 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Phoenix metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 104.7MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 104.7KISS FM |
| Programming | |
| Format | Top 40 (CHR) |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KESZ,KFYI,KGME,KMXP,KNIX-FM,KOY,KYOT | |
| History | |
First air date | 1950 (as KTYL-FM) |
Former call signs | KTYL-FM (1950–1959) KBUZ-FM (1959–1976) KIOG (1976–1980) KZZP-FM (1980–1991) KVRY (1991–1996) |
Call sign meaning | No particular meaning, with the end "P" standing for Phoenix, though "Kiss" is a plausiblebackronym |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 47742 |
| Class | C |
| ERP | 100,000watts |
| HAAT | 472 meters (1,549 ft) 506 meters (1,660 ft) (CP) |
Transmitter coordinates | 33°20′02″N112°03′36″W / 33.334°N 112.060°W /33.334; -112.060 |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 1047kissfm.iheart.com |
KZZP (104.7FM) is a United Statescommercialradio stationlicensed toMesa, Arizona, and serving thePhoenix metropolitan area. The station airs atop 40 (CHR)format and is owned and operated byiHeartMedia. Studios and offices are on East Van Buren Street inPhoenix nearSky Harbor International Airport.
Thetransmitter is off Road D inSouth Mountain Park, amid other towers for Phoenix-area FM and TV stations.[1] KZZP has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000watts, broadcasting from a tower at 472 meters (1,549 ft) inheight above average terrain (HAAT).[2]
KZZP is theflagship station of thesyndicatedJohnjay and Rich in the Morning show, starring Johnjay Van Es,Rich Berra, Kyle Unfug and Payton Whitmore. Afternoons are hosted by Suzette Rodriguez, a former Johnjay and Rich co-host. As of January 2021, KZZP also carries the syndicated showTino Cochino Radio in the evenings.
The station firstsigned on the air in 1950 as KTYL-FM.[3] It was the FM counterpart to KTYL in Mesa (nowKIHP). The two stationssimulcast their programming and were owned by Sun Valley Broadcasting, asubsidiary ofHarkins Theatres, a movie theater chain. In 1953, a television station was added,NBCaffiliate KTYL-TV (nowKPNX). (TheKTYL-FMcall sign is now used by a station inTyler, Texas).
In 1958, the radio stations were acquired by Greater Phoenix Broadcasting, under president Sherwood R. Gordon.[4] The following year, the stations switched call letters to KBUZ-AM-FM, and flipped to abeautiful music format.
In late 1976, the stations were sold to Southwestern Media, Inc.. On January 1, 1977, KBUZ-FM split from the AM, changed call letters to KIOG, and flipped to a syndicatedsoft rock format from TM Programming inDallas called "Beautiful Rock". During this time, studios were located at the Thomas Mall in Phoenix. The station was branded as "K-104 FM".
Western Cities Broadcasting purchased KIOG in January 1980, along with its co-owned AM station. On February 14, both stations went silent; on March 1, both stations changed to aTop 40 format as KZZP-AM-FM. During those days, the station was known as "104.7 KZZP".[5]
Morning hostJonathon Brandmeier, also known as Johnny B., later became a star atWLUP-FM inChicago. While in Phoenix, his KZZP show featured prank phone calls, parody songs which Brandmeier himself usually wrote, sang and recorded, along with a cast of regular characters. When Brandmeier left for Chicago, Western Cities won an injunction to keep him off the air in that market until his contract with KZZP had expired. In 1991, Brandmeier hosted a national late night TV show, "Johnny B. on the Loose," syndicated byViacom.
KZZP, also known as "Hitmusic 104" or "FM 104" in the 1980s, was considered one of America's leading Top 40 radio stations. It was led by Program Director Guy Zapoleon, and owned byNationwide Communications, who bought the station in 1985. During Zapoleon's era, the station played mass appeal hits along with some adventurous dance and alternative releases. Zapoleon hired morning manBruce Kelly from Boston in July 1985.
DJs during this era include Valerie Knight, Kevin Weatherly,Jimmy Kimmel, Dave Otto, Kevin Ryder and Gene Baxter (ofKevin and Bean fame), Todd Fisher,Clarke Ingram, John Machay, Nick Sommers, Michelle Santosuosso, William "Bill Stu" Stewart, Carey Edwards, Steve Goddard, Scott Thrower, Kent Voss, William "Buddy" LaTour, Mike Elliot, John O'Rourke, Steve Grosz, Susan Karis, Dave Ryan, Laurie Michaels, Brandon Scott, and Christopher Lee.
In December 1989, Bruce Kelly signed a lucrative five-year contract with the station, but was released just weeks later. Kelly sued for wrongful termination and won. Years later, Kelly went toKKFR and teamed with former WLUP Chicago DJ Maggie Brock to host "Bruce & Maggie in the Morning".
On April 28, 1991, at 1 p.m., after playing "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" byElton John, KZZP beganstunting with a ticking clock. Two days later, on April 30, at 3 p.m., KZZP changed tohot adult contemporary, branded as "Variety 104.7". The KZZP call letters were retired for KVRY at the time of the change. The first song on "Variety" was "Roll with It" bySteve Winwood. "Variety" was led by Program Director Stef Rybak and Assistant PD/Music Director Jon Zellner, who also hosted afternoon drive.[6][7][8]
On March 8, 1996, at 3 p.m., after six hours of stunting with heartbeat sound effects and clips from the television showER, KZZP returned to Phoenix, this time featuring amodern AC format, and the "104.7 KZZP" name, making an attempt to capture the audience that grew up listening to the original incarnation. The first song on the relaunched KZZP was "Friday I'm in Love" byThe Cure.[9][10][11]
Brandmeier made a brief return, viasyndication, in mornings, in 1996, but ratings were not strong, and after six months, he was replaced with a local morning show.[12][13] The station returned to #1 in the ratings for a couple of periods during this time.Jacor bought Nationwide's radio stations, including KZZP, in 1997.
Bruce Kelly returned in September 1998, for a brief run in mornings.[14][15] The new modern AC KZZP was competing with the similarly-formattedKMXP, and would later become itssister station with the merger of Jacor and Nationwide. KMXP had the better ratings so, in February 1999, KZZP began evolving back tomainstream Top 40 by including more rhythmic and upbeat tracks in its playlist; the shift was completed that April.[16] In June, KZZP rebranded as "104-7 'ZZP - Arizona's Hit Music Channel". The station made even more changes, including in its air staff and playlist.[17] The station briefly airedLos Angeles-basedRick Dees in syndication for a few months in 2000.[18] With all of these changes, however, KZZP was usually ranked in the mid-2 to low-3 share range of theradio market.
On April 20, 2001, at 6 p.m., after playing "Higher" byCreed, KZZP beganstunting with a three-day loop ofPrince'sKiss. At noon on April 23, the station relaunched as "104.7 KISS-FM". It featured an introduction fromDestiny's Child, whose songSurvivor was the first song played.[19] By this time, Jacor had been merged into Clear Channel Communications. Many Top 40 stations owned by Clear Channel would later call themselvesKISS-FM, regardless of their actual call sign, includingKIIS-FMLos Angeles,KHKSDallas andWXKS-FMBoston.
KZZP, under Clear Channel and Program Director Tom Caloccoci, went in a rhythmic-leaning Top 40 direction that included some dance crossovers. Although KZZP broadened to include mainstream pop songs by 2004, KZZP's playlist still leaned rhythmic, similar to many Top 40 stations in theSouthwest. On September 16, 2014, Clear Channel renamed itselfiHeartMedia, to bring its corporate name in line with itsiHeartRadio internet platform.[20] Around the same time as the corporate name change, KZZP repositioned to a mainstream Top 40 direction, along with several other leading rhythmic Top 40 stations, such asKYLDSan Francisco,WBBM-FMChicago andXHITZSan Diego.
KZZP broadcasts in theHD Radio format. The main signal is a simulcast of KZZP's Top 40 programming. The HD2 subchannel formerly carriedEvolution,iHeartRadio's commercial freeDance/EDM station, and was its flagship outlet for the platform.[21]
CC Media Holdings, for example, the overall corporation, will be renamed iHeartMedia Inc., and Clear Channel Communications, its major subsidiary, will become iHeartCommunications.