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KMBZ (AM)
KMBZ (980 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Kansas City, Missouri. KMBZ is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs a talk radio format. Its studios and transmitter site are in suburban Mission, Kansas, at separate locations.
By day, KMBZ operates at 9,000 watts with a non-directional antenna. At night, it reduces power to 5,000 watts and uses a directional antenna to protect other stations on AM 980 from interference. Its signal covers the Kansas City metropolitan area, including parts of Missouri and Kansas.
KMBZ is the oldest surviving station in Kansas City, tracing its history to its debut as a broadcasting station on April 5, 1922, with the call sign WPE. It is also the third oldest radio station in Missouri, behind only KTRS and WEW. It has been owned by two rival branches of the Latter Day Saint movement, though it currently has no church affiliation.
The station was first licensed, with the randomly issued call letters WPE, on April 5, 1922 to the Central Radio Company in Kansas City, Missouri. It moved to Independence in early 1923. WPE was deleted on June 18, 1923, however, the station was relicensed a few days later, as KFIX in Independence, to the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church). The KFIX call letters were randomly assigned from a sequential list of available call signs, and changed to KLDS in early 1925.
In 1926, the station was authorized to also operate as KMJP, "When this station is operating under the auspices of the Kansas City Journal-Post". The KMJP authorization was ended the next year.
In 1927, Midland Broadcasting began an association with the station. The call sign KMBC was added, under the provision that "Call signal KMBC assigned in addition to KLDS, which is to be used when programs are broadcast by the Midland Broadcasting Co." Program director Arthur B. Church reported broadcasting over an amateur station beginning on April 5, 1921, so this date is sometimes reported as the station's start. After being licensed for a time with the dual call sign KLDS-KMBC, in 1929 the KLDS call letters were dropped, and the station became just KMBC.
In 1953, Midland put KMBC-TV on the air as a shared time arrangement with another local radio station owner. Cook Paint and Varnish Company bought the Midland holdings in 1954. KMBC-AM-TV operated out of the Lyric Theatre.
In 1961, Cook sold the radio and television stations to Metromedia. In 1962, Metromedia signed on KMBC-FM (later KMBR and KLTH, now KZPT). In 1967, Metromedia sold both radio stations to Bonneville International but kept the television station. Bonneville is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) based in Salt 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 a full service middle of the road music format.
KMBZ (AM)
KMBZ (980 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Kansas City, Missouri. KMBZ is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs a talk radio format. Its studios and transmitter site are in suburban Mission, Kansas, at separate locations.
By day, KMBZ operates at 9,000 watts with a non-directional antenna. At night, it reduces power to 5,000 watts and uses a directional antenna to protect other stations on AM 980 from interference. Its signal covers the Kansas City metropolitan area, including parts of Missouri and Kansas.
KMBZ is the oldest surviving station in Kansas City, tracing its history to its debut as a broadcasting station on April 5, 1922, with the call sign WPE. It is also the third oldest radio station in Missouri, behind only KTRS and WEW. It has been owned by two rival branches of the Latter Day Saint movement, though it currently has no church affiliation.
The station was first licensed, with the randomly issued call letters WPE, on April 5, 1922 to the Central Radio Company in Kansas City, Missouri. It moved to Independence in early 1923. WPE was deleted on June 18, 1923, however, the station was relicensed a few days later, as KFIX in Independence, to the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church). The KFIX call letters were randomly assigned from a sequential list of available call signs, and changed to KLDS in early 1925.
In 1926, the station was authorized to also operate as KMJP, "When this station is operating under the auspices of the Kansas City Journal-Post". The KMJP authorization was ended the next year.
In 1927, Midland Broadcasting began an association with the station. The call sign KMBC was added, under the provision that "Call signal KMBC assigned in addition to KLDS, which is to be used when programs are broadcast by the Midland Broadcasting Co." Program director Arthur B. Church reported broadcasting over an amateur station beginning on April 5, 1921, so this date is sometimes reported as the station's start. After being licensed for a time with the dual call sign KLDS-KMBC, in 1929 the KLDS call letters were dropped, and the station became just KMBC.
In 1953, Midland put KMBC-TV on the air as a shared time arrangement with another local radio station owner. Cook Paint and Varnish Company bought the Midland holdings in 1954. KMBC-AM-TV operated out of the Lyric Theatre.
In 1961, Cook sold the radio and television stations to Metromedia. In 1962, Metromedia signed on KMBC-FM (later KMBR and KLTH, now KZPT). In 1967, Metromedia sold both radio stations to Bonneville International but kept the television station. Bonneville is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) based in Salt 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 a full service middle of the road music format.