Z Rock
Encyclopedia
Z-Rock was a nationally syndicated radio network
based out of Dallas, Texas
, USA, in the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s that played heavy metal
and hard rock
music. The format was one of ABC Radio Network's (now Cumulus Media Networks') 24-hour satellite formats (formerly Satellite Music Network
). Z-Rock debuted on Labor Day
1986 and is credited with being the first nationally focused radio station/network. In March 1990, Z Rock was nominated for Billboard Awards, the only full time hard rock/metal programming ever nominated in the history of Billboard magazine. After several changes in personnel and programming direction, the network was discontinued on December 31, 1996.
During its early days the station drew attention for playing unedited, explicit versions of songs. The station also gained notoriety in the DFW area for their "mascot" vehicle, "the Z Rock hearse", which was displayed at various events and locations around the DFW Metroplex. The vehicle ultimately was awarded to a lucky winner in a promotional givaway. Dennis C. Weaver of Dallas drew the "lucky key" in a drawing held at Sound Climax, a Dallas car audio store which had outfitted the vehicle with stereo gear to showcase their products.
From 1989-1991 the network also produced Z-Rock Magazine, available free in network affiliate cities.
The opening bumper for commercial breaks was an 8-note guitar riff
from the first part of the song "House of 1,000 Pleasures" by Japanese band Ezo
.
Slogans used for Z-Rock's imaging and promotions included "If it's too loud, you're too old!", "Flip us on and flip them off", "We don't brake for wimps" and "If you're not crankin' it, you must be yankin' it!" It also used to mock classic rock programming, then say "Who cares?! Z-Rock RULES!"
Tracy Barnes and Scorchin' Scotty went on to found HardRadio.
Former Z-Rock DJ's, Madd Maxx Hammer, Wild Bill Scott and Jason Lee Tipton are currently on KDKT.US, an Digital-based hard rock radio station.
A fully moderated, 24-hour modern rock
radio stream is still being produced for the Armed Forces Network (AFN) and is available on the digital AFN satellite lineup (with AFN Uninterruptable Voice, besides the Pentagon Channel
, the only unencrypted offering on the European AFN Hot Bird
transponder) .
The weekly, four-hour modern rock chart program Z-Rock 50, currently hosted by Brian Curry, is also still part of Z-Rock. It was also part of AFN The Eagle (Sundays 5pm - 9pm CET) and because of that could be heard in many locations throughout Europe and the Middle East but was taken off the air again in spring 2009 . The program is also available to other broadcasters worldwide from ABC Radio Networks International (now Citadel Media Networks). For example, SteelFM airs the program Fridays at 5pm CET.
Citadel Media in 2010 started up a new satelite Active Rock service called "The Nerve
." Unlike traditional rock stations and networks, The Nerve personalities are rock music core listeners who happen to be on the radio, instead of the DJs themselves.
Radio network
There are two types of radio networks currently in use around the world: the one-to-many broadcast type commonly used for public information and mass media entertainment; and the two-way type used more commonly for public safety and public services such as police, fire, taxicabs, and delivery...
based out of Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, USA, in the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s that played heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
music. The format was one of ABC Radio Network's (now Cumulus Media Networks') 24-hour satellite formats (formerly Satellite Music Network
Satellite Music Network
Satellite Music Network was the first satellite delivered network to provide complete live 24-hour a day music programming to local stations, under several different formats...
). Z-Rock debuted on Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
1986 and is credited with being the first nationally focused radio station/network. In March 1990, Z Rock was nominated for Billboard Awards, the only full time hard rock/metal programming ever nominated in the history of Billboard magazine. After several changes in personnel and programming direction, the network was discontinued on December 31, 1996.
During its early days the station drew attention for playing unedited, explicit versions of songs. The station also gained notoriety in the DFW area for their "mascot" vehicle, "the Z Rock hearse", which was displayed at various events and locations around the DFW Metroplex. The vehicle ultimately was awarded to a lucky winner in a promotional givaway. Dennis C. Weaver of Dallas drew the "lucky key" in a drawing held at Sound Climax, a Dallas car audio store which had outfitted the vehicle with stereo gear to showcase their products.
Original crew
2nd crew
3rd crew
Last Crew
Programming
| Program | Details |
|---|---|
| Blistering Leads | Program focused on guitar breaks and heroes. |
| Mandatory Metallica | Premiered in November 1986, was the original Metallica Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ... feature copied by stations nationwide. "The Mighty Met" was a similar program that played a half-hour to an hour of Metallica Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ... songs (perhaps the most popular band on the network) and aired Saturday nights. |
| Nationwide Mid-day Requests | A daily all request show. |
| Z-Rock 5 | Nightly countdown of the top five requested songs of the day. Prizes awarded to callers who could recite back the top five songs in the order that they were played. |
| Z-Rock 50 | Weekly countdown of the network's top rock tracks aired Sunday nights. |
| Z-Rock 1000 | End-of-the-year countdown of the all-time greatest rock songs with songs from the previous year included. |
| Headbanger's Heaven | Program featuring heavy metal including demos and imports hosted by Crazy Mike Paine. Featured thrash, speed, death, and power metal genres as well as several world premieres, contests, and interviews. |
| Coast to Coast Concert Series | Over 50 live broadcast concerts featuring many of the genre's top names, including Metallica. |
| Wounded Radio | Sunday night show featuring heavier rock music hosted by Sharkmann. |
| US240 | Saturday night all-request show spanning 240 minutes (4 hours) Originally hosted by Sharkmann. |
| Nightly Nuke | Weeknight feature where listeners called in and voted on the most despised Top 40 song of the day (usually a contemporary pop song). After the votes were totaled, the winning song would be played with unflattering soundbytes mixed throughout it. After roughly a minute, a loud explosion sound would be played, essentially destroying or "nuking" the song. |
| Back-Rockwards | Nightly phone-in contest to guess identity of backwards played song (song was played in its entirety with random noises played over it). |
| Fast Forward | Similar to Back-Rockwards, but with the song played forwards at about 10 times the speed. |
| Bad-Ass CD Side | Weekly playing of half of an entire CD. Was notably promoted by saying, "Bad-ass CD half, is grammatically correct, but 'Bad-Ass CD Side' Sounds Cooler!" |
| Too Much | Program held one Saturday a month that would give about four hours playing songs from a select artist. Eventually "Too much" would become a daily mid-day show with one hour of music from any artist sometimes featuring deep album cuts. |
| Old Stuff for an Hour | Sunday morning classic rock Classic rock Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the... show. Hosted by Crankin Craig. |
| New Stuff for an Hour | Hosted by Crankin Craig, this show featured new music. |
| Your Stuff for an Hour (later Two Hours) | Hosted by Crankin, as an all request show. |
| Z-Rock RIP News | News bits presented in conjunction with RIP Magazine. |
| Z-Rock news | Commentary and opinions originally hosted by Boobie Bondage and heard in each daypart. The news went through several names and hosts: The Dirt (w/Steve Show), The Mud (w/Michelle), The Sludge with Sharkmann, The Drudge (not related to the internet news site) and just The News (both w/Loud Debi Dowd). |
From 1989-1991 the network also produced Z-Rock Magazine, available free in network affiliate cities.
The opening bumper for commercial breaks was an 8-note guitar riff
Ostinato
In music, an ostinato is a motif or phrase, which is persistently repeated in the same musical voice. An ostinato is always a succession of equal sounds, wherein each note always has the same weight or stress. The repeating idea may be a rhythmic pattern, part of a tune, or a complete melody in...
from the first part of the song "House of 1,000 Pleasures" by Japanese band Ezo
Ezo (band)
was a Japanese heavy metal band originally formed as FRATVACKER in the spring of 1982 in Sapporo, Japan out of the remnants of two high school bands, POWER-STATION and SCRAP...
.
Slogans used for Z-Rock's imaging and promotions included "If it's too loud, you're too old!", "Flip us on and flip them off", "We don't brake for wimps" and "If you're not crankin' it, you must be yankin' it!" It also used to mock classic rock programming, then say "Who cares?! Z-Rock RULES!"
Z-Rock today
Some bits and pieces of Z-Rock are still in existence today. When the Z-Rock radio network was shut down by the end of 1996, affiliates were free to adopt the Z-Rock name and/or imaging. Some of them are still using it today:- KRQRKRQRKRQR is a commercial radio station located in Orland, California, broadcasting to the entire Sacramento Valley on 106.7 FM. KRQR airs an active rock music format branded as "Z-Rock", adopting the branding and imaging formerly used by the satellite radio network of the same name.The call letters...
106.7 in Chico, CaliforniaChico, CaliforniaChico is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 86,187 at the 2010 census, up from 59,954 at the time of the 2000 census... - WXZZWXZZWXZZ 103.3 is a Cumulus Broadcasting owned FM rock radio station based out of Lexington, Kentucky. Other stations in the Lexington cluster include 590 WVLK, Hot 102, and 92.9 The Bear....
Z Rock 103 in Lexington, KentuckyLexington, KentuckyLexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region... - WTZR Z Rock 99-3 in Elizabethton, TennesseeElizabethton, TennesseeElizabethton is the county seat of Carter County, Tennessee, United States. Elizabethton is also the historical site both of the first independent American government located west of both the Eastern Continental Divide and the original thirteen British American colonies.Elizabethton is also the...
- KHTBKHTBKHTB is an active rock radio station broadcasting to Salt Lake City, Utah and the surrounding areas. KHTB broadcasts on 94.9 and currently identifies itself as 94.9 Z-Rock. It is owned and operated by Cumulus Media...
94.9 Z-Rock in Salt Lake City, UtahSalt Lake City, UtahSalt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
Tracy Barnes and Scorchin' Scotty went on to found HardRadio.
Former Z-Rock DJ's, Madd Maxx Hammer, Wild Bill Scott and Jason Lee Tipton are currently on KDKT.US, an Digital-based hard rock radio station.
A fully moderated, 24-hour modern rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
radio stream is still being produced for the Armed Forces Network (AFN) and is available on the digital AFN satellite lineup (with AFN Uninterruptable Voice, besides the Pentagon Channel
Pentagon Channel
The Pentagon Channel is a TV channel broadcasting military news and information for the 2.6 million members of the U.S. Armed Forces. It is widely available on US Public, educational, and government access cable tv channels, can be viewed FTA in most Central and Western European countries ,...
, the only unencrypted offering on the European AFN Hot Bird
Hot Bird
Hot Bird is the name of a popular family of satellites operated by Eutelsat, located at 13°E over the Equator and with a transmitting footprint over Europe, North Africa and the Middle East....
transponder) .
The weekly, four-hour modern rock chart program Z-Rock 50, currently hosted by Brian Curry, is also still part of Z-Rock. It was also part of AFN The Eagle (Sundays 5pm - 9pm CET) and because of that could be heard in many locations throughout Europe and the Middle East but was taken off the air again in spring 2009 . The program is also available to other broadcasters worldwide from ABC Radio Networks International (now Citadel Media Networks). For example, SteelFM airs the program Fridays at 5pm CET.
Citadel Media in 2010 started up a new satelite Active Rock service called "The Nerve
The Nerve (radio network)
The Nerve, is a new 24-hour live radio format produced by Cumulus Media Networks . This satellite-driven format airs the latest Active rock music design to target today’s 18-34 rock listeners...
." Unlike traditional rock stations and networks, The Nerve personalities are rock music core listeners who happen to be on the radio, instead of the DJs themselves.