| Simulcast ofKCMO,Kansas City | |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | |
| Frequency | 95.7MHz |
| Branding | KCMO Talk Radio |
| Programming | |
| Format | Conservative talk |
| Network | Fox News Radio |
| Affiliations |
|
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | March 1, 1962; 63 years ago (1962-03-01) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | "Channel Z" (former brand name) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 33332 |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 98,000 watts |
| HAAT | 299 meters (981 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 39°00′45″N95°01′46″W / 39.01250°N 95.02944°W /39.01250; -95.02944 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www |
KCHZ (95.7FM) is acommercialradio stationlicensed toOttawa, Kansas, and serving theKansas City Metropolitan Area. Itsimulcasts aconservative talkradio format withsister stationKCMO (710 AM). They are owned byCumulus Media, with studios located on Indian Creek Parkway inOverland Park, Kansas.
KCHZ has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 98,000watts.[2] Thetransmitter is off 198th Street nearStranger Creek inLinwood, Kansas.[3]
Weekdays on KCHZ and KCMO begin with a local news and information show hosted by Pete Mundo, followed by a local talk show with Kevin Keitzman. Nationallysyndicatedconservative talk shows make up the rest of the weekday schedule. Hosts include Vince Coglianese,Guy Benson,Mark Levin,Will Cain,Bill O'Reilly,Dave Ramsey andRed Eye Radio.
Weekends feature shows on money, health, religion, cooking, travel and the outdoors, some of which arebrokered programming. Syndicated weekend hosts include Rich Valdes andChris Plante. Most hours begin with an update fromFox News Radio.KCTV supplies weather forecasts.
The station first began broadcasting as KOFO-FM, an FM simulcast for sister stationKOFO (1220 AM). The stationsigned on the air on March 1, 1962; 63 years ago (1962-03-01).[4] It was only powered at 6,700 watts, a fraction of its current output. It could only be heard in and around Ottawa, not in the larger Kansas City metropolitan area.
In 1978, the station stopped simulcasting its AM sister station. It wasautomated, playing a mix ofTop 40 andalbum-oriented rock (AOR) as "96X", with thecall sign KKKX.
In 1986, the station flipped toeasy listening/adult contemporary, branded as "96 HUM", and changed its call sign to KHUM. The station relocated its transmitter from its original site near Ottawa to a site nearOverbrook. It upgraded its power to 100,000 watts, and relocated its studios, first toLawrence, then toTopeka. In 1991, the station wentsilent.
In 1993, the station signed back on asadult contemporary KZTO, branded as "Z96". The studios were in Lawrence, near 25th and Iowa, with a transmitter located southeast of the city. In January 1994, the station went silent again.[5]
The 95.7 frequency signed back on under the control of Radio 2000, Inc. on January 21, 1997, initially bystunting withall-80's music and a heartbeatsound effect for about a week, before flipping to amodern adult contemporary format as "Channel Z95.7" under new the current KCHZ calls. This was the frequency's first attempt to target the Kansas City area. During this time, the station used the slogan "Kansas City's Superstation". KCHZ would gain a competitor in September 1997, whenKYYS flipped to modern AC. In early 1998, KCHZ relocated its transmitter to its current location near Linwood to improve coverage within the Kansas City metropolitan area, particularly in Missouri.
By January 1998, KCHZ shifted to Top 40/CHR, then torhythmic contemporary by 1999. During this period, KCHZ called itself "Z95.7 - Kansas City's Hottest Hits."[6]
The station was sold to Syncom Radio in 1999, and Syncom continued to adjust the station's image. KCHZ shifted back to mainstream Top 40/CHR in 2000, back to rhythmic CHR by 2002, then back to a mainstream CHR by late 2003, whenCumulus Broadcasting bought the station.
By November 2005, after years of confusing listeners over what direction the station was taking, Cumulus decided that 95.7 needed a complete overhaul. To bring attention to the changeover, KCHZ began stunting with all-Christmas music at noon on November 1, 2005, as "Jingle 95.7", jumping the gun a week beforeKUDL orKCKC would even start broadcasting Christmas music.[7][8] However, by the next day, the station shifted its stunting to a loop of "Swans Splashdown" byJean-Jacques Perrey and "Lonesome Road" byDean Elliot & His Big Band.[9]
At 5 p.m. on November 3, KCHZ shifted to rhythmic CHR for a third time as "95-7 The Vibe, The Beat of Kansas City", withThe Black Eyed Peas' "My Humps" being the first song played.[10][11][12][13][14] During its tenure as a Rhythmic station, KCHZ aired a few syndicated shows, including "The Weekend Top 30 Countdown" withHollywood Hamilton, as well as "Sunday Night Slow Jams" with R.Dub.
On January 27, 2009, KCHZ adjusted their format to feature more mainstream top 40 hits and dropped the majority of its old school and hip hop hits, but still maintained its rhythmic format somewhat. KCHZ continued to report toR&R/Nielsen BDSRhythmic Airplay panel.[15]
By October 2009, KCHZ fully shifted back to mainstream Top 40. This was part of Cumulus' plan to launch mainstream Top 40 stations in major markets across the country. With the change, morning hosts "Shorty & the Boyz", who had hosted mornings since 2005, were let go. In 2018, KCHZ began airing "The Bert Show" in mornings, syndicated from sister stationWWWQ inAtlanta.
On October 6, 2023, at midnight, after playing "Flowers" byMiley Cyrus, Cumulus moved KCHZ's top 40/CHR format and "Vibe" branding to sister stationKMJK. This was part of a multi-station move among Cumulus' Kansas City stations; KMJK's urban format moved toKCJK the previous week. Both stations simulcasted until just after midnight on October 12, when, after playing "Greedy" byTate McRae and a short commercial break, KCHZ flipped to a simulcast of news/talk-formattedKCMO.[16][17] Putting KCMO's news/talk programming on FM helps it compete withAudacy-ownedKMBZ-FM, the leading talk station in the Kansas City market.