KZZU-FM

KZZU-FM
City Spokane, Washington
Broadcast area Spokane, Washington
Branding "92.9 ZZU"
Slogan "Today's Modern Hit Music."
Frequency 92.9 MHz
Translator(s) 92.5 K223AN (Coeur d'Alene, ID)
First air date September 1955 (as KREM-FM)
Format Adult Top 40
ERP 85,000 watts
HAAT 634 meters
Class C
Facility ID 38493
Callsign meaning ZZU = "ZOO"
Former callsigns KREM-FM (1955-1984)
Owner Morgan Murphy Media / Spokane Television Group
(QueenB Radio, Inc.)
Sister stations KEZE, KHTQ, KXLX, KXLY, KXLY-FM, KXLY-TV, KXMN-LP, KVNI
Webcast Listen Live
Website 92.9 ZZU's website

KZZU-FM, also known as 92.9 ZZU, is an Adult Top 40 radio station that serves the area surrounding Spokane, Washington. The station broadcasts at a frequency of 92.9 MHz and has an effective radiated power of 85 kilowatts. The translator is located in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The station is owned by Morgan Murphy Media, owner of a number of radio stations in and around Spokane.[1]

History

KZZU was previously known as KREM-FM. KREM-FM was founded by Cole E. Wylie in 1946 and operated as a 250-watt station in Spokane on 1340 kHz. In a 1977 interview with radio broadcaster historian Richard Dunning, KREM was described as the "first non-network, independent, all music station" in Spokane.[2] KREM was owned by King Broadcasting of Seattle for many years. Through the late 1960s, and into the 1970s, KREM was the chief rival of KJRB in the Top 40 format, before shifting to an album rock format by the late 1970s/early 1980s.

In 1984, KREM-TV sold KREM-FM, altered the call letters to KZZU-FM, and switched to a CHR format that September.[3] During this time, the station used the slogans of "KZZU The Zoo!" and "93 Zoo FM". Part of the station's popularity stemmed from the "93 Zoo FM Breakfast Boys' Morning Show", hosted by Jim Arnold and Ken Hopkins, who almost exclusively discussed pop culture. KZZU has also hosted on-air talents such as Jamie Patrick, Casey Christopher, Sean Rivers, Devin James, Steve Hawk, Paul Gray, Rachel Brooks, Doug Inman and Jeffrey Parker.

ZOO FM's playlist tended to follow that of the billboard hot 100 throughout the 80's and 90's. Through the 90's the format shifted to a predominantly rhythmic top 40. In the 2000, Zoo FM moved more towards a mainstream rock themed top 40 as hip hop fell to the lower end of its playlist. In the last year core artists shifted to Green Day, Nickelback, Linkin Park and Shinedown. This was In response to a primary competitor, KCDA which played a modern Hot Adult Contemporary format. In october 2005 KZZU shifted from the CHR/Top 40 format to its current Adult Top 40 format on October 17, 2005. The new format initially was a very Alternative leaning pop format as ZZU dumped all hip hop moving it to Wired 96.9 It now plays music ranging from Adult-oriented Hip-Hop to Pop. The new format reunited The Breakfast Boys with Molly Allen, discarding "The Breakfast Boys" moniker. Dave, Ken, Molly and producer Dan Roberts host the station's morning show, targeting an 18 to 49 year old audience.

By 2008, KZZU had somewhat returned to its CHR roots, following the change of sister station KEZE from Rhythmic Top 40 to Country, as it added some rhythmic music during the evening hours (while maintaining the Adult Top 40 format during the daytime), as a form of dayparting. KEZE swapped formats with its sister station KXLY-FM in 2010 (KEZE programmed an adult album alternative format until its return to Rhythmic CHR as "Hot 96.9" in 2011, which resulted in KZZU dropping most rhythmic music to avoid overlap with KEZE, though it would retain some rhythmic tracks). Mediabase and Nielsen BDS still describe KZZU as a Hot AC, but reclassified KZZU as Adult Top 40 when KZBD dropped alternative rock for CHR. Today 92.9 zzu competes almost head on to 105.7 now fm for the pop audience in Spokane. Recently KZZU ranks near the top of the CHR music radio stations at a five percent share.[4]

Translators

Broadcast translators of KZZU-FM
Call signFrequency
(MHz)		City of licenseFacility
ID		ERP
W		Height
m (ft)		ClassFCC info
K223AN92.5Coeur d'Alene, Idaho8915017450.6 m (1,478 ft)DFCC

References

  1. ↑ "Morgan Murphy Stations - About Us". www.morganmurphymedia.com. Retrieved 2015-09-09.
  2. ↑ Harms, Bill. "KREM || SPOKANE". spokane.philcobill.com. Retrieved 2015-09-09.
  3. ↑ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1984/RR-1984-09-07.pdf
  4. ↑ "Nielsen BDS‐ Stations Monitored" (PDF). www.nielsen.com. Retrieved 25 August 2015.

Coordinates: 47°35′42″N 117°17′56″W / 47.595°N 117.299°W / 47.595; -117.299

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