WKZO (AM)
| Broadcast area | [1] (Daytime) [2] (Nighttime) |
|---|---|
| Frequency | AM: 590 kHz FM: 96.5 MHz |
| Branding | AM 590/FM 96.5 WKZO |
| Programming | |
| Format | News-Talk |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Midwest Communications |
| WNWN, WNWN-FM, WQLR, WVFM, WKZO-FM | |
| History | |
Call sign meaning | KalamaZOo, Michigan |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | AM: 54485 FM: 67775 |
| Class | AM: B FM: A |
| Power | AM: 5,000 watts (Daytime) 5,000 watts (Nighttime) |
| ERP | FM: 6,000 watts |
| HAAT | FM: 76 meters |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | wkzo.com |
WKZO (590 AM) is a radio station licensed to Kalamazoo, Michigan broadcasting a news-talk format. The station offers local shows The Lori Moore Show, The Richard Piet Show and The Jim McKinney Show to go along with syndicated programming in the evening.
Syndicated programming includes Glenn Beck, Laura Ingraham, Mark Levin and the popular Coast to Coast AM with George Noory to go along with local programming every Saturday morning.
The station is also the Kalamazoo radio home of Michigan State Spartans football and basketball as well as Detroit Tigers baseball during the summer and Detroit Lions football in the fall.
WKZO-FM (96.5 FM) is a radio station licensed to Portage, Michigan broadcasting a simulcast of its AM sister station.
Bronco Radio Network
WKZO-FM is the flagship station for Western Michigan University sports, broadcasting football, hockey and men's and women's basketball.
History AM
WKZO-AM has been on the air as WKZO since 1931, but traces its roots back to 8XA, an experimental station founded by John Fetzer in 1922 while he was a student at Emmanuel Christian College (now Andrews University) in Berrien Springs. The success of the experimental station (which was heard as far away as France) encouraged the college to look into starting a "real" radio station. The result was KFGZ, 'The Radio Lighthouse,' licensed in April 1923 and broadcasting at 1120 kilocycles with 500 watts of power. KFGZ's calls were changed in 1925 to WEMC. KFGZ/WEMC operated as a full-service radio station serving the St. Joseph Valley with community information and religious programming. The station was received across the eastern United States and into Canada, and a reception report once came in from a Dutch ship in the North Sea.
Despite the station's popularity, the fact that it operated non-commercially and the fact that the college was unwilling to allow the station to solicit financial donations from listeners ultimately sealed its fate, and by 1930, the college was looking to sell the station. Fetzer then purchased the station himself for $2,500. He essentially ran the station as a one-man job, serving as technician, engineer, disc jockey, and sales staff. When the Great Depression struck, Fetzer decided to move WEMC to Kalamazoo, which at the time was the largest city in Michigan that did not yet have its own radio station. The station began operations as WKZO in September, 1931, and soon became a success.
Fetzer continued to own WKZO until his death in 1991, in later years operating it as a full-service MOR/adult contemporary music station and as a CBS Radio affiliate. Following the station's sale after Fetzer's death, it converted to its present news/talk format.
Andrews University would return to the broadcasting business in 1971, when the school signed on WAUS, a classical music station at 90.9 (later 90.7) on the FM dial.
History FM
The station began broadcasting on February 28, 1992 as WUBU, with an urban adult contemporary format, WUBU, owned by Larry Langford was Kalamazoo's first FM R&B station and was supported highly. In June 1992 the station was acquired by Tri-State Radio and the WUBU calls were dropped as well as the urban AC Format. The WUBU call letters and format were then picked up by 106.3 FM in South Bend, Indiana shortly thereafter, throughout the years there have been attempts for another FM R&B station, Today there is WNWN (AM) "the Touch" which has the same format WUBU was and which has an FM simulcast on a translator at 95.5.
On June 9, 1992, the station acquired the calls WFAT and switched its format to Hot AC as 96.5 The Fat One. But by April 2000 the station decided to a move in a new direction and switched their format to mainstream AC with Rick Dees coming to the station for mornings and Delilah at night.
The mainstream AC format did not last long against WQLR and WOOD-FM, and in October 2001 it became a classic rock station with the syndicated Bob and Tom Show in the morning drive.
On February 15, 2008, at 5pm the station abruptly changed format from classic rock to country music. The last song on WFAT was "Happy Trails" by Van Halen, after which the station became "Y96.5", with the first song of the new format being "It's Five O'clock Somewhere" by Alan Jackson & Jimmy Buffett. A couple days later the station changed its callsign to WYZO after fifteen years as WFAT.
On March 31, 2010 the station underwent changes again dropping the country format in favor of a simulcast of its sister station WKZO-AM which airs a News-Talk format. The call sign was also changed to WKZO-FM to mirror its AM counterpart.
Former WKZO-FM on-air staff
96.5 WUBU (Adult Urban) Era 1991-1992
Larry Langford (Miday Host)[citation needed]
- 96.5 The Fat One (Hot AC) Era 1992-2000
- Collean Adams (Mid-Day Host 1996-1998)
- Ace Armstrong (Weekend's/Nighttime/Morning Host "The Fat Morning Show" 1995-2000)
- Mike Austin (Morning Host "The Fat Morning Show 1998-1999)
- John Carson (Afternoon Host 1999-2000)
- John Dial (Morning Host "Get Up & Go Show" 1997-1998)
- Dave Doran (Morning Host "The Fat Morning Show" 1999-2000) - Now weekend's at 94.7 WCSX in Detroit
- Jim Lawless (Weekend's/Overnight Host, stays after flip to Mainstream AC)
- Dan Mason (Early Afternoon Host 1998-2000)
- Mike "Hurricane" McClain (Afternoon Host 1996-1999)
- "Monkeyboy" Brian Sanderson (Nighttime Host 1997-1998)
- Jim Morrison (Nighttime Host/Weekends 1997-1999)
- Rob Ryan (Afternoon Host 2000)
- Kristin Taylor (Mid-Day Host, stays after flip to Mainstream AC)
- Tony Travatto (Afternoon Host, stays after flip to Mainstream AC)
- 96.5 WFAT (Mainstream AC) Era 2000-2001
- Angelo Ayers (Late Morning Host 2001)
- Rick Dees (Morning Host "The Rick Dees Morning Show" 2000-2001)
- Ellen Kaye (Morning Co-host "The Rick Dees Morning Show" 2000-2001)
- Jim Lawless (Weekend's/Overnight Host 1997-2001)
- John McNeil (Morning News, stays after flip to classic rock)
- Kevin O'Neill (Morning Host "The Fat Morning Show" 2000)
- Chris Nichols (Afternoon Host 2001)
- Delilah Rene (Nighttime Host 2000-2001)
- Robb Rose (Mid-Day Host 2001)
- Kristin Taylor (Mid-Day Host 1999-2001)
- Tony Travatto (Afternoon Host 2000)
- Chris West (Afternoon Host 2000-2001)
- 96.5 WFAT (Classic Rock) Era 2001-2008
- Alex Cale (Afternoon/Nighttime Host 2004-2008)
- Joe Daugherty (Mid-Day Host 2001-2002)
- Tom Griswold (Morning Co-Host "The Bob & Tom Show", stays after flip to country)
- Brian Hayes (Afternoons/Morning Producer/Nighttie/Mid-Day Host 2003-2008)
- Justin Katz (Morning Producer/Weekend's 2004-2005)
- Bob Kevoian (Morning Host "The Bob & Tom Show", stays after flip to country)
- Kristi Lee (Morning Co-Host "The Bob & Tom Show", stays after flip to country)
- Larry Long (Weekends/Fill-ins, stays after flip to country)
- Bill Martin (Program Director/Late Morning Host 2001-2004)
- Chick McGee (Morning Co-Host "The Bob & Tom Show", stays after flip to country)
- John McNeil (Morning News 2001-2007)
- Matt Millhouse (Nighttime Host/Morning Producer 2001-2004)
- Todd Thompson (Nighttime Host 2002-2004)
- Mike Tinnes (Afternoon Host 2001-2003)
- Chris Winters (Mid-Day/Afternoon Host 2002-2008)
- Y96.5 (Country) Era 2008–2010
- Brent Allen (Weekends/Fill-ins 2008-2010)
- Bob Bateman (Afternoon Host 2008)
- Chad Daniels (Nighttime Host 2008-2009)
- Dan Diggler (Afternoon Host 2008-2010)
- Lynn Grant (Weekends/Fill-ins 2008-2010)
- Tom Griswold (Morning Co-Host "The Bob & Tom Show" 2001-2010)
- Bob Kevoian (Morning Host "The Bob & Tom Show" 2001-2010)
- PJ Lacey (Mid-Day Host 2008-2010) - Now mid-days at Win 98.5
- Kristi Lee (Morning Co-Host "The Bob & Tom Show" 2001-2010)
- Larry Long (Weekends/Fill-ins 2004-2010)
- Chick McGee (Morning Co-Host "The Bob & Tom Show" 2001-2010)
- Jay "Uncle Buck" Morris (Weekends 2008)
- Danny Wright (Overnight Host "All Night" 2008)
Sources
External links
- Facility details for Facility ID WKZO ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- Facility details for Facility ID WKZO ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
