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KZPT
Radio station in Kansas City, Missouri From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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KZPT (99.7 FM) is a commercial radio station serving the Kansas City metropolitan area. It airs a hot adult contemporary format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. It traces its roots back to the 1930s. The studios and offices are on Squibb Road in Mission, Kansas, off Metcalf Avenue (U.S. Route 69).
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KZPT has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts, the maximum for most FM stations in the U.S.[2] The transmitter is located off East 56th Street at Bennington Avenue in east Kansas City.[3]
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History
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Early years
99.7 FM's historic roots go back to an experimental station, W9XER, which began as an "Apex" high-frequency station owned by the Midland Broadcasting Company in Kansas City. In 1937, it was operating on 31.6 MHz.[4] By 1940, it was transmitting on 42.46 MHz.[5] In late 1941, W9XER was converted into one of the earliest FM stations, transmitting on 46.5 MHz.[6] In 1944, the station received a commercial license as KMBC-FM, and began daily broadcasts that June, simulcasting KMBC 980 AM.[7] In 1946, it moved to 97.9 FM. For two more years, KMBC-FM broadcast on 100.5 FM. But few people owned FM receivers in that era and management saw little chance to make the station profitable. KMBC-FM was deleted in December 1949.[8]
Metromedia, which owned KMBC in the 1960s, later revived the KMBC-FM call letters. It put a new FM station on the air, broadcasting at its permanent 99.7 FM location. It debuted on October 15, 1962, airing a largely automated middle of the road (MOR) format of popular adult music. KMBC-FM initially was powered at 4,300 watts, but upgraded to 98,000 watts in 1965.[9]
Easy Listening and Soft AC
Bonneville bought the station in 1967 and requested new call letters to give it a separate identity from its original AM and TV counterparts. On July 18, 1966, it changed its call sign to KMBR, and began airing a beautiful music format of soft instrumental cover versions of popular songs. KMBR was a steady presence in the Kansas City radio market, lasting for nearly 25 years.
In the 1980s, the easy listening format was beginning to age. The station's playlist began deleting instrumentals and added vocals in an effort to attract a younger audience. Then in June 1990, KMBR made the transition to soft adult contemporary by eliminating nearly all instrumental titles. In May 1991, KMBR rebranded as "Lite 99.7".[10] To reflect its new moniker, the call letters were switched to KLTH on October 16, 1991.[11] KLTH and rival soft AC station 98.1 KUDL competed to be the dominant "at-work station" throughout the mid-1990s. However, KUDL's parent company, Entercom, bought KLTH in 1997, putting an end to the competition.[12]
Classic Rock
On October 20, 1997, at 6 a.m., after playing "Same Old Lang Syne" by Dan Fogelberg, KLTH flipped to classic rock, branded as "The New 99-7 KY". (KYYS had been a popular FM album rock station in Kansas City which had been heard on 102.1 FM.) KLTH picked up the former "KY" moniker and some of the former DJs from the original KYYS. The first song on the revived "KY" was "Back in Black" by AC/DC.[13][14] On January 23, 1998, it changed its call sign to KYYS.
In 2000, KYYS announced it would become the FM radio home of the Kansas City Chiefs football team. However, the United States Department of Justice blocked the move because Entercom would have too much revenue in the Kansas City radio market. The Chiefs remained on rival station 101.1 KCFX until 2020.[15]
KYYS started airing the weekday evening syndicated rock show Nights with Alice Cooper in 2005. At the same time, the station shifted to a harder-edged classic rock format. However, these changes led to a decline in ratings, resulting in many listeners jumping ship to more mainstream classic rock 101.1 KCFX.
99-7 The Boulevard
With ratings on the decline, and failing to effectively compete against KCFX, KYYS was ended for a second time. On January 18, 2008, at 1 p.m., after playing "In the Dark" by Billy Squier, KYYS flipped its format. It became adult album alternative (AAA), branded as "99-7 The Boulevard, Kansas City's Quality Rock". The first song on "The Boulevard" was "Boulevard" by Jackson Browne.[16][17][18][19] On the same day as the flip, KYYS changed call letters to KBLV to match the "Boulevard" moniker. The station was mostly automated during this time.
Mornings were hosted by Mo Lewis, afternoons were handled by Jennifer Simon and evenings featured Operations Manager Greg Bergen.[20] Ratings for the station sunk even further than they were in the final years of KYYS. Initially, the station featured a mix of classic rock artists (like Elton John, The Beatles, and Fleetwood Mac) with newer artists (like Sheryl Crow, Dave Matthews Band, and Jack Johnson). Over time, the playlist shifted to a more traditional classic rock format.
99-7 Kiss FM
Just 367 days after the debut of "The Boulevard", the station made a change. On January 13, 2009, at 3 p.m., after playing "Touch Me" by The Doors, KBLV began stunting with music from past "American Idol" contestants. One hour later, KBLV flipped to Hot AC, branded as "99-7 Kiss FM." The first song on "Kiss" was "Light On" by David Cook.[21][22] On January 20, 2009, KBLV changed its call letters to KKSN.
Almost all of the station's programming was syndicated: Kidd Kraddick in the Morning, On-Air with Ryan Seacrest in afternoons, and Kim Iversen at night. With the exception of Michelle Nichols in middays from March to June, middays were jockless. Kelly Urich, longtime personality at rival KMXV, joined the station in afternoons on November 9 of that year as the station's only local talent, moving Seacrest to middays.[23] Ratings improved slightly when the station flipped to "Kiss", but still remained near the middle or bottom of Kansas City Arbitron ratings reports.
Gen X Radio 99-7
On April 16, 2010, at 10 a.m., after playing "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga, KKSN flipped to 80s/90s Hits, rebranded as "Gen X Radio 99-7 Kiss FM".[24] The first song on "Gen X" was "To Be With You" by Mr. Big.
KKSN dropped Kraddick and Iversen from the lineup at this time, with Seacrest remaining as the lone syndicated holdover from the previous format. On May 27, the station dropped calling itself "Kiss FM" and rebranded as "Gen X Radio 99-7". The next day, the station changed its call letters to KGEX. During its time as "Gen X", the station added a full-time local airstaff. Throughout its time as "Gen X", ratings for the station remained low.
99-7 The Point
On March 23, 2011, at Noon, the station flipped back to hot adult contemporary, this time as "99-7 The Point". The last few songs on "Gen X Radio" were "Closer to Free" by BoDeans, "Closing Time" by Semisonic, "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" by Coolio, "A Change Would Do You Good" by Sheryl Crow, "Bye Bye Bye" by NSYNC, and "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Green Day. The first song on "The Point" was "Get the Party Started" by Pink.[25][26]
The new format was designed to combine the audience split between KGEX, KUDL and KCKC. On March 28, KUDL began simulcasting KGEX. It was part of a transition period to shift KUDL's audience over to the new format, as KUDL decided to end its adult contemporary format after 34 years and flip to a simulcast of news/talk KMBZ 980 AM. On March 30, 2011, the simulcast between the two stations ended; on the same day, KGEX changed its call sign to the current KZPT, to represent its new moniker, "The Point."
KZPT's staff, in the beginning, included Urich (moved from afternoons) in morning drive, Tony Lorino in middays, Tanna Guthrie (formerly of KYYS and KUDL) in afternoons, and Matt Gapske at night. The syndicated Ryan Seacrest program was discontinued. During its first year as "The Point", the station's ratings dramatically improved, with the station typically ranked within the top 10 most listened-to stations in the market. Several years after the flip to "The Point", KZPT dropped most 1980s and 1990s hits and shifted back to an adult top 40 format. In 2022, the station returned to hot AC, using the slogan "The 90s to Now".
KZPT won "Station of the Year" from the Missouri Broadcasters Association (MBA) in June 2017. It also won first place in "Station Sponsored Community Event".
In 2018, the station launched the local "Ponch & Nikki" morning show.[27] In 2023, the show began also airing in afternoons on sister-station KYKY in St. Louis.[28] The next year, KZPT would begin airing KYKY's morning show on delay in the afternoons.[29] In March 2025, the Ponch & Nikki show ended, as both hosts were part of Audacy corporate layoffs.
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References
External links
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