Broadcast area | Kansas City Metropolitan Area |
---|---|
Frequency | 97.3 MHz |
Branding | K-LOVE |
Programming | |
Format | Contemporary Christian |
Ownership | |
Owner | Educational Media Foundation |
History | |
First air date | April 6, 1998 (as KCSX) |
Former call signs | KCSX (1998–2003) KZPL (2003–2005) KCXM (2005–2007) |
Technical information [1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 4933 |
Class | C1 |
ERP | 55,000 watts |
HAAT | 357 meters (1,171 ft) |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Webcast | Listen Live! |
Website | klove.com |
KLRX (97.3 FM; "K-Love") is a radio station in the Kansas City, Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas area that plays contemporary Christian music. The station is licensed to Lee's Summit, and broadcasts at 55,000 watts with a transmitter located in east Kansas City, Missouri.
Originally, KCSX was a country music station based in Moberly, Missouri. In 1998, First Broadcasting moved the station's transmitter and target area to Kansas City, who sold half of ownership of the station to Union Broadcasting. This was a rare occasion where two companies shared programming of one radio station. In 2002, the station moved their transmitter further into the Kansas City market, causing two stations in Kansas to change frequencies (Topeka-based WIBW-FM moved from 97.3 to 94.5, while Junction City station KJCK-FM moved from 94.5 to 97.5).
On January 20, 2003, the station dropped its country music format and began stunting by playing nothing but songs by The Beatles for one week, followed by similar daylong marathons of music from The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, U2, Aerosmith, Van Halen, and Metallica. At Midnight on February 10, the new adult album alternative format known as "The Planet" debuted, with "The World I Know" by Collective Soul being the first song played. [2] [3] [4] For the first month, all programming was fed via satellite from Dallas. Dubbed as "World Class Rock", KZPL gathered a small yet devoted following. However, it sat consistently near the bottom of most ratings charts throughout its two-year existence, namely due to numerous format tweaks. The station was a primary sponsor of the Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival in its initial years when based in nearby Lawrence, Kansas.
In Spring 2003, arguments between both ownership companies resulted in First Broadcasting taking Union Broadcasting to court, eventually leading to the full sale of the station to Union. The station served as the FM affiliate for the Kansas City Royals starting with the 2004 season, sharing duties with sister station WHB. KZPL aired games that began at 6:00 p.m. or later, when WHB's AM signal was harder to pick up.
Several of the programs and air personalities who aired on The Planet are now on similarly formatted KTBG.
On September 16, 2005, after playing "Last Goodbye" by Jeff Buckley, KZPL flipped to Album Rock as "97-3 Max FM", which started with "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" by AC/DC. [5] [6] The letters KCXM were implemented November 2, 2005. Since its sign-on, "Max FM" used the "Everything That Rocks" slogan. A few days after the sign-on, rival classic rocker KYYS began using exactly the same slogan, but quickly phased it out. KCXM was registered with Arbiton to use the slogan. As a rock station, KCXM never garnered the ratings Union had hoped for, and also struggled to make money. Shortly after the format change, program director Bryan Truta announced he was leaving for rival station KCJK.
"Max FM" competed against longtime FM rock stations KQRC, KYYS and KCFX. Kansas City native Erich "Mancow" Muller's Chicago-based morning show, Mancow's Morning Madhouse, aired weekdays from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. The station added DJs in September 2006 as part of the celebration of the station being on air for one year. Murphy Wells (formerly of KQRC) did middays, Kenny Holland and Ozone did afternoons as "KAOS", and Scooter did nights. The station also added the syndicated program "Rockline" and retained "Little Steven's Underground Garage" from its AAA days. The station continued to air evening games of the Kansas City Royals until Union's contract expired and games moved to KCSP (AM).
On January 4, 2007, after playing "Selling the Drama" by Live, KCXM dropped the rock format and became "ESPN Radio 97.3," a full-time affiliate of ESPN Radio. [7] The station dropped most local hosts at this time, but continued to air local games and play by play. KCXM complimented its sister station, WHB, which carries a mostly local sports talk format.
On November 30, 2007, KCXM was sold to EMF Broadcasting for $16 million. [8] At midnight on December 1, 2007, KCXM began broadcasting K-LOVE programming. Just before the launch of K-LOVE, 97.3 reverted to its AAA format as "The Planet" for a few hours.
On December 20, 2007, KCXM changed its callsign to KLRX, completing the transition. However, KLRX aired several sports events after the change to K-LOVE: a college basketball game between Kansas State and Oklahoma and at least one UMKC basketball game. It is likely that these games were "farmed out" from WHB, due to a schedule conflict. Once the sale was completed, the station ceased airing sporting events. EMF Broadcasting has its Kansas City office on the first floor of the Union Broadcasting Building in Overland Park, Kansas.
WAKL is a non-commercial FM Christian contemporary radio station licensed to Gainesville, Georgia. Owned by the Educational Media Foundation, WAKL serves the Atlanta metropolitan area as the local affiliate for the national K-Love network. Besides a standard analog transmission, WAKL broadcasts in the HD Radio hybrid format.
KRBZ is an alternative rock station, licensed to Kansas City, Missouri and serving the Kansas City metropolitan area. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc., with studios located in Mission, Kansas and a transmitter site in Kansas City's East Side.
KNBR-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to San Francisco, California, serving the greater San Francisco Bay Area. Owned by Cumulus Media, KNBR-FM features a sports radio format in a simulcast with co-owned KNBR. Both stations are the San Francisco affiliates for Infinity Sports Network, the flagship stations for the San Francisco Giants Radio Network and co-flagship stations for the San Francisco 49ers Radio Network. KNBR-AM-FM are the radio home of Greg Papa and Tom Tolbert.
The following media outlets serve Kansas City, Missouri and the surrounding Kansas City metropolitan area.
KMXV is a top 40 (CHR) station based in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The Steel City Media outlet operates with an ERP of 100 kW. Its current slogan is "Kansas City's #1 Hit Music Station". It is also one of two Top 40s competing in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the other being KMJK. The station's studios are located at Westport Center in Midtown Kansas City, and the transmitter site is in the city's East Side.
KBFB is a commercial radio station with an urban-leaning rhythmic contemporary radio format, known as "97.9 The Beat." It is licensed to Dallas, Texas and serves the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. KBFB is owned by Urban One. The studios and offices, along with sister station KZMJ, are in the Galleria Area in North Dallas.
WHB is a commercial radio station in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. The station is owned by Union Broadcasting and it airs an all-sports radio format. For most of the 1950s through the 1970s, while it was broadcasting at 710 AM, WHB was one of the nation's most influential Top 40 outlets.
KCHZ, is a conservative talk radio station licensed to Ottawa, Kansas and serving the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The Cumulus Media, Inc. outlet operates with an ERP of 98 kW. Its studios are located in Overland Park, Kansas, and its transmitter is located near Linwood, Kansas. KCHZ serves as an FM simulcast of KCMO.
KQRC-FM is a radio station licensed to Leavenworth, Kansas and serving the Kansas City metropolitan area. Its studios are located in Mission, Kansas, and the transmitter site is in South Kansas City. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc.
KCMO-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Shawnee, Kansas, and serving the Kansas City metropolitan area. The station is owned by Cumulus Broadcasting and airs a classic hits radio format, switching to all-Christmas music from mid-November to December 25. KCMO-FM's studios and offices are located in the Corporate Woods area in Overland Park, Kansas. The transmitter is off Menown Avenue in Independence, Missouri.
KBEQ-FM is a commercial radio station in Kansas City, Missouri, serving the Kansas City radio market. It is owned by Steel City Media and airs a country radio format. The station's studios and offices are located on Mill Street at Westport Center in Midtown Kansas City.
KZPT is a hot adult contemporary radio station licensed to and serving the Kansas City metropolitan area. It first began broadcasting in 1962 under the call sign KMBC-FM. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. Its transmitter is located in east Kansas City, and studios are located in Mission, Kansas.
KFKF-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Kansas City, Kansas. It is owned by Steel City Media and airs a country music radio format. The studios and offices are on Pennsylvania Avenue at Westport Center in Midtown Kansas City, Missouri.
KCKC is an adult contemporary radio station based in Kansas City, Missouri that operates with an ERP of 100 kW. The station is licensed to and operated by Steel City Media. The station's studios are located at Westport Center in Midtown Kansas City, and its transmitter is located in Independence, Missouri.
KCFX is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. Licensed to the suburb of Harrisonville, Missouri, it serves the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The station is currently owned by Cumulus Media. The station's studios are located in Overland Park, Kansas, and the transmitter is in Kansas City’s East Side.
KMBZ-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Kansas City, Kansas. Owned by Audacy, Inc., KMBZ-FM airs a news/talk radio format. Its studios and offices are on Squibb Road in Mission, Kansas.
WLVU is an FM radio station licensed to the city of Belle Meade, Tennessee, but serving the Nashville market as a whole. It is currently branded as K-LOVE, repeating a satellite-delivered contemporary Christian format. The station is owned by Educational Media Foundation and is the flagship of the K-Love and Air1 brands based in nearby Franklin, Tennessee. It is Nashville's most recent full-power FM station to take the air.
WDAF-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Liberty, Missouri, and serving the Kansas City metropolitan area. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station airs a country music radio format, branded as "106-5 The Wolf". Studios and offices are located on Squibb Road in Mission, Kansas.
KYDA is a radio station based in the Fort Worth, Texas area, and is the local outlet of EMF's Air1 network, airing a Christian worship format. The station is licensed to Azle, Texas, with a transmitter site located north of Decatur, Texas. It is currently owned by Educational Media Foundation after its purchase from Liberman Broadcasting in early November 2012. Air1 is a Christian worship music radio network in the United States.
KMJK is a top 40 radio station serving the Kansas City metropolitan area. Licensed to North Kansas City, Missouri, the Cumulus Media, Inc. outlet operates with an ERP of 100 kW from a transmitter in Napoleon, Missouri. KMJK's studios are located in Overland Park, Kansas.