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KCHZ

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KCHZ
Simulcast of KCMO, Kansas City
Broadcast area
Frequency95.7 MHz
BrandingKCMO Talk Radio
Programming
FormatConservative talk
NetworkFox News Radio
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
March 1, 1962; 63 years ago (1962-03-01)
Former call signs
  • KOFO-FM (1962–1978)
  • KKKX (1978–1986)
  • KHUM-FM (6/1986-7/1986)
  • KHUM (1986–1992)
  • KZTO (1992–1996)
Call sign meaning
"Channel Z" (former brand name)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID33332
ClassC1
ERP98,000 watts
HAAT299 meters (981 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
39°00′45″N 95°01′46″W / 39.01250°N 95.02944°W / 39.01250; -95.02944
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitewww.kcmotalkradio.com

KCHZ (95.7 FM), is a commercial radio station licensed to Ottawa, Kansas, and serving the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. It simulcasts a conservative talk radio format with sister station KCMO (710 AM). They are owned by Cumulus Media, with studios located on Indian Creek Parkway in Overland Park, Kansas.

KCHZ has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 98,000 watts.[2] The transmitter is off 198th Street near Stranger Creek in Linwood, Kansas.[3]

Programming

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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. Nationally syndicated conservative 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 and Red Eye Radio.

Weekends feature shows on money, health, religion, cooking, travel and the outdoors, some of which are brokered programming. Syndicated weekend hosts include Rich Valdes and Chris Plante. Most hours begin with an update from Fox News Radio. KCTV supplies weather forecasts.

History

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Early years

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The station first began broadcasting as KOFO-FM, an FM simulcast for sister station KOFO (1220 AM). The station signed 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 was automated, playing a mix of Top 40 and album-oriented rock (AOR) as "96X", with the call sign KKKX.

In 1986, the station flipped to easy 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 near Overbrook. It upgraded its power to 100,000 watts, and relocated its studios, first to Lawrence, then to Topeka. In 1991, the station went silent.

In 1993, the station signed back on as adult 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]

Channel Z/Z95.7

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The 95.7 frequency signed back on under the control of Radio 2000, Inc. on January 21, 1997. The new call letters were KCHZ, the station was branded as "Channel Z95.7", and aired a modern adult contemporary outlet. It resumed broadcasting initially by stunting with all-80's music and a heartbeat sound effect for about a week. 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, when KYYS 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 to rhythmic 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, when Cumulus Broadcasting bought the station.

The Vibe

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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 before KUDL or KCKC would even start broadcasting Christmas music.[7][8] However, by the next day, the station shifted its stunting to a loop of "Swans Splashdown" by Jean-Jacques Perrey and "Lonesome Road" by Dean 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", with The 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" with Hollywood 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 to R&R/Nielsen BDS Rhythmic Airplay panel.[15]

KCHZ logo (2009-2023)

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 station WWWQ in Atlanta.

KCMO simulcast

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On October 6, 2023, at midnight, after playing "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus, Cumulus moved KCHZ's top 40/CHR format and "Vibe" branding to sister station KMJK. This was part of a multi-station move among Cumulus' Kansas City stations; KMJK's urban format moved to KCJK the previous week. Both stations simulcasted until just after midnight on October 12, when, after playing "Greedy" by Tate McRae and a short commercial break, KCHZ flipped to a simulcast of news/talk-formatted KCMO.[16][17] Putting KCMO's news/talk programming on FM helps it compete with Audacy-owned KMBZ-FM, the leading talk station in the Kansas City market.

References

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  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KCHZ". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ FCC.gov/KCHZ
  3. ^ Radio-Locator.com/KCHZ
  4. ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1977 page C-81. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  5. ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1995 page B-158. Retrieved May 10, 2025.
  6. ^ "R&R Magazine 1998-01-09 Page 28" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com. January 9, 1998. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  7. ^ "Christmas In Kansas City?". All Access.
  8. ^ Tim Engle, "Listen, it's Christmas in the air(waves)", The Kansas City Star, November 2, 2005.
  9. ^ "KCHZ 95.7 Ottawa, KS Kansas City 3 November 2005" – via Internet Archive.
  10. ^ Tim Engle, "Local radio gets a new Vibe", The Kansas City Star, November 5, 2005.
  11. ^ "KCHZ Jingles To 95.7 The Vibe; KMXV Pulls R&T Off The Air". allaccess.com. November 3, 2005. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  12. ^ "Kansas City Radio & TV". kcradio.robzerwekh.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2016. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  13. ^ "R&R Magazine 2005-11-11 Page 5" (PDF). americanradiohistory.com. November 11, 2005. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  14. ^ "KCHZ 95.7 Ottawa, KS-Kansas City, MO - November 3, 2005". August 23, 2020 – via YouTube.
  15. ^ "From bdsonline.com". bdsonline.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
  16. ^ "Kansas City's Vibe On The Move". radioinsight.com.
  17. ^ "710 KCMO Kansas City Gains Full Power FM Simulcast". radioinsight.com. October 12, 2023.
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