KNTU

KNTU
McKinney, Texas;
Broadcast area	Dallas/Fort Worth/Denton/McKinney
Frequency	88.1 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding	88.1 Indie
Programming
Language(s)	English (primary);
Format	Alternative
Subchannels	HD2: Jazz "88.1 The One"
Affiliations	24/7 News Network & NBC News Radio (national news partnership)
Ownership
Owner	University of North Texas
History
First air date	October 31, 1969 (at 88.5)
Former frequencies	88.5 MHz (1969–1979)
Call sign meaning	North Texas State University
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	69003
Class	C1
ERP	100,000 watts
HAAT	135 meters
Transmitter coordinates	33°17′24″N 97°08′12″W / 33.290059°N 97.136540°W
Links
Public license information	Public file; LMS;
Webcast	Listen live
Website	881indie.com; KNTU-JAZZ (HD2)

33°17′24″N 97°08′12″W / 33.290059°N 97.136540°W / 33.290059; -97.136540

KNTU (88.1 FM) is the radio station owned and operated by the University of North Texas. The signal of the station covers much of the Dallas and Fort Worth Metroplex with an indie alternative format.

KNTU also produces the UNT football and men's basketball broadcast feeds for the Mean Green Sports Network, a radio property of Learfield for broadcast on 97.1 FM. UNT women's basketball moved to streaming only on Learfield's Varsity App beginning with the 2022-23 season.

History

KNTU was founded in 1969 in part by Bill Mercer, former voice of the Dallas Cowboys, North Texas Mean Green, and a member of the Texas Radio Hall of Fame. Originally on the 88.5 FM frequency, the station officially went on the air on October 31, 1969. Along with music, Mean Green football game broadcasts were soon added, with Mercer providing play-by-play coverage and UNT students usually serving as his color commentators.

The station switched to a jazz format in 1981, while continuing to host public affairs shows and North Texas athletic events. While KNTU had no direct competitors, it shared audiences with 106.1 from 1987 to 1992 and 107.5 from 1992 to 2006 (both with the KOAI callsigns) as smooth jazz-formatted stations branded "The Oasis."

On July 29, 2022, KNTU switched to an alternative format, "88.1 indie," reflecting the station's independent status. The first song was "Icky Thump" by the White Stripes. The jazz format continues to stream online, and is broadcast on 88.1 HD-2. ^[3]^[4]

The latest format flip puts KNTU in competition with North Texas Public Broadcasting's Adult album alternative-formatted KKXT (91.7), and Audacy-owned KVIL (Alt 103.7).

Programming

Signal

Unlike most of the area's FM stations (like competitor KVIL) which transmit their signals from Cedar Hill, KNTU transmits its signal from north Denton on land owned by UNT, which was a Nike Missile Base. Therefore, KNTU's signal is much stronger in the Northern parts of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex as well as the cities of Denton, Decatur, and McKinney. The station installed a new antenna during the first week of November 2022.