• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Z-ROCK KZRX.

T

thebeach33445

Hey Guys:

I found this on a KZRX Tribute site. Did Z-ROCK start in 1991 or Feb 1, 1992? And was it true that the Z-ROCK format was dropped for local programming?

Just want to make sure this is right?

Thanks

T.J.
 
KZRX did eventually drop satellite Z Rock programming for local... the music was much harder and the DJs, in my opinion, not as good. Except for the stint Eddie Webb did. Ultimately, as grunge took over, it all failed. Cant remember the timeline though.
 
azjason said:
KZRX did eventually drop satellite Z Rock programming for local... the music was much harder and the DJs, in my opinion, not as good. Except for the stint Eddie Webb did. Ultimately, as grunge took over, it all failed. Cant remember the timeline though.
Click to expand...

I remember they did some local dayparts until ABC pulled the plug on the format and they took it full time for awhile before the Howard Stern + Carla Foxx + Tom Leykis hot talk experiment in 1995.

FCC says the KZRX calls began in February of 1992, but Z-Rock might have gone on a little bit before that. KGRX had been running the satellite-delivered Wave format (NAC, the precursor to Smooth Jazz). ABC dropped the Wave format, and KGRX did their own local version of it for about a week with the board-ops playing DJ - I remember listening one night and heard one guy mispronounce Sade - and then Z-Rock appeared the next day. Based on the dorm I remember listening to them in, this had to have been sometime in 1991. I studied while listening to The Wave, I rocked out to Z-Rock.

If you can figure out when ABC/Satellite Music Networks closed down the Wave format you can nail down when KGRX flipped to Z-Rock within a couple of weeks.
 
Re: KZRX.

In 1992 the station began to transform from a Z-Rock affiliate to a local rock station who went after KUPD listeners. KGRX became KZRX after they hired rockradio vet Mike Madigan (GM) from KLPX, who came up from Tucson and hired guys Like Gster (PD) and Mad Max Hammer (MD) to run it. They then hired a bunch of ex-KUPD jocks like Jan Williams (nights) and Larry Mac (middays). Not sure when it officially switched - they did it gradually. The fall 1992 book they had a 2.6 (12+) and begun having some momentum. It was no longer called Z-Rock - it was referred to as KZRX 100.3. Arizona's Hardest. After Madigan and his crew left the station, they hired low budget local talent and the station format eventually switched to Hot Talk with Carla Foxx, somewhere around early 1995. Madigan wound up over at The Zone after that and then on to run the Clear Channel group in Yuma.
 
Re: KZRX.

I remember Z-Rock being the sister station of 106.3 The Edge correct? This was when The Edge 1st signed on in 1992/93 and they even shared jocks (The Minister and DJ Randall from Atomic Cafe). I don't recall a talk format but I do remember noticing that 100.3 was duplicating The Edge's feed after a while. But speaking of 100.3, does any remember The Key?
 
Yes, I listened to it all the time! Wasn't Leah Miller originally on the Key?
 
No, Leah was not at the Key. She started on 1060 AM KUKQ (after starting at ASU's KASR). Jonathan L was at the Key though! KZRX was a fun station while it lasted, but because of the crappy signal it was bound to fail once Sandusky bought KUPD, and turned them into an active rock. I wonder what happened to Jan Williams, Twisted Tim, G-Ster among the other cast of characters we had over there. I still See Tracy Leah around and about, and Z-Rocks Promo Director Val Serrano is out of Radio and now living in Prescott area, after leaving for KNAC and then a station in Dallas.
There were some fun times at the Edge/Z-Rock/KGME studios at the "crackhouse on Camelback" back then at 75th Ave and Camelback. Edge had the big studio back then, and KZRX had the closet. This of corse was after the moved from Mesa.
I loved listening to the Key back then. Jonathan L will be missed, now that he is retiring. Hoping he brings his show back once he settles into his new life!
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom