KZNS (AM)

KZNS
City Salt Lake City, Utah
Broadcast area Salt Lake City, Utah
Branding 1280 The Zone
Slogan The Sports Leader
Frequency 1280 kHz
First air date February 1945[1] (as KNAK)
Format Sports
Power 50,000 watts day
670 watts night
Class B
Facility ID 60458
Transmitter coordinates 40°51′7″N 111°58′4″W / 40.85194°N 111.96778°W / 40.85194; -111.96778
Callsign meaning 1280 Khz The ZoNe, the Sports Leader
Former callsigns KNAK (1945-1976)
KWMS (1976-1982)
KDYL (1982-2001)
Affiliations NBC Sports Radio, Premiere Radio Networks, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, Utah Jazz
Owner Larry H. Miller Communications Corporation
Webcast Listen Live
Website 1280thezone.com
The radio towers for KZNS, north of the Salt Lake City International Airport

KZNS (1280 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Sports talk format. Licensed to Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, it serves the Salt Lake City area. The station is currently owned by Larry H. Miller Communications Corporation and features programming from Yahoo! Sports Radio and Premiere Radio Networks.

As of February 1, 2011, KZNS' "The Zone" sports talk programming is also heard on KZNS-FM 97.5 licensed to Coalville, Utah, a Salt Lake City area radio station.

History

The station was first licensed June 4, 1945, and held the call sign KNAK.[2] On January 16, 1976, the station's call sign was changed to KWMS.[2] As KWMS, the station aired an all-news format.[3]

On July 21, 1982, the station's call sign was changed to KDYL.[4] In the early and mid 1980s, KDYL aired an all-news format.[5][6][7] By 1986, the station had begun airing the Music of Your Life big band/nostalgia format.[8][9][10] The station continued airing this format until June 27, 2000.[11] On June 27, 2000, the station switched to a talk radio format,[11] carrying primarily conservative talk programming.[12] Shows hosted by Michael Savage and Michael Medved appeared.[12]

On November 12, 2001, the station's call sign was changed to KZNS.[4] That same day, Simmons Media changed the format of the station, airing CNN Headline News and sports talk in the afternoon.[12] Soon thereafter, sports talk programming occupied the station's entire schedule.[13]

When Simmons acquired the station, the KDYL call letters were assigned to the Tooele, Utah station, then at 990 kHz, and the owner of that station, then Thomas Mathis, was compensated to release the KDYL call letters, changing the call of his station to KTLE. Prior to the Tooele, UT station having the call of KDYL, those call letters were assigned to the 1320 kHz Salt Lake City station, now known as KFNZ. Simmons wanted the KDYL call because of its name recognition in their initial target demographic.

References

  1. ↑ "Yearbook 2010", Broadcasting & Cable, (2010). p. D-555. Accessed September 9, 2015
  2. 1 2 History Cards for KZNS, fcc.gov. Accessed September 13, 2015
  3. ↑ Bob Hamilton, "Salt Lake City, Utah", Radio Quarterly Report '76, Jan. 1-June 30, 1976. p. 386. Accessed September 13, 2015
  4. 1 2 Call Sign History, fcc.gov. Accessed September 13, 2015
  5. ↑ "Fall '82 Ratings Reports for the Top 50 Markets", Radio & Records, April 1983. p. 124. Accessed September 9, 2015
  6. ↑ "Across the Dial", Broadcasting Publications, (1983) p. 107. Accessed September 9, 2015
  7. ↑ "Ratings Report", Radio & Records, April 1985. p. 123. Accessed September 9, 2015
  8. ↑ "Arbitron Winter '86 Advances", Radio & Records, Issue Number 634, May 9, 1986. p. 7. Accessed September 9, 2015
  9. ↑ "Radio Logs", Deseret News, January 26, 1986. p. 45. Accessed September 9, 2015
  10. ↑ Lynn Arave, "AM Radio. When was the last time you listened to it?", Deseret News, February 10, 1989. Accessed September 9, 2015
  11. 1 2 "KDYL switches to all-talk format", Deseret News, June 27, 2000. Accessed September 8, 2015
  12. 1 2 3 Renzhofer, Martin (November 14, 2001). "Salt Lake City AM Talk-Radio Station Changes Format and Call Letters". Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved September 8, 2015 – via Highbeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  13. ↑ Lynn Arave, "Radio dial: KFNZ loses James to KZNS", Deseret News, March 29, 2002. Accessed September 9, 2015

External links

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