 | |
| Broadcast area | Des Moines metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 105.1MHz |
| Branding | Now 105.1 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Hot AC |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KASI,KDRB,KKDM,KXNO,KXNO-FM,WHO | |
| History | |
First air date | 1968; 57 years ago (1968) (as KCCQ 107.1) |
Former call signs | KCCQ (1968–2014) |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 2115 |
| Class | C3 |
| ERP | 25,000watts |
| HAAT | 100 meters (330 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°04′38″N93°38′54″W / 42.07722°N 93.64833°W /42.07722; -93.64833 |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | now1051.iheart.com |
KCYZ (105.1MHz) is acommercialFMradio station inAmes, Iowa, broadcasting to theDes Moines metropolitan area. KCYZ airs ahot adult contemporaryradio format branded as "Now 105.1". KCYZ is owned byiHeartMedia with the license held by Citicaster Licenses LP. Thestudios and offices are on Main Street in Ames. KCYZ is Ames' FM home forIowa State Cyclonescollege football and men's basketball,simulcasting withsister stationKASI1430 AM.
KCYZ has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 25,000watts. Thetransmitter is on West 190th Street near Hyde Avenue, north of Downtown Ames.[1]
The stationsigned on the air on June 20, 1968; 57 years ago (June 20, 1968).[2] The originalcall sign was KCCQ and it broadcast on 107.1 MHz. It was owned by the Ames Broadcasting Company. KCCQ was thesister station ofKASI (1430 AM). At the time, KCCQ was only powered at 3,000 watts. It was known as "Hot 107 KCCQ" and "107 KCCQ, Ames' Hot FM". Ames Broadcasting also ownedKIKD-FM inLake City. The company was owned by a woman, a rare event in that era. Betty Baudler Horras started as a bookkeeper before moving up to station management.
When it started life on June 20, 1968, KCCQ was one of twoTop 40 stations broadcasting in Central Iowa, including the Des Moinesradio market. When the early 1980s rolled along, the station faced Top 40 competition againstKRNQ,KIOA-AM, andKMGK (later KDWZ). Unfortunately, KCCQ's signal in Des Moines itself was relatively weak. When the station was at 107.1 FM, listeners in Des Moines and other parts of the southern fringe of KCCQ's coverage area could often hear interference fromKJJC inOsceola, which was broadcasting at 106.9 FM with higherwattage than KCCQ.
In 1998, the station changed frequencies to 105.1 FM, and the power was increased to its current 25,000 watt output. That improved the signal, though it still only provides grade B coverage to Des Moines itself. With its improved signal, in 1999, KCCQ and KASI were sold toJacor, which later merged withClear Channel Communications, the forerunner to today's iHeartMedia.
After the purchase by Clear Channel, the company swapped KCCQ's CHR format with thealternative rock format of its then-new sister stationKKDM. KCCQ was then known as "Channel Q". In August 2010, KCCQ rebranded as "New Rock 105.1".
On December 26, 2013, at midnight, KCCQ swapped formats with sister stationKPTL and began broadcasting aHot AC format, while its alternative rock format moved to 106.3. On April 4, 2014, KCCQ changed its call letters to KCYZ. Clear Channel also changed its name to iHeartMedia on September 16, 2014.