Obituary for Donald A. Swanson, 1918-2011 (Aged 92)". Sioux City Journal. Sioux City, Iowa. August 19, 2011. p. A8. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "BALH-20070824ABW Application for Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". FCC CDBS. August 24, 2007. Archived from the original on April 17, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2022.