KNBZ (97.7 FM, "Sunny 97.7") is a

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

Aberdeen, South Dakota Aberdeen (Lakota language, Lakota: ''Ablíla'') is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, South Dakota, Brown County, South Dakota, United States, located approximately northeast of Pierre, South Dakota, Pierre. The city population was 2 ...

(

licensed A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

to serve Redfield). The station is owned by Prairie Winds Broadcasting, Inc. It airs an

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

music format. The station was assigned the KNBZ call letters by the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...

on September 2,

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

. Notable weekday programming includes J Krenz (6am-10am), Bri Matthews (10am-2pm), Les Cummings (2pm-7pm) and the syndicated

John Tesh John Frank Tesh (born July 9, 1952) is an American pianist and composer of pop music, as well as a radio host and television presenter. He hosts the ''Intelligence for Your Life'' radio show. In addition, since 2014, he has hosted ''Intelligen ...

program (7pm-Midnight). Featured weekend programs include

Backtrax USA ''Backtrax USA'' is a weekly two-hour radio program hosted by former WHTZ (Z100) disc jockey Kid Kelly that premiered in 1992. The original show highlights hit music from the 1980s. Since 2003, ''Backtrax USA'' has also offered a 1990s version of ...

Jim Brickman James Merrill Brickman (born November 20, 1961) is an American pop songwriter, pianist and radio host. Brickman has earned two Grammy nominations for his albums ''Peace'' (2003) for Best Instrumental, and ''Faith'' (2009) for Best New Age Album ...

The Weekly Pop 20 The Weekly Pop 20 with Ann Duran was a nationally syndicated two-hour weekend radio show, playing the best adult pop hits of the 1980s, 1990s, and now - which ran from 2009 to late 2011. The show was designed for the "Gen-X" listener, targeting AC ...

Dave Koz David Stephen Koz (born March 27, 1963) is an American smooth jazz saxophonist, composer, record producer, and radio personality based in California. Early life Dave Koz was born in Encino, California, to Jewish parents: Norman, a dermatologist ...

The 70's Show ''That '70s Show'' is an American television period teen sitcom that aired on Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focuses on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin, fro ...

with Cindy Barton. The station aired AT 10 with Casey Kasem.

Ownership, history and programming

In mid-1996, KGIM-AM was acquired by Pheasant Country Broadcasting, owned by Robert E. Ingstad and plans were made to launch two 100,000-watt FM counterparts. KGIM-FM 103.7 was launched June 12, 1997 with a country music format and branded Pheasant Country 103
KNBZ-FM 97.7 was launched July 20, 1999
with an Adult AC format and branded Z97. The majority of its programing (excluding a local morning show) came from ABC Radio's Best Hits Best Variety satellite format. In the fall of 2004
as part of a reorganization by the Ingstad family, Aberdeen Radio Ranch Inc. (Robert J. Ingstad, co-president) agreed to acquire KGIM-AM/FM, KNBZ-FM and KQKD-AM from Robert E. Ingstad
(Pheasant Country Broadcasting) The transaction price was not disclosed. Late 2004,

Aberdeen Radio 2BD was a local radio station opened on 10 October 1923 in Aberdeen, Scotland, by the British Broadcasting Company (later to become the British Broadcasting Corporation). Operating from a studio at the rear of a shop belonging to Aberdeen Electri ...

Ranch's Rob and Todd Ingstad of Valley City, ND signed an agreement to acquire five Clear Channel-Aberdeen, SD stations: KKAA-AM, KSDN-AM/FM, KBFO-FM, KQAA-FM. In separate transactions, Aberdeen Radio Ranch agreed to convey the assets of three of its stations to other companies, leaving the Ingstads with six area stations: KGIM-AM/FM, KBFO-FM, KSDN-AM/FM and KNBZ-FM. The Sacramento-based Education Media Foundation picked up KQAA-FM. Oakland-based Family Stations acquired KKAA-AM and KQKD-AM. The studios were relocated from the Berkshire Plaza to a newly remodeled south highway 281 building that houses the KSDN-AM/FM transmitters. KNBZ-FM's format was changed to Oldies and rebranded Kool 97.7 to fill the void of the departed KQAA-FM. In May 2006,

Armada Media Corporation Armada Media Corporation is a Wisconsin-based media corporation founded in 2006 that owns radio stations in the Midwestern United States. Armada Media operates in small unrated markets. Armada Media is based in Fond du Lac and operates 28 radio st ...

reached an agreement to acquire KBFO, KGIM,

KGIM-FM KGIM-FM (103.7 FM, "Pheasant Country 103") is a radio station in Aberdeen, South Dakota (licensed to serve Redfield). The station is owned by Prairie Winds Broadcasting, Inc. It airs a country music format. The station was assigned the KGIM-FM ...

, KNBZ, KSDN, and

KSDN-FM KSDN-FM (94.1 Hertz, MHz, "The Rock 94.1 FM") is a Radio broadcasting, radio station city of license, licensed to serve Aberdeen, South Dakota. The station is owned by Prairie Winds Broadcasting, Inc. It airs a mainstream rock radio format, music ...

from Aberdeen Radio Ranch for a reported $9.25 million. KNBZ-FM's format was changed once again from Oldies to

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

and rebranded as Sunny 97.7. On November 1, 2013, Prairie Winds Broadcasting, Inc. reached an agreement to acquire KBFO, KGIM,

, KNBZ, KSDN, and

from Armada Media for $5.3 million.

References

External links

KNBZ official website
{{Adult Contemporary Radio Stations in South Dakota NBZ Mainstream adult contemporary radio stations in the United States Spink County, South Dakota Radio stations established in 1997