KZNS-FM

KZNS-FM

SimulcastsKZNS,Salt Lake City
Coalville, Utah
Broadcast area	Salt Lake City metropolitan area
Frequency	97.5MHz
Branding	KSLSports Zone
Programming
Format	Sports
Affiliations	Fox Sports Radio Las Vegas Raiders Real Salt Lake Salt Lake Bees Utah Jazz Utah Hockey Club Utah Royals FC Utah State Aggies
Ownership
Owner	Smith Entertainment Group (JazzCommunications LLC)
Operator	Bonneville International
Sister stations	KZNS
History
First air date	August 10, 2005 (as KFMS)
Former call signs	KTPM (2003–2005) KFMS (2005–2006) KOAY (2006–2008) KZZQ (2008–2011)
Call signmeaning	Sports Zone/KSL transposed
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	87974
Class	C
ERP	89,000wattshorizontal
HAAT	647 meters (2,123 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	40°52′16″N110°59′43″W
Repeater(s)	See § Boosters
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen live
Website	kslsports

KZNS-FM(97.5MHz,The KSL Sports Zone) is acommercialradio stationlicensedtoCoalville, Utahand serving theSalt Lake City metropolitan area.It airs asports talkradio formatand is owned by Jazz Communications LLC, which is a division of theSmith Entertainmnent Group.

Programming issimulcaston co-ownedKZNS(1280) inSalt Lake City.On weekdays, KZNS has local hosts discussing Salt Lake City and national sports, withFox Sports Radioairing during nights and weekends when game action is not occurring. The two stations are theflagship radio stationsfor theUtah Jazzand theUtah Hockey Club.

KZNS-FM'stransmitteris onHumpy PeakinUinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest.It is aClass Cradio station, with aneffective radiated power(ERP) of 89,000watts,broadcasting from a tower at 647 meters (2123 feet) inheight above average terrain(HAAT). It is rebroadcast on fivebooster stations,all on 97.5 MHz, in and around Salt Lake City.

History

Early years (2003–2006)

KZNS-FM is considered a "move in" station. On June 11, 2003, the unbuilt station was licensed asKTPM,originally located inFranklin, Idaho,close to the border between Idaho and Utah.At first, it was only aconstruction permitgranted by theFederal Communications Commission(FCC), not actually on the air. Even before signing on, the station received FCC permission to move into the lucrative Salt Lake Cityradio market,from a location about 40 miles east of the city.

On August 10, 2005, the station, still not on the air, changed itscall signtoKFMS.The station was sold to Three Point Media for $1.5 million, with the potential to profit from its pending move into Utah.

Talk (2005–2006)

In September 2005, the station signed on with a mostly-syndicated talk format. The lone local host was Tom Barberi.

Christian music (2006–2008)

On September 3, 2006, now licensed toCoalville, Utah,began broadcasting fromHumpy Peak.On September 5, 2006, the station becameKOAYand branded itself as "The Oasis," carrying aChristian Contemporary musicformat.

Active rock (2008–2010)

On September 9, 2008, the station changed toactive rockand became "The Blaze," with the call letters becomingKZZQ."The Blaze" had previously been located on 94.9 with the call sign KHTB, which subsequently became the call sign for a new active rock station inProvo,called "94.9 Z-Rock" (nowTop 40-formattedKENZ). Reportedly, "The Blaze" had almost been shut down, but was able to continue, using the "Blaze" moniker because its owner,Citadel Broadcasting,failed to acquire the naming rights."The Blaze" was one of three active rock radio stations in Salt Lake City, along with "Z-Rock" andKBER.

Rockin' hits (2010)

In January 2010, due to poor ratings (possibly as a result of competition against Z-Rock), "The Blaze" changed to what it called a "Rockin' Hits"format. However, this new format was met with even poorer ratings and negative response from the station's longtime listeners. A tribute concert for the" Blaze "by local artists took place shortly after the format flip.

Active rock (2010–2011)

On December 1, 2010, morning host Roger "Big Rog" Orton spent his shift protesting the station's new format by playingactive rocksongs. This protest was met with positive response from listeners, and the station received many supportive phone calls, song requests, e-mails, andFacebookmessages. Several Facebook fan pages showing support for The Blaze also appeared and hundred listeners signed the radio station's van, which was spray-painted white to act as a petition for the station to return to the active rock format. The Blaze returned to playing active rock shortly afterwards.

Sports (2011–present)

In 2011, the station was acquired by theLarry H. MillerCommunications Corporation. Miller owned a chain of car dealerships around Utah and theWestern United States,and also owned theUtah Jazzbasketball team.His goal was to own the radio stations that broadcast his team's games, running anall-sportsformat including shows discussing the Jazz.

On July 7, 2011, at Midnight, KZZQ changed its format to sports,simulcastingKZNS(1280 AM) as "The Zone". On July 15, 2011. KZZQ changed its call letters toKZNS-FM.On May 23, 2012, KZNS-FM relaunched as "Fox Sports Radio 97.5" with programming primarily fromFox Sports Radio.In 2013, KZNS-FM resumed simulcasting KZNS, once again as "The Zone." KZNS-AM-FM air mostly local sports shows on weekdays, and carry Fox Sports Radio nights and weekends. On April 13, 2021, it was announced that KZNS-FM and sister station KZNS-AM had been sold to Ryan Smith, who had recently purchased the Utah Jazz from the Larry H. Miller estate.On September 30, 2021,Bonneville Internationalbegan to operate the stations, an agreement that also includesKSL(1160)/KSL-FM(102.7) carrying simulcasts and handling situations where two games are played at the same time.In 2024, the station added the rights to the Smith-ownedUtah Hockey Clubof theNHLfor their inaugural season. Overflow situations for the UHC are also handled by the KSL stations.

Boosters

Call sign	Frequency	City of license	FID	ERP(W)	HAAT	Class	FCC info
KZNS-FM3	97.5 FM	Provo, Utah	164758	1,750	−161m(−528ft)	D	LMS
KZNS-FM4	97.5 FM	Salt Lake City, Utah	164757	2,100	−313 m (−1,027 ft)	D	LMS
KZNS-FM5	97.5 FM	Bountiful, Utah	164756	2,200	217 m (712 ft)	D	LMS
KZNS-FM6	97.5 FM	Ogden, Utah	164755	500	28 m (92 ft)	D	LMS
KZNS-FM7	97.5 FM	North Salt Lake, Utah	189967	49vertical	−129 m (−423 ft)	D	LMS

External links

• Facility details for Facility ID 87974 (KZNS-FM)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
• KZNS-FMinNielsen Audio's FM station database