KPLZ-FM

KPLZ-FM (101.5 FM) is a commercial radio station located in Seattle, Washington. KPLZ-FM airs an adult top 40 music format branded as "Star 101.5". KPLZ broadcasts on a frequency of 101.5 MHz with an ERP of 100,000 watts through a transmitter located on Cougar Mountain, while its studios and offices are co-located with television partner KOMO-TV within KOMO Plaza (formerly Fisher Plaza) in the Lower Queen Anne section of Seattle, directly across the street from the Space Needle.

History

From its founding in 1959 until 1976, the station at 101.5 was KETO and carried easy listening and country music formats.

During the 1970s, AM radio dominated the Seattle airwaves. The major country station was KAYO 1150. Top-40 stations in the city included KOL, which became country station KMPS in the mid-1970s. In 1976, Seattle was a two-station battleground between KING1090 and the legendary KJR 950. When Golden West Broadcasters bought the station, they decided to name the station KVI-FM or "The FM KVI", and flip to a Top 40 format, becoming the company's first station with the format. The first song played under the new format was "Beginnings" by Chicago. The FM KVI's first Program Director was Frank Colbourn, who relocated to Seattle from Monterey, California to sign-on the new format.