KSLZ

Broadcast areaGreater St. LouisFrequency107.7 MHz (HD Radio)BrandingZ107-7ProgrammingFormatTop 40 (CHR)SubchannelsHD2: Pride Radio St. Louis (Top 40/Dance)AffiliationsPremiere NetworksOwnershipOwnerKATZ, KATZ-FM, KLOU, KSD, KTLK-FM, W279AQHistorySeptember 20, 1968; 55 years ago (1968-09-20) (as KACO)KACO (1968–1970)
KGRV (1970–1972)
KKSS (1972–1979)
KMJM (1979–1997)K St. Louis ZTechnical informationFacility ID48960ClassC0ERP100,000 wattsHAAT313 meters (1,014 ft)\LinksWebcastListen LiveWebsiteFM/HD1: z1077.iheart.com
HD2: prideradiostl.iheart.com

KSLZ (107.7 MHz "Z107-7") is a commercial radio station in St. Louis, Missouri. It airs a Top 40 - CHR radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. Z107-7 carries two syndicated programs on weekdays, The Jubal Show from KBKS Seattle is heard in morning drive time while On Air with Ryan Seacrest is heard middays. The studios are on Foundry Way near Interstate 64 in St. Louis.

KSLZ is a Class C0 station. It has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts, the maximum for most stations. The transmitter is off MacKenzie Road in the Shrewsbury neighborhood of St. Louis, amid the towers for area FM and TV stations.^[1] KSLZ uses HD Radio technology. Its digital subchannel carries "Pride Radio," an iHeartRadio service for LGBTQ listeners.

History

1968–1979: Early years

The station signed on the air on September 20, 1968; 55 years ago (1968-09-20). The original call sign was KACO and it was owned by the Apollo Broadcasting Company.^[2] It aired an adult contemporary (AC) and middle of the road (MOR) format. But a fire at the transmitter took the station off the air in January 1970.

Two months later, the station returned after repairs. It changed its call letters to KGRV, "Music for Groovy Adults," offering a more upbeat AC format. This lasted until 1972, when it once again changed call letters, this time to KKSS, "Kiss 108". But it retained its AC format. By 1974, KKSS switched to country music. A year later, KKSS flipped to an 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 music and R&B format, competing with WZEN (now [[KATZ-FM[[).

1979–1997: Urban

In June 1979, the call sign was changed to KMJM, branded as "Majic 108." KMJM catered to both African-American and white audiences as the St. Louis market's first "CHUrban" station (a forerunner to the Rhythmic Contemporary format). The station was owned by Keymarket Communications at the time. KMJM was ranked among the top five stations in the St. Louis Arbitron ratings during the 1980s, as it shifted towards a mainstream Urban Contemporary direction.

In May 1988, KMJM was sold to Noble Communications of San Diego for $19 million. KMJM's FM signal was one of the best in the St. Louis area, as the station emerged as the top urban station in the market. Jacor bought the station in late 1997. The new owners were not interested in keeping "Majic" on the frequency despite its success.

1997–present: Top 40

On October 20, 1997, at midnight, after 18 years on 107.7 FM, KMJM was moved to recently purchased sister station. KMJM switched to 104.9 MHz, the former home of WCBW, which aired a Christian radio format.^[3] There were 12 hours of stunting with the sound effects of a heartbeat. Announcements redirecting KMJM listeners to the new frequency and the launch of a new format on 107.7 later that day.

KSLZ and a Top 40/CHR format, branded as "Z107-7", debuted. The flip was designed to fill a format hole left by 104.1 WKBQ, which dropped the Top 40 sound for Modern AC in February of that year. The final song on "Majic" was "Good Girls" by Joe, while the first song on "Z" was "Get Ready For This" by 2 Unlimited.^[4]

Morning shows

At first, KSLZ was the St. Louis affiliate for the MJ Morning Show, based at Tampa sister station WFLZ, and the only affiliate for the show outside of the Eastern Time Zone. After the show ended in February 2012, KSLZ became the St. Louis affiliate for The Bobby Bones Show. After Bones relaunched his program to air on country music stations in February 2013, KSLZ replaced him with Elvis Duran and the Morning Show, based at WHTZ New York City.^[5]

In December 2017, KSLZ dropped Elvis Duran for local host Jordan DeSocio.^[6] As part of company-wide layoffs, DeSocio exited the station in November 2020. He was replaced by "The Jubal Show", based at Seattle sister station KBKS.^[7]

HD Radio

KSLZ made the conversion to HD Radio in 2006. Its HD2 digital subchannel carried a New CHR format branded as "Z107-7 Amped." On June 22, 2016, KSLZ-HD2 switched to "Pride Radio".^[8] That's an iHeartRadio service for LGBTQ listeners, playing Top 40 and Dance music.

References

• "Weekend & HD ZJs". Archived from the original on 2008-09-17. Retrieved 2008-02-25.

External links

• Official Website
• ‹The template FMQ is being considered for deletion.› KSLZ in the FCC FM station database
• KSLZ in Nielsen Audio's FM station database

38°34′23″N 90°19′30″W / 38.573°N 90.325°W / 38.573; -90.325