KTBT (92.1 FM "92.1 The Beat") is a Top 40 (CHR)[1]radio station, serving the Tulsa area. The iHeartMedia outlet broadcasts with an ERP of 27 kW and is licensed to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The station can be heard as far north as southeast Kansas. Its studios are located at the Tulsa Event Center in Southeast Tulsa, and its transmitter site is near Lookout Mountain in southwest Tulsa.
KTBT's format history includes Freeform Rock radio in the early 1970s as KTBA, Country as KGOW in the late 1970s, and Adult Contemporary as "Sunny 92", KSNE. It switched formats to Top 40 as KELI-FM in December 1983, which also simulcasted with its AM counterpart KELI (1430 AM, now SportsKTBZ (AM)) as "14K & 92K", and became KQZZ in August 1985.[3] On March 14, 1986, the station became the new home of Classical music-formatted KCMA, which moved from its previous home at 106.1 (now KTGX).[4] In December 1994, the format moved to 1430 AM, with 92.1 FM flipping to '70s hits as "Y92.1".[5] On August 9, 1995, the station flipped to Smooth Jazz as KOAS, "92.1 The Oasis", giving Tulsa its first Smooth Jazz station at the time.[6] The Smooth Jazz format was dropped in December 1999, and flipped back to Top 40 as "92.1 Kiss-FM."
Before September 2005, 92.1 was known as KIZS "92.1 Kiss-FM." Initially starting as a 1990s/now type AC station, KIZS went shifted to a Hot AC in 2003. After a year as a Hot AC and still seeing no ratings success, it started leaning toward Mainstream Top 40 and went full-time in mid-2004. This lasted only for a short time.
On September 23, 2005, at 5 p.m., rhythmic contemporary station KTBT moved to KIZS and replaced their Mainstream Top 40 format. KTBT, which debuted its format in 2002, was originally at 101.5 FM, but was also signal challenged due to spotty coverage. The move to 92.1 FM gave The Beat better coverage in the area. The Mainstream Top 40 format was retained for a time on 92.1's HD-2 sub-channel. The 101.5 frequency was then switched to Clear Channel's Spanish-language "La Preciosa" network featuring Spanish Oldies.
As of 2010, KTBT has shifted its format to Mainstream CHR in order to more effectively compete with KHTT.
In the late 1960s, a different KTBT was on-air in Garden Grove, California at 94.3 FM, owned by Tel-Audio Incorporated. The owner used the station as a tax write-off; and every time it began showing a profit, he changed the format. It later was sold and became country-formatted KIKF.
