KZTQ (AM)

KZTQ
City Sparks, Nevada
Broadcast area Reno, Nevada
Branding BOB 96.1 FM
Frequency 1270 kHz
Translator(s) 96.1 K241AK (Reno)
96.9 K245DC (Carson City)
First air date November 1, 1979 (as KROI)
Format Variety hits
Power 13,000 watts (day)
5,000 watts (night)
Class B
Facility ID 48684
Transmitter coordinates 39°32′1″N 119°39′48″W / 39.53361°N 119.66333°W / 39.53361; -119.66333Coordinates: 39°32′1″N 119°39′48″W / 39.53361°N 119.66333°W / 39.53361; -119.66333
Former callsigns KROI (November 1, 1979-February 11, 1984)
KORY (February 11, 1984-March 1, 1985)
KPLY (March 1, 1985-March 5, 2001)
KBZZ (March 5, 2001-March 23, 2018)
KSGG (March 23, 2018-March 26, 2018)
Owner Reno Media Group[1].
Website bob961.com

KZTQ (1270 AM, "Bob FM 96.1") is a radio station broadcasting a variety hits format. Licensed to Sparks, Nevada, United States, the station serves the Reno area. The station is currently owned by Americom Las Vegas Limited Partnership.[2]

FM Translator

The 96.1 in the KZTQ branding originates with the FM translator frequency:

Call signFrequency
(MHz)		City of licenseFacility
ID		ERP
W		ClassFCC info
K241AK96.1Reno, Nevada87691250DFCC
K245DC96.9Carson City, Nevada20205040DFCC

History

The station went on the air as KROI on November 1, 1979. On February 11, 1984, the station changed its call sign to KORY, then on March 1, 1985 to KPLY, on March 5, 2001 to KBZZ, on March 15, 2018 to KSGG, and on March 23, 2018 to the current KZTQ.

KPLY enjoyed great local regional success while hosted by long time sports announcer "Bob D." (Robert Dirosario), and his sports sidekick "Truckee" Mike Leach. Frequent guest sports experts included John Pinto of the Silver Legacy Reno, the late Paul Sonner, owner of Bully's Sports Bars, sportsbook manager Eric Brownley of the Club Cal Neva, sports handicapping expert Chris Andrews, now with The South Point in Las Vegas, and Friday night horse racing coverage with "Pony" Bob Wilkie. The Bob D KPLY daily sports program offered extensive information on sports and sports wagering for the average and also the knowledgeable fan.

The Jim Rome show was a long running staple on KPLY, as was the Sports Fan Radio Network.

Prior to that time, the call letters KBZZ (1400 on the AM dial) were used by a long-standing news and music station in La Junta, Colorado. For many years, the station was the a central news hub for southeastern Colorado.[3]

In early 2001, after adopting the KBZZ call letters and the nickname "The Buzz," the station added Howard Stern in mornings, followed by a local show with Bob Garrison, the syndicated Don and Mike show and then Tom Leykis in late afternoons. Tom Quinn, president of Americom Broadcasting (owner of KBZZ), had selected the "hot talk" format after his success with Stern in Las Vegas. KBZZ immediately became the top-rated AM station in Reno, beating long-time news/talk station KKOH.

However, after a decade of success, a number of factors hurt KBZZ. Stern's move to satellite radio, Don Geronimo's decision to quit his show and CBS' decision to drop the Leykis program, severely damaged KBZZ's ratings. So on January 14, 2013, the station changed its format to sports, with programming from CBS Sports Radio. Local Reno hosts for sports and chat from 9:00 am to 10:00 am weekdays included Panama and Mike Leach.[4]

On July 25, 2016, KBZZ changed again from sports to progressive talk, branded as "96.1 & 1270 AM The Buzz".[5]

On March 15, 2018, KBZZ changed calls to KSGG (with the KBZZ calls moving to Quinn's 1230 AM), coinciding with the announcement that 93.7's variety hits format would move to 1270 and 96.1 the following Monday, the 26th. On March 23, 2018, KSGG changed call letters to KZTQ and launched the "Bob FM" variety hits format on March 26th as announced.[6] The adult hits "Bob FM" format was first broadcast in Reno on Quinn's 97.3 FM frequency, which is now home to Reno's top-rated country radio station KOLC, called "Ten Country."

References

  1. ↑ https://renomediagroup.com/ Reno Media Group Website
  2. ↑ "KZTQ Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. ↑ "KBZZ Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  4. ↑ http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/80521/kbzz-reno-revamps-towards-all-sports/
  5. ↑ KBZZ Reno Flips to Liberal Talk Radioinsight - July 26, 2016
  6. ↑ Bob FM On The Move in Reno


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