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KZRR

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Coordinates: 35°12′43″N 106°27′00″W / 35.212°N 106.450°W / 35.212; -106.450
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KZRR
Broadcast areaAlbuquerque - Santa Fe
Frequency94.1 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding94 Rock
Programming
FormatActive Rock
SubchannelsHD-2: Urban Contemporary (Power 100.9)
Ownership
Owner
KABQ, KABQ-FM, KBQI, KPEK, KTEG, K251AU, K265CA
History
First air date
June 25, 1961 (as KDEF-FM)
Former call signs
KDEF-FM (1961-1976)
KRKE-FM (1976-1980)
KWXL (1980-1985)
KRKE-FM (1985-1986)
Call sign meaning
K Z Real Rock
Technical information
Facility ID68609
ClassC
ERP22,500 watts
HAAT1,259 meters (4,131 ft)
Translator(s)100.9 K265CA (Albuquerque, relays HD2)
Links
WebcastListen Live
Website94rock.iheart.com

KZRR (94.1 MHz, "94 Rock") is a commercial FM radio station in Albuquerque, New Mexico, broadcasting to the Albuquerque-Santa Fe, New Mexico, area. KZRR airs an active rock radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The radio studios and offices are in Northeast Albuquerque.

KZRR has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 22,500 watts. The transmitter tower is atop Sandia Crest east of the city.[1] It broadcasts using HD Radio technology.[2] The HD-2 digital subchannel features an urban contemporary format, known as "Power 100.9." That subchannel feeds 250 watt FM translator K265CA at 100.9 MHz.[3]

Personalities

Weekday mornings feature Swami Rob, Skyler and Phil Mahoney. Skyler also is heard in middays. Ron "Big Rig" Michaels, voice-tracked from Tampa, hosts afternoon drive time.

History

Early Years

On June 25, 1961, the station signed on as KDEF-FM, mostly simulcasting sister station KDEF AM 1150.[4] The station was initially heard from 11am to 11pm but in May 1962 it begin a fulltime broadcasting.[5] In September 1962, KDEF-AM-FM were sold by owner Frank Quinn to a Philadelphia group.[6]

Doubleday Broadcasting purchased the stations in 1965 and by about 1970, KDEF-FM was operated by the University of Albuquerque[7] as a student run station.[8] Media Horizons purchased the stations in 1973 and moved the studios from downtown to the northeast heights.[9]

In March 1976, KDEF-FM was sold to Gaylord Broadcasting Co. for $150,000. 94.1 changed to KRKE-FM. That same call sign was used on KRKE AM 610 which Gaylord had purchased in 1973. KDEF AM 610 was later sold to a different owner. Plans also included moving the transmitter to Sandia Crest.[10] The format on KRKE-FM was initially Modern Country[11] By the end of that year the format was listed as "Automated Rock"[12] while a 1977

Rock Format

Later in 1977 the station picked up the Abrams/Burkhart "Superstars" Album-oriented Rock format.[13] That was the first time the station began using the "94 Rock" moniker.[14]

In January 1980, Gaylord sold KRKE AM & FM to the Journal Star station group for $4.5 million.[15] In June the call letters changed to KWXL still branded as "94 Rock". In March 1985 the stations were sold to Compass Communications.[16] In April the station changed its call letters back to KRKE-FM intending to make station identification easier in morning and afternoon drive times, when it was simulcast with KRKE AM 610. The format was also changed to the "Superstars II," with an emphasis on rock titles from the 1960s an 70s. It also featured a Sunday morning jazz program intending to reach an older audience than KWXL's targeted 18-34 audience.[17]

Switch to KZRR

In 1986, the stations were sold to Sandia Peak Broadcasters. In July it changed to the current KZRR call sign, rebranding as "The New 94 Rock".[18] AM 610 changed to KZSS with an Adult Contemporary format but in March 1988 it returned to simulcasting KZRR, citing problems of "public perception of the AM band".[19]

In November 1986, the station began weekdays with morning "shock" radio show host TJ Trout.[20][21] TJ Trout was featured in nearly all billboard and television ads over the next couple decades, helping keep station ratings high. Trout retired in December 2011.

In 1993, Sandia Peak Broadcasters merged with Progressive Broadcasting which owned classic rock formatted KLSK 104.1 to become Twin Peaks Radio.[22] By this time KZRR began to lean more on modern rock without completely changing to that format, promoting itself as "The Cutting Edge of Rock".[23]

Trumper Communications

In 1996, Trumper Communications purchased KZRR, KZSS and KLSK, as well as modern rock KTEG (then on 107.9) and KHTZ 100.3. This also caused a legal dispute with TJ Trout who sued the former owners when learning that his on-air name had been trademarked.[24] Trout had resigned and had planned to start a new show on KKOB 770 AM. Trumper resolved the issue by allowing Trout ownership of his name and remaining at 94 Rock[25] (Trout joined KKOB in 2019).

Now clustered with classic rock and modern rock stations, the music format on KZRR had changed to playing mostly hard rock with an emphasis on music from the 1980s, 90s and early 2000s.[26] In 1999, KZRR was acquired by Clear Channel Communications.[27] Clear Channel changed in its name in 2014 to iHeartMedia, Inc.

References

  1. ^ Radio-Locator.com/KZRR-FM
  2. ^ http://www.hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=70 HD Radio Guide for Albuquerque
  3. ^ Radio-Locator.com/K265CA
  4. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50639150/albuquerque-journal/
  5. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50752854/albuquerque-journal/
  6. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50752885/albuquerque-journal/
  7. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/156889160/
  8. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/156420098/
  9. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50638586/albuquerque-journal/
  10. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/clip/50638506/albuquerque-journal/
  11. ^ https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Magazine-Specials-IDX/IDX/Hamilton-Radio-Quarterly-1976-Jan-Jun-OCR-Page-0393.pdf
  12. ^ https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1142&context=daily_lobo_1976
  13. ^ https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1970s/1977/RR-1977-07-29.pdf pages 8 & 44
  14. ^ https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1970s/1977/RR-1977-10-07.pdf
  15. ^ https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Broadcasting-IDX/1980-Broadcasting/1980-01-14-Broadcasting-Page-0090.pdf
  16. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/158373617/
  17. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/158404672/
  18. ^ https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/FMQB-Album/1986/FMQB-1986-08-01.pdf
  19. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/157968851/
  20. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/157873749/
  21. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/157873791/
  22. ^ https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Magazines/Archive-BC-IDX/93-OCR/BC-1993-06-28-OCR-Page-0053.pdf
  23. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/157807586/
  24. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/157646450/
  25. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/158496110/
  26. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/157055986/
  27. ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2010 page D-366

35°12′43″N 106°27′00″W / 35.212°N 106.450°W / 35.212; -106.450


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