KEZO-FM
Broadcast areaOmaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area
Frequency92.3 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingZ-92
Programming
FormatMainstream rock
SubchannelsHD2: Sports (KXSP simulcast)
Ownership
Owner
KKCD, KQCH, KSRZ, KXSP
History
First air date
May 15, 1961 (1961-05-15) (as WOW-FM)
Former call signs
  • WOW-FM (1961–1971)
  • KFMX (1971–1973)
  • KEZO (1973–1987)
Call sign meaning
"Easy Omaha" (refers to previous format)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID74105
ClassC0
ERP95,000 watts
HAAT360.9 meters (1,184 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
41°18′16″N 96°1′41″W / 41.30444°N 96.02806°W / 41.30444; -96.02806
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
Websitez92.com

KEZO-FM (92.3 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Omaha, Nebraska. It is owned by SummitMedia.[2] KEZO airs a mainstream rock radio format. KEZO's studios are located on Mercy Road in Omaha's Aksarben Village, and the station's transmitter is off North 72nd Street and Crown Point at the Omaha master antenna farm.[3]

Todd-n-Tyler (Mike Tyler and Todd Brandt) host the station's morning show, with the program syndicated to other radio stations.[4]

History

On May 15, 1961, the station signed on as WOW-FM, a sister station to WOW (590 AM, now KXSP).[5] After initially simulcasting the AM station, it switched to broadcasting beautiful music. It became a Top 40 station for a short time in the early 1970s under the call letters KFMX. The station then switched back to easy listening music, and, in 1973, changed its call letters to KEZO, standing for "Easy Omaha". The station flipped to rock music at 9 a.m. on September 6, 1978, still keeping its KEZO call letters but using the identification "Z-92".[6]

Notable former Z-92 announcers include Otis XII of the group Ogden Edsl and his long-time partner Diver Dan Doomey. A popular long-running feature of their morning show was Space Commander Wack, produced by Ralph Caldwell who was also the voice of announcer Yerzik Narge. Other recurring characters included the Mean Farmer and Lance Stallion, Radio Detective. Some notable DJs include Chuck Yates, Joe Blood, Rick Setchell, and Tim Bourke.

Journal Communications and the E. W. Scripps Company announced on July 30, 2014, that the two companies would merge to create a new media company under the E.W. Scripps Company name that would own the two companies' broadcast properties, including KEZO-FM. The transaction was completed in 2015.[7] Scripps exited radio in 2018; the Omaha stations went to SummitMedia in a four-market, $47 million deal completed on November 1, 2018.[8]

References

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KEZO-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "Login to All Access - Breaking Radio News and Free New Music - AllAccess.com". allaccess.com. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  3. ^ "KEZO-FM Radio Station Coverage Map". radio-locator.com. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  4. ^ https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1993/RR-1993-08-06.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  5. ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1977 page C-137
  6. ^ "KEZO History". NebraskaRadio.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2013. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
  7. ^ "E.W. Scripps, Journal Merging Broadcast Ops". TVNewsCheck. July 30, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  8. ^ "Scripps Completes Two More Pieces Of Radio Division Sale". Inside Radio. November 2, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2018.

External links

Radio stations in the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area (Nebraska/Iowa)
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