KBEZ

KBEZ
City Tulsa, Oklahoma
Broadcast area Tulsa metropolitan area
Branding 92.9 The Drive
Slogan Tulsa's Classic Hits
Frequency 92.9 MHz
First air date March 1964 (as KAKC-FM)
Format Classic hits
ERP 98,500 watts
HAAT 402 meters (1,319 ft)
Class C0
Facility ID 55707
Callsign meaning K B EaZy Listening (earlier format)
Former callsigns KAKC-FM (1964-1977)
Owner E. W. Scripps Company
(Scripps Broadcasting Holdings LLC)
Sister stations KHTT, KVOO-FM, KXBL-FM, KFAQ, KJRH-TV
Webcast Listen Live
Website 929thedrive.com

KBEZ (92.9 MHz, "92.9 The Drive") is a commercial FM radio station in Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States. It is owned by E.W. Scripps Company and airs a classic hits radio format. Its studios are located in Midtown Tulsa and the transmitter is in the Osage Reservation north of Sand Springs, Oklahoma, broadcasting at 100,000 watts.

History

92.9 KBEZ logo used until 2010.

KBEZ first signed on the air in March of 1964 as KAKC-FM, the sister station to AM 970 KAKC (now KCFO).[1] At first it simulcast the AM station's programming but by the Summer of 1977, it was airing an easy listening format, taking the call sign KBEZ, with the last two call letters signifying "Easy." Over time, the number of instrumental easy songs decreased and the soft vocals increased, moving the station to a soft adult contemporary music format.

At noon on June 10, 2010, KBEZ dropped its longtime adult contemporary format and adopted an adult hits format. Along with the flip, KBEZ also changed its moniker from "92.9 KBEZ" to "92.9 BOB FM", using the slogan "We Play Anything!". The last song played on KBEZ before the flip was "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" by Elton John.[2][3][4]

92.9 BOB FM logo used from 2010 to 2013.

At about noon on September 9, 2013, KBEZ changed from its former "We Play Anything" genre to Classic Hits of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, moving the station from adult hits to classic hits. The station has since dropped most music from the 1960s to concentrate on 1970s, 1980s and some 1990s hits, now using the slogan "Tulsa's Greatest Hits."

On August 1, 2017 KBEZ rebranded as "92.9 The Drive - Tulsa's Classic Hits!".[5]

Ownership changes

On March 8, 2012, Renda announced that it was selling KHTT and KBEZ to Journal Communications for $11.8 million. The deal closed on June 25, 2012.[6] Both KHTT and its sister KBEZ have moved into the Journal Communications facility at 29th and Yale Avenue adjacent to the Broken Arrow Expressway joining the existing Journal stations KVOO, KXBL, and KFAQ.

Journal Communications (KBEZ's former owner) and The E.W. Scripps Company (owner of Tulsa's NBC network affiliate KJRH-TV) announced on July 30, 2014 that the two companies would merge to create a new broadcast company under the E.W. Scripps Company name that will own the two companies' broadcast properties, including KBEZ.[7]

On June 26, 2018, parent company E.W. Scripps announced that it would sell KBEZ - along with its sister stations, KFAQ, KHTT, KVOO, and KXBL to Griffin Communications.[8]

Gunman

On January 13, 2010 just after 1 PM, 58-year-old Barry Styles came to KBEZ's offices and studios, and walked up and down the hallways demanding to speak to morning show co-host Carly Rush. When the receptionist informed the man she had left for the day, he walked out of the office, then immediately returned brandishing a pistol. The receptionist escaped to the back of the office and called the Tulsa Police Department. The gunman trapped several employees inside the office and guarded the exit. After approximately ten minutes, police arrived on scene. When the gunman refused to drop his weapon, police fired shots hitting him in the waist. Shortly after, the police handcuffed the man and he was taken to a hospital where he was listed as being in serious condition. No employees were hurt.

References

  1. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1977 pg. C-170.
  2. ↑ "KBEZ/Tulsa Drops AC To Become BOB 92.9". AllAccess.com. June 10, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Tulsa's soft AC KBEZ gives way to classic hits "92.9 Bob FM"". Radio-Info.com. June 10, 2010. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012.
  4. ↑ "KBEZ Tulsa Becomes "92.9 Bob FM"". RadioInsight.com. June 10, 2010.
  5. ↑ Bob Gives Way to The Drive in Tulsa Radioinsight - August 1, 2017
  6. ↑ "Journal Acquires Renda’s Two In Tulsa" from Radio Insight (March 8, 2012)
  7. ↑ "E.W. Scripps, Journal Merging Broadcast Ops". TVNewsCheck. July 30, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Scripps Sells Tulsa Cluster To Griffin Communications - RadioInsight". RadioInsight. 2018-06-25. Retrieved 2018-06-25.

Coordinates: 36°11′28″N 96°05′49″W / 36.191°N 96.097°W / 36.191; -96.097

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