KMBZ (AM)

KMBZ(980kHz) is a commercialAM radiostationlicensedtoKansas City, Missouri.KMBZ is owned byAudacy, Inc.and it airs atalk radioformat.Its studios andtransmittertower are in suburbanMission, Kansas,at separate locations.

KMBZ

Kansas City, Missouri United States
Broadcast area	Kansas City metropolitan area
Frequency	980kHz
Branding	Talk 980
Programming
Format	Talk radio
Affiliations	ABC News Radio Compass Media Networks Premiere Networks Radio America KMBC-TV
Ownership
Owner	Audacy, Inc. (Audacy License, LLC)
Sister stations	KFNZ KFNZ-FM KMBZ-FM KQRC-FM KWOD KYYS KZPT WDAF-FM
History
First air date	April 5, 1922(1922-04-05)
Former call signs	WPE (1922–1923) KLDS (1923–192?) KFIX (192?–1928) KMBC (1928–1967)
Call signmeaning	Derived from former KMBC call sign (station was formerly owned by Midland Broadcasting Company)
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	6382
Class	B
Power	9,000 watts(day) 5,000 watts(night)
Transmitter coordinates	39°2′25.02″N94°30′30.83″W
Repeater(s)	98.1KMBZ-FM HD2(Kansas City)
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen live(viaAudacy)
Website	www.audacy.com/talk980am

After a local morningdrive timenews and interview show,simulcastwithsister station98.1KMBZ-FM,980 KMBZ's weekday schedule is made up ofnationally syndicatedtalk programs includingThe Dana Show with Dana Loesch,The Glenn Beck Program,The Sean Hannity Show,The Lars Larson Show,The Joe Pags Show,Armstrong & GettyandCoast to Coast AMwithGeorge Noory.World and national news is supplied at the beginning of each hour byABC News Radio.Weekend programming includes shows on money, health, computers and cooking, as well as paidbrokered programming.While KMBZ carries mostly syndicates programming, KMBZ-FM 98.1 airs mostly local talk shows.

By day, KMBZ operates at 9,000 watts with anon-directional antenna.At night, it reduces power to 5,000 watts and uses adirectional antennato protect other stations onAM 980from interference.On January 14, 2015, KMBZ was granted anFCCconstruction permitto move to theKCCVtransmitter site and increase the daytime power.Its signal covers theKansas City metropolitan area,including parts ofMissouriandKansas.

History

KMBZ is the oldest surviving station in Kansas City, beginning experimental broadcasts in 1921.The station officiallysigned onas a commercially licensed station on April 5, 1922, with thecall signWPE. It was the second radio station in the state of Missouri, behind onlySt. Louis'WEW.

In its history, it has been owned by two rival branches of theLatter Day Saint movement,though it has no church affiliation now. TheReorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints(RLDS Church) based inIndependence, Missouri,bought the station in 1923 and renamed it KFIX and later KLDS (with the LDS standing for "Latter Day Saints" ).

In 1928, Midland Broadcasting bought the station and renamed it KMBC for Midland Broadcasting Company. In 1953, Midland putKMBC-TVon the air as a shared time arrangement with another local radio station owner.Cook Paint and Varnish Companybought the Midland holdings in 1954. KMBC-AM-TV operated out of theLyric Theatre.

In 1961, Cook sold the radio and television stations toMetromedia.In 1962, Metromedia signed on KMBC-FM (later KMBR and KLTH, nowKZPT). In 1967, Metromedia sold both radio stations toBonneville Internationalbut kept the television station. Bonneville is owned bythe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints(LDS Church) based inSalt Lake City,marking the second time the station was owned by an LDS Church organization. Since Metromedia held the rights to the KMBC call letters, Bonneville changed the AM station's call letters to KMBZ. The choice was deliberate; "Z" rhymes with "C", allowing Bonneville to continue trading on the old call letters. In the 1970s and early 1980s, the station's nickname was "Z-98". During those years, the station aired afull servicemiddle of the road musicformat.

In 1997, Bonneville sold its entire Kansas City cluster, which by then consisted of KMBZ, KLTH, andKCMO-AM-FM,to Entercom Communications (now Audacy).

Paul Henning,who createdThe Beverly Hillbillies,was a writer, actor, disc jockey and newsreader at the station early in his career.

After having worked as Director of Promotion for theKansas City Royalsbaseball team,Rush Limbaughgot his start in political commentary on the station in 1983. He continued to be heard on KMBZ, throughhis syndicated talk show,until his death in 2021. For many years KMBZ also repeated Limbaugh's show overnight.

KMBZ was the Royalsflagship stationfor some time. For a time in the 1980s, it ceded flagship status toWIBWinTopeka, Kansas.Also, flagship status switched to WHB-AM, a Kansas City all-sports station, from 2003 through 2007. In 2008, Royals games switched to co-ownedsports radiostationKCSP.Beginning in 2009, some Royals games returned to KMBZ, when KCSP is committed to another sporting event. KMBZ is also the Kansas Cityaffiliatefor theMissouri Tigersradio network, broadcastingfootball,men's and women's basketball and the "Tiger Talk" coach's show.

In 2009, KMBZ begansimulcastingits programming on theHD3subchannel ofsister stationKUDL. On March 24, 2011, Entercom announced that on March 30, KUDL's analog FM broadcasts would become a full-time simulcast of KMBZ asKMBZ-FM.On December 24, 2014, Entercom announced that the KMBZ simulcast would split on January 5, 2015; on that date, KMBZ became "Talk 980", carrying mostly syndicated shows, while KMBZ-FM began airing a mostly locally-oriented programming schedule.

Former hosts

• Jack Cashill
• Rush Limbaugh
• Charles Wheeler

External links

• Official website
• Facility details for Facility ID 6382 (KMBZ)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
• KMBZinNielsen Audio's AM station database
• FCC History Cards for KMBZ
• History of KMBZ
• KMBZ Frequency History