KEZK
Encyclopedia
KEZK-FM is a radio station
broadcasting a Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to St. Louis, Missouri
, USA, the station serves the St. Louis and southwestern Illinois areas. The station is currently owned by CBS Radio
. and features programing from Westwood One
. The station is also broadcast on HD radio
.
KEZK's HD2 subchannel broadcasts The Spirit, a contemporary Christian music
format which includes faith-based music from mainstream artists along with artists from the contemporary Christian genre. The Spirit is also available online on the station's website. The Spirit is programmed by longtime on-air personality Stel Pontikes.
s station owned by Heftel Broadcasting in 1972 (prior to that, the frequency had been occupied by listener-supported KDNA
, later reincarnated as KDHX
at 88.1 MHz). In 1991, KEZK shifted to its current adult contemporary format, playing music mostly from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, as well as some of today's hits.
Jeff Kapugi became KEZK's Program Director in November 2010, replacing Mark Edwards.
On December 27, 2010, the station rebranded from "Soft Rock 102.5 KEZK" to "Fresh 102.5", adopting the brand used on sister CBS stations WWFS, WCFS-FM, and WIAD. However, while those three stations have playlists more closely resembling hot adult contemporary stations, KEZK continues to feature '70s artists such as Billy Joel
and Chicago
, indicating that this is more of a rebranding than a format change; sister station KYKY
already broadcasts a hot AC format. The station will also be looking for a new morning show host, as Ed Goodman will be departing. Goodman was replaced by former KMOX radio talk show host John Carney.
KEZK-FM is the only Fresh station owned by CBS Radio
with an adult contemporary format to not have "FS" in the calls. Although the other three Fresh FM stations (WIAD Washington, D.C.
, WCFS-FM Chicago
& WWFS New York City
) of CBS Radio dropped AC in favour of hot adult contemporary in 2011
, excluding WCFS-FM as that station transitioned to simulcast all-news station WBBM
, KEZK-FM the only AC station using the Fresh branding.
magazine. Other nominees included WMJX
in Boston, KOST
in Los Angeles, WALK-FM
in Nassau, New York, WLTW
in New York, and WBEB
in Philadelphia.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
broadcasting a Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, USA, the station serves the St. Louis and southwestern Illinois areas. The station is currently owned by CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
. and features programing from Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
. The station is also broadcast on HD radio
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
.
KEZK's HD2 subchannel broadcasts The Spirit, a contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
format which includes faith-based music from mainstream artists along with artists from the contemporary Christian genre. The Spirit is also available online on the station's website. The Spirit is programmed by longtime on-air personality Stel Pontikes.
History
KEZK first went on-the-air as an easy-listening standardStandard (music)
In music, a standard is a tune or song of established popularity.-See also:* Blues standard* Jazz standard* Pop standard* Great American Songbook-Further reading:* Greatest Rock Standards, published by Hal Leonard ISBN 0793588391...
s station owned by Heftel Broadcasting in 1972 (prior to that, the frequency had been occupied by listener-supported KDNA
KDNA
KDNA is a radio station broadcasting a Spanish Variety format including music , children's programming, local and international news and a unique show each weekday morning highlighting employment opportunities in the Yakima area, all in Spanish. Licensed to Yakima, Washington, USA, the station...
, later reincarnated as KDHX
KDHX
KDHX is an award winning, independent, non-commercial, listener-supported community radio station in St. Louis, Missouri, United States located at 88.1 MHz FM offering a full spectrum of music along with cultural and public affairs programming since 1987...
at 88.1 MHz). In 1991, KEZK shifted to its current adult contemporary format, playing music mostly from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, as well as some of today's hits.
Jeff Kapugi became KEZK's Program Director in November 2010, replacing Mark Edwards.
On December 27, 2010, the station rebranded from "Soft Rock 102.5 KEZK" to "Fresh 102.5", adopting the brand used on sister CBS stations WWFS, WCFS-FM, and WIAD. However, while those three stations have playlists more closely resembling hot adult contemporary stations, KEZK continues to feature '70s artists such as Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
and Chicago
Chicago (band)
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
, indicating that this is more of a rebranding than a format change; sister station KYKY
KYKY
KYKY, originally known as KSTL-FM, KRCH and later, KSLQ-FM prior to October 1, 1982, is an FM radio station serving the St. Louis, Missouri radio market. The current format of the station is Adult Top 40. It operates at 98.1 MHz. KYKY is owned by CBS Radio, which also owns soft rock station...
already broadcasts a hot AC format. The station will also be looking for a new morning show host, as Ed Goodman will be departing. Goodman was replaced by former KMOX radio talk show host John Carney.
KEZK-FM is the only Fresh station owned by CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
with an adult contemporary format to not have "FS" in the calls. Although the other three Fresh FM stations (WIAD Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, WCFS-FM Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
& WWFS New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
) of CBS Radio dropped AC in favour of hot adult contemporary in 2011
2011 in radio
The following events occurred in radio broadcasting in 2011.-Events:*January 1: 2 Knoxville stations change formats as WDLF and WYLV flip to K-LOVE and Air 1 , and a few Pittsburgh station change formats, as ESPN Radio moves from WEAE to WBGG, and Radio Disney moves from WWCS to the renamed WDDZ,...
, excluding WCFS-FM as that station transitioned to simulcast all-news station WBBM
WBBM (AM)
WBBM is an all-news CBS radio station in Chicago, Illinois broadcasting on the AM dial at 780 kHz. It is owned by CBS along with WBBM-TV....
, KEZK-FM the only AC station using the Fresh branding.
Awards
In 2007, the station was nominated for the top 25 markets Adult Contemporary station of the year award by Radio & RecordsRadio & Records
Radio & Records was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It originally started out as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006, up until its final issue in 2009.-History:The company was founded in 1973 and...
magazine. Other nominees included WMJX
WMJX
WMJX is a radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts. It has an Adult Contemporary format. The station's transmitter is located atop the Prudential Tower in Downtown Boston...
in Boston, KOST
KOST
KOST is a radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, with an adult contemporary musical format. It is one of three adult contemporary formatted radio station in the Los Angeles/Orange County area, the others being sister station KBIG and CBS-owned KTWV...
in Los Angeles, WALK-FM
WALK-FM
WALK-FM, known on-air as "WALK 97.5," is a radio station on Long Island with an adult contemporary format. Located on 97.5 FM, the station is licensed to Patchogue, New York...
in Nassau, New York, WLTW
WLTW
WLTW is a radio station with an Adult Contemporary format in New York City.The station is often number one or close to it in Arbitron ratings for New York City. From 2002 to 2004, the station generated more revenue than any other radio station in the New York market...
in New York, and WBEB
WBEB
WBEB is a radio station broadcasting a Soft Rock/Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it serves the Greater Philadelphia metropolitan area. It first began broadcasting in 1963 under the call sign WDVR. The station is currently owned by Jerry Lee...
in Philadelphia.