KZON

Infobox Radio Station
name = KZON


city = Phoenix, Arizona
area = Phoenix, Arizona
branding = 101.5 JAMZ
slogan = Blazin The Valley's Hitz and Hip-Hop
airdate = June 22, 2007
frequency = 101.5 (MHz) HD Radio
format = Rhythmic Contemporary
erp = 100,000 watts
haat = 530 meters
class = C
facility_id = 63913
owner = CBS Radio
website = [http://www.1015jamz.com/ www.1015jams.com]
webcast = [http://cbsplayer.streamtheworld.com/index.php?CALLSIGN=KZONFM Listen Live]
callsign_meaning = K ariZONa (although previously ZON stood for the "Zone" format)

KZON is a commercial radio station located in Phoenix, Arizona, broadcasting on 101.5 FM. KZON airs a Rhythmic CHR format branded as "101.5 Jamz".

History

In the 1980s the station was better known as KMXX (Mix 101.5). By 1992 it switched to Triple-A as "The Zone", a moniker it would carry throughout its incarnations of modern rock, modern Adult Top 40, Adult Top 40 and back to modern rock in 2000. From January 3, 2006 to June 21, 2007, it carried the Free FM Hot talk format, which proved to be a failure in the market, especially when talk radio station KTAR moved to FM in January 2007.

Rumors of a format change came true on June 22, 2007, when the station stopped its normal broadcasts and began playing music by Paris Hilton exclusively, while starting a petition on its website to free Hilton, who was in prison at the time [http://www.azcentral.com/ent/tv/articles/0622radio0622.html All Paris, all the time] . The move was seen by many as a form of stunting to generate attention before a formal switch in formats. Eventually, KZON switched to a Rhythmic CHR format. The first song played after the initial announcement was "Party Like a Rockstar" by the Shop Boyz.

KZON's flip to Rhythmic also tried to send a message to KKFR, telling them that the "Power" has been turned off (in reference to KKFR's frequency switch from 92.3 to 98.3) and "Where Hip Hop USED to Live". To add insult to injury, KZON also boast on air as playing "100,000 watts of 'Static-Free' Hip-Hop" and borrowed the "Mac Vs. PC" ad campaign in which KZON billed itself as the "Mac" to KKFR's "PC." In addition, they are also poised to take on Top 40 rival KZZP and to a lesser extent, multi-formatted KNRJ and Rhythmic AC KMVA. In response to KZON's debut and full-powered signal range, KKFR PD Bruce St. James isn't worried, and in a statement with the Arizona Republic, "What are they going to do?" he asks. "Play more hip-hop than us? Really, I think we'll be OK." [ [http://www.azcentral.com/ent/tv/articles/0622radio0622.html#comments From The Arizona Republic (June 22, 2007)] ]

Airstaff

The station added DJs to its lineup on August 6, 2007.

The Airshifts are as follows:

*6:00am - 10:00am Unknown (formely Kid and Ruben until October 3rd, 2008)
*10:00am - 3:00pm Jackie Morales
*3:00pm - 7:00pm Strawberry On The Radio
*7:00pm - 12:00mid Sugabear
*Weekends - Jasmine, Eli "The Barber", Eric D, Suge White & G-mo

As 101.5 Free FM

On December 23, 2005, it was announced that KZON would adopt CBS Radio's Free FM format, featuring mostly nationally-syndicated hot talk shows like The Adam Carolla Show,Frosty, Heidi & Frank and The Tom Leykis Show. The station switched from Modern Rock to the male-targeted format, with rock music played during overnights and weekends. On January 3, 2007, KZON reduced the music content and began to add more talk shows to the weekend lineup, and a taped Tom Leykis episode airing overnights.

CBS Radio had high hopes that this format would do well in Phoenix, even with a promotional campaign that came along with it. Despite growing ratings, CBS Radio decided to pull the plug and change formats to "Hitz and Hip Hop" modeled after CBS' high rated WBBM-FM/Chicago (B96). The switch occurred on June 21, 2007, when for 24 hours an unknown effeminate male demanded the release of Paris Hilton as she was serving a brief jail sentence at this time.

KZON was the fourth station to drop the Free FM format, following KSCF in San Diego, California, which flipped to Adult Top 40, sister station and former Free FM flagship WFNY/New York City, who returned to Active rock and its original call letters WXRK (K-Rock 92.3), and KIFR/San Francisco, who picked up the KFRC-FM calls and Classic Hits format from their sister station (which is now KMVQ) after it dropped the aforementioned format several months earlier.

As with many format changes in radio, there has been a backlash from fans of Free FM who would like to see the station and its personalities return. [ [http://www.bringbacktom.com bringbacktom.com, accessed 7/11/07] ] [ [http://www.myspace.com/savetomphoenix MySpace page of "savetomphoenix", accessed 7/11/07] ] The former Free FM website now links to the stream of KLSX "97.1 Free FM" in Los Angeles (where Carolla and Leykis originate) [ [http://www.1015freefm.com 101.5 Free FM website, accessed 7/11/07] ] .

Former logo

References

External links

*Official|http://www.1015jamz.com
* [http://billboardradiomonitor.com/radiomonitor/news/business/top_news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001737232 Announcement of changeover to Free FM]
*FMQ|KZON
*FML|KZON
*FMARB|KZON