KNZR-FM
 | |
| City | Shafter, California |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Bakersfield, California |
| Branding | KNZR |
| Slogan | "News. Talk. Dodgers" |
| Frequency | 97.7 MHz |
| First air date | 1983 (as KLYD-FM) |
| Format | News/Talk |
| ERP | 4,100 watts |
| HAAT | 121 meters (397 feet) |
| Class | A |
| Facility ID | 8109 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 35°27′33″N 119°01′13″W / 35.45917°N 119.02028°W |
| Former callsigns |
KLYD-FM (1983-1988) KKBB (1988-1994) KZBA (1994-1996) KRME (1996-2001) KSMJ (2001-2013)[1] |
| Affiliations | Premiere Radio Networks |
| Owner |
Alpha Media, LLC (Alpha Media Licensee LLC) |
| Sister stations | KKBB, KLLY, KNZR |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | knzr.com |
KNZR-FM (97.7 FM, "KNZR") is a commercial radio station located in Shafter, California, broadcasting to the Bakersfield, California, area. The station is owned by Alpha Media, LLC, through licensee Alpha Media Licensee LLC. KNZR-FM airs a News/Talk format simulcasting sister station KNZR.[2]
The station was assigned the KSMJ call letters by the Federal Communications Commission on February 6, 2001. The station changed to its current KNZR-FM call sign on September 11, 2013.[3]
Programming
KNZR is the local home of Coast to Coast AM, The Glenn Beck Program, The Rush Limbaugh Show, The Sean Hannity Show, and The Mark Levin Show.
The station has not been without controversy. Midday host Jaz McKay drew protesters to the station and was investigated by the Kern County Sheriff's Department in May, 2017, for a social media post in which McKay, a concealed carry permit holder, stated that he was “getting ready to open a 30-round mag on you people” while disparaging the number of Spanish-language radio stations in the Bakersfield, California market, referring to them as “Messican.”[4][5]
On January 18, 2018, McKay used the racial epithet spic to describe Hispanics.[6] At 45.5%, Hispanics comprise the largest demographic group in Bakersfield.[7] On January 24, station licensee Alpha Media reported that McKay’s time slot was now being filled by Sean Hannity.[8] On the same day, it was also reported that McKay’s fellow conservative talk show host Inga Barks was, for unspecified reasons, no longer associated with the station.[5]
Former programming
- The station was home to Chris Squires who is on in the morning. He had been Program Director for KKXX-FM, KRAB, KKDJ, and KSMJ when they were owned by Mondosphere Broadcasting, was known as on-air name "Spydee." He was also program director for Mix 97-7.
- Kristin Jacobs was on the mid-day shift, and had been on the radio in Bakersfield doing the same shift on Clear Channel owned KKDJ (when it was "KLITE 105.3").
- Erik Daniels was on in the afternoons, and has been a Buckley Radio employee for many years, also serving on KLLY, and doing production director duties for the company.
- The Beacon Radio program with Austin Harris aired Sunday mornings
- Weekends Fill/In include Brandon.
- Brent Michaels hosted the morning show until August 22, 2008.
- syndicated morning program The Bob and Sheri Show which debuted September 2008.
- The station carried the syndicated John Tesh radio program in the evenings and Sunday mornings until January 2011.
Previous logos
_logo.jpg){kind=logo}
References
- ↑ http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=8109 &Callsign=KSMJ
- ↑ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Archived from the original on 2010-03-01.
- ↑ "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
- ↑ “Kern County sheriff investigating social media comments made by KNZR host Jaz McKay”, ‘’Bakersfield Californian’’, May 31, 2017
- 1 2 “Two conservative radio talk show hosts lose jobs at KNZR”, ‘’Bakersfield Californian’’, January 24, 2018
- ↑ “Facebook ablaze over racist comment by local talk radio host”, ‘’Bakersfield Californian’’, January 19, 2018
- ↑ Race and Ethnicity in Bakersfield at Statistical Atlas
- ↑ “Sean Hannity Is Back In Bakersfield”, KNZR.com, January 24, 2018