a struggling country music station, and was up against aggressive competition during this time, most notably from KEEY-FM. KTCZ On February 8, 1984, after Tedesco decided to sell his stations to John and Kathleen Parker, KTCR-FM dropped the country format and became KTCZ, "Cities 97". The station's new format was unique, featuring a mix of progressive rock, alternative rock, jazz and new-age music, an approach similar to stations such as WXRT in Chicago and KBCO in Denver. KTCZ's other influences reach back even farther, to progressive FM rock stations from the 1960s and 1970s, particularly the freeform days of KQRS-FM. In the 1980s, the term "adult album alternative" or AAA did not exist. It was a relatively eclectic format, different from any other rock station in the Twin Cities, designed for female as well as male listeners. Over time, the jazz and new-age was dropped, and the station went through a few different phases, at various points leaning more toward classic rock or alternative rock. Parker Communications sold the station in 1994 to Chancellor Broadcasting. In 2000, Chancellor was merged into Clear Channel Communications. In 2014, Clear Channel was renamed as iHeartMedia, Inc. For a few years in the 2010s, the station carried the syndicated call-in show Loveline, which had received strong ratings on the former KEGE. Most other Loveline affiliates were alternative or active rock stations geared toward a younger demographic than KTCZ's. The talk programming also conflicted with Cities 97's "more music" mandate. The station's original studios and transmitter were located at 38th Street and Minnehaha Avenue in south Minneapolis from at least the mid-1950s until 1985. The tower was short for a full-power FM station, at a height above average terrain (HAAT) of approximately 150 feet. In 1985, the transmitter was moved to the site of co-owned KTCJ (AM) in New Hope, where it was positioned on one of the three AM towers. Later, KTCZ's transmitter was moved to the KMSP-TV tower in Shoreview, from where most of the other Twin Cities FM stations transmit. KMWA now uses the New Hope tower. In 2012, the station dropped its longtime "Quality Music from Then and Now" positioner in favor of "Discover New Music", as the format evolved into modern adult contemporary. On August 20, 2018, at 12 p.m., after promoting a "major announcement" through the prior weekend, the station rebranded slightly to "Cities 97.1", re-adjusting its format to