KEZK-FM

KEZK-FM (102.5 FM) is an adult contemporary formatted radio station licensed to St. Louis, Missouri. The station serves the city of St. Louis as well as its suburbs in Missouri and Illinois. The station is owned by Entercom.[1] The station is also broadcast on HD radio.[2] The station's studios are in downtown St. Louis on Olive Street, while its transmitter is located in Shrewsbury.

KEZK-FM
CitySt. Louis, Missouri
Broadcast areaGreater St. Louis
Frequency102.5 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding102.5 KEZK
SloganSt.Louis' Best Mix Of The 80s through Today
Programming
FormatAdult contemporary
HD2: Contemporary Christian "The Spirit"
HD3: News/talk (KMOX simulcast)
Ownership
OwnerEntercom
(Entercom License, LLC)
Sister stationsKMOX, KYKY, KFTK-FM, KNOU
History
First air dateFebruary 8, 1969
Former call signsKDNA (1969–1973)
Call sign meaningEZ = Easy
Technical information
Facility ID13507
ClassC0
ERP100,000 watts
HAAT309 meters (1,014 ft)
Transmitter coordinates38°34′24″N 90°19′30″W
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitekezk.com

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.

History

KEZK first went on-the-air as an easy-listening music station owned by Heftel Broadcasting in June 1973. Prior to that, the station had been listener-supported KDNA, later reincarnated as KDHX at 88.1 MHz. On January 1, 1991, KEZK shifted from the instrumental-based easy listening format to a soft adult contemporary format, playing music mostly from the 1970s and 1980s as well as some current soft hits.[3]

Jeff Kapugi became KEZK's Program Director in November 2010, replacing Mark Edwards. The current program director is Cat Thomas.[4]

On December 27, 2010, the station rebranded from "Soft Rock 102.5 KEZK" to "Fresh 102.5",[5] adopting the brand used on sister CBS Radio stations WWFS New York, WCFS-FM Chicago and WIAD Washington, D.C.. However, while those three stations had playlists more closely resembling hot adult contemporary stations, KEZK continued to feature 1970s artists such as Billy Joel and Chicago,[5] indicating the name "Fresh" was more of a rebranding than a format change; sister station KYKY already features the Hot AC format.

KEZK's logo as "Fresh 102.5", 2010–2015

On May 26, 2015, at 7:05 a.m., after stunting that weekend with 1980s music (ending with "Kokomo" by The Beach Boys), KEZK dropped the "Fresh" handle, rebranding as "102.5 KEZK, Today's Hits and Yesterday's Favorites." The first song on 102.5 KEZK was "P.Y.T." by Michael Jackson.[6] While many AC stations have moved more contemporary, KEZK continues to play artists from the 1980s, such Michael Jackson, Madonna, Billy Joel and Hall & Oates. The station features an all-1980s lunch hour and runs occasional 1980s weekends.

On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with Entercom.[7] The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on the 17th.[8][9]

Awards

In 2007, the station was nominated for the top 25 markets Adult Contemporary station of the year award by Radio & Records magazine. Other nominees included WMJX in Boston, KOST in Los Angeles; WALK-FM in Nassau, New York; WLTW in New York City; and WBEB in Philadelphia.[10]

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References
  1. "KEZK-FM Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  2. "HD Radio Station Guide". HD Radio. iBiquity.
  3. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1991/RR-1991-01-11.pdf
  4. http://www.insideradio.com/free/cat-thomas-named-om-of-entercom-st-louis-music-stations/article_8131d01c-fe2c-11e8-99a0-3fe960e1f879.html
  5. http://kezk.radio.com/2010/12/08/fresh-102-5/%5B%5D
  6. KEZK Refreshes
  7. CBS Radio to Merge with Entercom
  8. "Entercom Receives FCC Approval for Merger with CBS Radio". Entercom. November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  9. Venta, Lance (November 17, 2017). "Entercom Completes CBS Radio Merger". Radio Insight. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  10. "2007 Industry Achievement Awards". Radio and Records. Sep 28, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-05-11.
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