KZOK-FM

KTW-FM

In December 1964, the station signed on as KTW-FM.^[2] It was owned by David Segal who called his company "The Wonderful Sound of Seattle." At first, it mostly simulcast co-owned AM 1250 KTW (now KKDZ).

The station's formats in its early years included Top 40 for nine months, then a country music format called "The Nashville Sound." That was followed by talk radio. In 1970, the station was acquired by Walter Webster, Jr., who ran a religious format from 1971 to 1974.

Switch to Rock

In 1974, KTW-FM stopped simulcasting and switched to progressive rock, a format that was becoming popular on FM radio stations around the country. The call sign was changed to KZOK-FM. The FM station was sold to the Sterling Recreation Organization with AM 1250 sold off to Don Dudley, owner of KYAC. SRO would then pair KZOK with AM 1590 KUUU, which aired an oldies format.

In August 1975, KZOK moved from its free-form progressive sound to a more mass-appeal and better–researched AOR format. With the success of KZOK's rock sound on FM, in 1982, the AM station switched to a different rock format, modern rock, allowing KZOK's advertisers to have two choices for their commercials aimed at Seattle's rock audience. The AM station was renamed KJET.^[3]

Move to Classic Rock

In 1985, KZOK tried moving to a more adult soft rock/adult album alternative sound, but with a dip in the ratings, the station shifted to classic rock in October of the following year.^[4][5]

Adams Communications bought the stations in 1989. Adams would rename the AM station KZOK (AM), subscribing to the satellite-delivered syndicated "Z Rock Network." In November 1992, Adams Communications filed for bankruptcy, selling KZOK-AM-FM to CLG Media, a subsidiary of the Chrysler Capital Corporation.

In July 1994, CLG Media sold KZOK-FM to EZ Communications, while KZOK was sold to Salem Communications to carry its religious programming as KPOZ.^[6][7] In July 1997, EZ was bought out by American Radio Systems. ARS merged with Infinity Broadcasting in September of that year. Infinity would be renamed CBS Radio in December 2005. In 2011, KZOK-FM hired actor and radio personality Danny Bonaduce to host its morning show. Bonaduce had been a child actor, seen in the classic TV sitcom The Partridge Family in the 1970s.

Sale to iHeartMedia

On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with Entercom (which locally owns KHTP, KISW, KKWF, and KNDD).^[8] On October 10, CBS announced that as part of the process of obtaining regulatory approval of the merger, KZOK would be one of sixteen stations that would be divested by Entercom, along with sister stations KJAQ and KFNQ. (KMPS would be retained by Entercom.) On November 1, iHeartMedia announced that it will acquire KZOK-FM, KJAQ and KFNQ. To meet ownership limits set by the FCC, KFNY (formerly KFOO) and KTDD (formerly KUBE) were divested to the Ocean Stations Trust in order to be sold to a different owner.^[9][10] Until the completion of the divestment of KFNY and KTDD to the trust, CBS placed KZOK, KJAQ and KFNQ into the Entercom Divestiture Trust.

The merger of CBS and Entercom was approved on November 9,^[11] and was consummated on the 17th.^[12] The sale to iHeart was completed on December 19.^[13][14]