KSLZ
| File:KSLZ-FM-logo.jpg | |
| Broadcast area | Greater St. Louis |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 107.7 MHz FM (HD Radio) 107.7-2 FM "Z107-7 Evolution" |
| Branding | Z107-7 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Top 40 (CHR) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KATZ, KBWX, KLOU, KMJM-FM, KSD | |
| History | |
First air date | 1968 (as KACO) |
Former call signs | KACO (1968-1970) KGRV (1970-1972) KKSS (1972-1979) KMJM (1979-1997) |
Call sign meaning | K St. Louis Z |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 48960 |
| Class | C0 |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| HAAT | 313 meters |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | z1077.com |
KSLZ ("Z107-7") is a Top 40 (CHR) FM radio station in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. The iHeartMedia, Inc. (previously Clear Channel Communications) outlet broadcasts at 107.7 MHz with an ERP of 100 kW. Its transmitter is located in Shrewsbury, a suburb of St. Louis, and operates from studios in St. Louis south of Forest Park.
History
107.7 FM debuted on the air in 1968 as KACO, which aired an AC/MOR format until a fire took the station off the air in January 1970. Two months later, the station returned to air and changed call letters to KGRV, "Music for Groovy Adults," offering a more upbeat AC format, which lasted until 1972, when it once again changed call letters to KKSS, "Kiss 108", but retained its AC format. By 1974, KKSS switched formats to Country. A year later, KKSS switched formats to a R&B format dubbed "Black in Stereo". In February 1979, KKSS altered its R&B format and adopted the moniker "Studio 108," with a hybrid Disco-R&B format, competing with WZEN (now KMJM).
In June 1979, the calls were changed to KMJM, which stood for "Majic 108." "Majic" wanted to cater to the Black & White audiences as a hybrid R&B/Disco/Top 40 station (a forerunner to the Rhythmic contemporary format). The station was owned by Keymarket Communications at the time. KMJM would later go on to be among the top 5 stations in the St. Louis Arbitrons during the 1980s, even as they shifted towards a conventional Urban Contemporary direction. In May 1988, KMJM was sold to Noble Communications of San Diego for $19 million. KMJM's signal was one of the best in the St. Louis area, and at this time, the format emerged as the Top R&B-Urban station in Saint Louis.
On October 20, 1997, at Midnight, shortly after Jacor bought the station, KMJM moved to recently purchased sister station 104.9 WCBW, which aired a Christian format. After a 12-hour stunt with a looped heartbeat and announcements redirecting listeners to the new frequency and the launch of a new format on 107.7 later that day, KSLZ and its current Top 40 format, branded as "Z 107-7", debuted. The flip was to fill a format hole left by WKBQ, who dropped the format for Modern AC in February of that year. The final song on "Majic 108" was "Good Girls" by Joe, while the first song on "Z" was "Get Ready For This" by 2 Unlimited.[1] (KMJM would move again, this time to 100.3 FM (the frequency of former competitors WZEN and KATZ) in November 2012.)
KSLZ made the conversion to HD Radio in 2006. 107.7-HD2 carries a New CHR format branded as "Z 107-7 Amped."
Former on-air staff
- Sal Danza
- Sid Kelly
- Kandy Klutch
- Finnigan (now nights at Hubbard Hot AC WTMX Chicago)
- Jet Black (now PD of Journal Communications Tulsa—Top 40 KHTT)
- Kato
- SHOE
- Boomer (now PD of CC Top 40 WQCH in Charlotte)
- HaZe (now nights at CBS Top 40 WDZH in Detroit)
- Aaron Anthony
- Steve Sykes (now owner of independent audio production firm)
- Aaron Tyler
- Broadway Billy Macc
- Diego (now Creative Services Director at CC Top 40 KDWB Minneapolis and voice talent for CC nationwide)
- Melody Sharp (now independent voice over talent)
- Danny Wright
- Jill Divine (now doing 10AM-2PM on rival Y98/St. Louis)
- Jay Maddox
- Sean Kelley
- Krazy Jessie
- Cash
- Harmon Dash
- DJ Mike Justis
- Meatball
- CJ
- Taylor J (now doing 7PM-12AM on rival Y98/St. Louis)
- Joe Diniro
- Tommy Wacker
- Jeff Tanner (Kapugi) (now Program Director of CBS Country WUSN in Chicago)
- MJ Morning Show-station's first morning show from 1998-February 17, 2012 (now syndicated political talk show host as 'The Schnitt Show')
- The Bobby Bones Show
In October 2009, longtime staff member Taylor J was let go from Clear Channel Communications. Although starting off as a daily announcer at the station, she eventually moved to weekends in order to focus on being programming director on sister station KATZ-FM. However, later that month, the station changed its format, firing all employees of the station. Taylor J's weekend show was in association with the KATZ contract. As of early-2011, Taylor J returned to the St. Louis airwaves on CBS' KYKY (Y98) FM.
In January 2014, Taylor returned to Clear Channel, which has since become iHeartRadio, to host her own morning show on KSLZ's sister station KBWX. This reunited her with former co-worker Big Mike, who also recently got promoted to hosting his own night show after many years on Weekends.
References
- "1". Retrieved 2008-02-25.
External links
- Official Website
- Facility details for Facility ID KSLZ ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's FM station database