 | |
| Broadcast area | Cedar Rapids-Iowa City |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 102.9MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Z102.9 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Top 40 (CHR) |
| Subchannels | HD2: Smart-FM (80s hits) HD3:KGYMsimulcast (Sports) HD4: X107.5 (Alternative rock) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | KZIA, Inc. |
| KGYM | |
| History | |
First air date | May 1975 (as KQCR) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | Common "Z" branding for pop stations inspired byWHTZ, IA is thepostal abbreviation for Iowa |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 35556 |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 100,000watts |
| HAAT | 287 meters (942 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°03′25″N91°41′42″W / 42.057°N 91.695°W /42.057; -91.695 |
| Translator(s) | See§ HD Radio digital channels |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live HD2:Listen live HD3:Listen live HD4:Listen live |
| Website | kzia HD2:smartrockin HD3:kgymradio HD4:x1075iowa |
KZIA, known as "Z 102.9", is aradio station based inCedar Rapids, Iowa. It has aTop 40 (CHR) format primarily staffed with local personalities, including morningDJs Dancin' Eric Hanson, Clare Duffy, and Producer Ben, known as “The Morning Scramble.” Eric and Clare were recognized as the Iowa Broadcasters of the Year in 2022 by the Iowa Broadcasters Association. Other hosts include Lady J, Those Girls in the Afternoon with Destiny and Taylor, and Jaidyn on the Night Show. The station's transmitter is located inHiawatha, Iowa, and its signal reaches most of easternIowa, including Cedar Rapids,Iowa City,Waterloo, and theQuad Cities area. It also reachesPrairie du Chien, andPlatteville, both inWisconsin.[2]
In 1975, the station would sign on as KQCR, and aired aTop 40/CHR format branded as "Q103".[3] KQCR became the dominant CHR station in Eastern Iowa; it initially aired automated programming before going live full-time in 1983.[4] In 1994, Rob Norton Jr. and Eliot Keller, owners ofKRNA, purchased KQCR to create the Cedar Rapids market's first radioduopoly.[5] On September 5, 1995, KQCR changed its format tocountry music and its call letters to KXMX, "Max 102.9".[6][7] The country format lasted almost three years until Norton and Keller agreed to sell KRNA and KXMX toTexas-based Capstar Broadcasting. While the KRNA sale was successful, Capstar terminated the agreement to buy KXMX.[8] Norton and Keller kept the station, changing their format back to Top 40 and the call letters to KZIA on June 12, 1998.[9] Today, KZIA is the only locally owned commercialFM station in the Cedar Rapids market, as most of the commercial FMs in the area are owned by eitheriHeartMedia orTownsquare Media.[10]
On October 31, 2006, KZIA acquired the former KCRG radio (1600 AM) fromGazette Communications. KZIA renamed the stationKGYM and moved its studios from downtown Cedar Rapids to the KZIA studios on the city's southwest side.[11]
The station airs anall-1980s hits format on KZIA-HD2 titled "Smart FM". Originally named "ROBfm" after Norton, and airing anadult hits/classic rock format, it was renamed to "Smart FM" after Norton's death on January 29, 2018, at the age of 69.[12] On August 8, 2020, KZIA-HD2 shifted to all-1980s hits, while retaining the "Smart FM" branding.[13] KZIA-HD2 is also relayed over FM radio through FM translator stations 95.1 K236AA in Cedar Rapids, and 98.5 K253BE in Iowa City. Despite each frequency limited to a low power of 250 watts, the use of two translators allows coverage for both Linn and Johnson counties. The station can also be heard throughout other counties in eastern Iowa via the primary 102.9-HD2 signal through an HD Radio receiver.
"Smart FM" features Greg Runyon on middays. Runyon was previously with Z102.9.
On May 14, 2003, KZIA became the first Iowa radio station to broadcast inHD Radio.[14]
KZIA also airs two channels of sports programming on their HD Radio signal. Originally, there was one channel of sports programming on HD3, which was just a simulcast of sister station KGYM, but now is split into two channels on the HD3 and HD4 sub-channels. KZIA-HD3 feeds Iowa City translator K292FZ (106.3 FM), and KZIA-HD4 fed Cedar Rapids translator K298BM (107.5 FM). This allowed up to three different sports programs at once (listeners may hear a Cedar Rapids High School sports game on 107.5, with one from Iowa City on 106.3, and a game that is the most anticipated for both areas on the main 1600 station). To designate different frequencies, 106.3 is known as the "South Gym", 107.5 was the "North Gym", and 1600 is the "Main Gym".
In January 2020, KGYM began simulcasting on translator K272GB (102.3 FM) in Cedar Rapids, and began redirecting listeners to the new frequency. The following month, K298BM/KZIA-HD4 split from the KGYM simulcast and began airing a separate sports talk format as "Gym OT." The schedule consisted ofhot talk/male-oriented talk shows and sports betting shows, along withESPN Radio and SportsMap Radio programming.[15] On January 1, 2022, K298BM/KZIA-HD4 flipped toalternative rock as "X107.5."[16][17]
The station's HD signal is multiplexed:[18]
| Call sign | Frequency &Subchannel | Format | Branding | Translators[19] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KZIA HD1 | 102.9-1 FM | Top 40 (CHR) | Z 102.9 (Main Programming) | — |
| KZIA HD2 | 102.9-2 FM | '80s Hits | Smart-FM | 95.1 K236AA (Cedar Rapids) 98.5 K253BE (Iowa City) |
| KZIA HD3 | 102.9-3 FM | Sports | KGYM/ESPN Radio/South Gym | SeeKGYM § Translators |
| KZIA HD4 | 102.9-4 FM | Alternative rock | X107.5 | 107.5 K298BM (Cedar Rapids) |