KRXQ (98.5
FM, "98 Rock") is a commercial
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 ...
in
Sacramento, California
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...
. The station is owned by
Audacy, Inc.
Audacy, Inc. is an American broadcasting company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Entercom Communications Corporation, it is the second largest radio company in the United States, owning 235 radio stations across 48 media ...
and broadcasts a
mainstream rock
Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada.
Format background
Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...
format. KRXQ's studios are located in
North Highlands (with a Sacramento address) and its transmitter is in
Folsom Folsom may refer to:
People
* Folsom (surname)
Places in the United States
* Folsom, Perry County, Alabama
* Folsom, Randolph County, Alabama
* Folsom, California
* Folsom, Georgia
* Folsom, Louisiana
* Folsom, Missouri
* Folsom, New Jerse ...
.
History
KXRQ
The station at 98.5 FM first signed on November 1, 1959, as KXRQ. Owned and operated by Dale Flewelling, it was dedicated by then-California Governor
Pat Brown
Edmund Gerald "Pat" Brown (April 21, 1905 – February 16, 1996) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 32nd governor of California from 1959 to 1967. His first elected office was as district attorney for San Francisco, and he w ...
. From its original studios and transmitter located on the 13th floor of the
Elks building in downtown Sacramento, KXRQ operated daily from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. with an
effective radiated power
Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would hav ...
of 35,000
watt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...
s. From its elevated location, KXRQ enjoyed broad coverage throughout the
Sacramento Valley
, photo =Sacramento Riverfront.jpg
, photo_caption= Sacramento
, map_image=Map california central valley.jpg
, map_caption= The Central Valley of California
, location = California, United States
, coordinates =
, boundaries = Sierra Nevada (ea ...
. Bruce Jensen was the program director during the station's first year and programmed a varied mix of popular music during the day and
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
late at night and weekend afternoons. From 1960 until mid-1966, Paul Thompson served in the same capacity; he adjusted the format to present a more sophisticated and swinging mix with an easy jazz touch during the daytime with more straightforward jazz heard later at night. At one point KXRQ became an all-jazz station for about two years; however, commercial support for the station waned and it restored the swinging sound format. Following the departure of Thompson, the station continued in the same direction for a while, but by early 1968 the station was having financial difficulties, and was only broadcasting from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
KZAP
Freeform launch and early AOR years
In mid-1968, KXRQ was purchased by Lee Gahagan, doing business as the California Talking Machine and Wireless Company, for $60,000. Gahagan also owned a
classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
station,
KPGM
KPGM (1500 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a sports
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants a ...
, in the South Bay area, and he intended to place a classical format on his new Sacramento frequency. In the process of the sale, Flewelling was required to pay a $5,000 fine to 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 ...
(FCC) for a series of rule violations. Gahagan was approached by students from
California State University, Sacramento
California State University, Sacramento (CSUS, Sacramento State, or informally Sac State) is a public university in Sacramento, California. Founded in 1947 as Sacramento State College, it is the eleventh oldest school in the 23-campus California ...
who worked at campus radio station
KERS (90.7 FM), who suggested that the new station run a "
freeform" format similar to
KMPX
KMPX (channel 29) is a television station licensed to Decatur, Texas, United States, serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex as an affiliate of the Spanish-language Estrella TV network. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside Dallas-licensed ABC ...
and
KSAN in San Francisco. Gahagan agreed, and, on November 8, 1968, 98.5 FM emerged from months of silence
as KZAP. The
call letters
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...
had become available months earlier when a
station in Houston changed its own.
KZAP made an immediate impression on the youth audience in Sacramento; in 1970, a year and a half after debuting, ''
Sacramento Bee
''The Sacramento Bee'' is a daily newspaper published in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Since its foundation in 1857, ''The Bee'' has become the largest newspaper in Sacramento, the fifth largest newspaper in California, and the 2 ...
'' publisher
C. K. McClatchy noted in an editorial that it "has a particular following among young people". KZAP was the first station in the United States to air a commercial for
condom
A condom is a sheath-shaped barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both male and female condoms. With proper use—and use at every act of in ...
s (in 1972), and it was instrumental in securing the end of a hostage situation when KZAP reassured the gunman that he would not be harmed if he emerged without a weapon.
On May 3, 1972, Lee Gahagan unexpectedly died at the age of 27; his death was considered a suicide.
His estate sold the station for $200,100 to the New Day Broadcasting Company, led by Ed Beimfohr, the next year. Under New Day, KZAP settled into a format that was becoming known in the industry as
album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the 1970s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock.
Album-oriente ...
.
It also began broadcasting in
Stereo Quadraphonic
SQ Quadraphonic ("Stereo Quadraphonic") was a matrix 4-channel quadraphonic sound system for vinyl LP records. It was introduced by CBS Records (known in the United States and Canada as Columbia Records) in 1971. Many recordings using this techn ...
sound in 1974; previous owner Gahagan had been a pioneer in quadraphonic.
Sale to Western Cities and ratings success
It was a 1978 sale that would be even more impactful for KZAP: a $1.4 million sale to Western Cities Broadcasting, owners of stations in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
and
Tucson
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
, mapsize = 260px
, map_caption = Interactive map ...
. While the new owners stated no plans for major changes, January 1979 brought with it a major personnel shuffle and the dismissal of a series of DJs and the program director. Consulted by Burkhart/
Abrams Abrams may refer to:
* Abrams (surname), a list of notable people with the surname
* '' Abrams v. United States'', 250 U.S. 616 (1919), U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding free speech during times of war
* M1 Abrams, main battle tank
* Abrams, W ...
with its "Superstars" format, KZAP reversed a two-year ratings slide and claimed the market lead in the spring 1979
Arbitron
Nielsen Audio (formerly Arbitron) is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio broadcasting audiences. It was founded as the American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by mergin ...
survey, going from a 2.7
share to an 8.5 and putting a dent in the ratings of format competitor
KSFM
KSFM (102.5 FM) is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Woodland, California and serves the Sacramento metropolitan area. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. and broadcasts a rhythmic contemporary format. KSFM's studios and offices ...
(102.5 FM). The next year, KZAP would peak in the ratings at a 13.4.
Through the 1980s, KZAP remained competitive in the radio ratings. It also aged with its audience; by 1985, it aired a mix of current and
classic rock
Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...
. However, in November 1990, KROY (96.9 FM) flipped to classic rock as
KSEG, "The Eagle". As KSEG and
KRXQ
KRXQ (98.5 FM, "98 Rock") is a commercial radio station in Sacramento, California. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. and broadcasts a mainstream rock format. KRXQ's studios are located in North Highlands (with a Sacramento address) and its t ...
(93.7 FM) fought for its listeners, KZAP's ratings fell from a 4.9 in 1990 to a 2.9 in 1991–the lowest figures since Western Cities, now
Nationwide Communications
Nationwide Communications Inc., originally known as Peoples Broadcasting Corporation, was a media subsidiary of the Nationwide Insurance Company, which operated from 1946 until 1997. Based in Columbus, Ohio, Nationwide Communications owned and ...
, bought the station.
Country formats
On January 20, 1992 at midnight, after playing the song "Cristo Redentor" by
Harvey Mandel
Harvey Mandel (born March 11, 1945) is an American guitarist best known as a member of Canned Heat. He also played with Charlie Musselwhite and John Mayall as well as maintaining a solo career.
Early life
Mandel was born in Detroit, Michigan, a ...
, KZAP flipped to a
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
format known as "Fresh Country 98.5". Shortly thereafter, the station changed its call letters to KNCI, for
Nationwide
Communications,
Incorporated.
As part of the format flip, all of the air staff except for the news director were dismissed, with shifts being filled by personalities from two other Nationwide-owned country outlets. The move gave
KRAK-FM (Country 105) its first market competitor. A low-power FM station in Sacramento,
KZHP-LP
KZHP-LP is a rock and blues formatted broadcast radio station licensed to and serving Sacramento, California. KZHP-LP is owned and operated by Process Theatre, Inc. The station in an affiliate of the syndicated Pink Floyd program "Floydian S ...
, brands itself as "KZAP" in a nod to the legacy of the original station; some of the original KZAP DJs are part of KZHP-LP.
A year later,
EZ Communications
EZ Communications, Inc. was a corporation with its headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia. In the 1970s, the small company was one of the pioneers of the easy listening on the FM broadcasting radio spectrum with 2 stations in Manassas and Richmond. W ...
, which owned KRAK-FM, acquired KNCI-FM for $13 million. In February 1994, KNCI and KRAK-FM swapped frequencies, bringing the KRAK call sign to 98.5 FM. On January 17, 1997, the station shifted its focus to
classic country
Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country and western music hits from past decades.
Repertoire
The radio format specializes in hits from the 1950s through the early 1980s, and focus primarily on innov ...
as "Gold Country", differentiating itself from KNCI. The station's ratings were short of stellar.
KRXQ
A $120 million deal between EXCL Communications and
American Radio Systems
American Radio Systems Corporation was a radio company that existed from 1993 until 1998. Its predecessor, Atlantic Ventures, was founded by Steven B. Dodge, Eric Schultz, Joseph Winn, and Michael Milsom. American Radio Systems was formed from ...
, which had bought EZ Communications in 1996, led to a series of shuffles in the Bay Area and Sacramento that were required in order to meet antitrust conditions. Among them was a frequency swap between KRAK and
Entercom
Audacy, Inc. is an American broadcasting company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Entercom Communications Corporation, it is the second largest radio company in the United States, owning 235 radio stations across 48 media ...
-owned
active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...
station KRXQ, then at 93.7 FM. The swap occurred on March 4, 1998 at 3 p.m., sending the KRAK call letters to 93.7 FM and KRXQ to 98.5 FM, now called "98 Rock". Now on a better signal as a result of the swap, KRXQ continued its active rock format, focusing on the top 25–30 rock singles while mixing in recurrent and classic tracks. Generally, the station had a running library of roughly 300 songs. In the spring of 1999, Entercom fired KRXQ
morning drive
Drive time is the daypart in which radio broadcasters can reach the most people who listen to car radios while driving, usually to and from work, or on public transportation. Drive-time periods are when the number of radio listeners in this c ...
time hosts the Rise Guys (The Phantom, Whitey Gleason & Justin Case) from their shift and hired the
Rob, Arnie and Dawn Show from
KDOT KDOT, K-Dot, or K.Dot may refer to:
* KDOT (FM)
* Kansas Department of Transportation
* K.Dot, former stage name of American rapper Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for hi ...
in Reno. In this new format on 93.7 FM, the station garnered a 12+ share (ratings) in the lower to mid 4s to lower 5s, and dominated in the target demographic of adults 18–34, and male listeners.
Jim Fox was appointed station manager in late 2003, and he recruited Joe Maumee—a charismatic, gruff-voiced "fun lover"—for the evening time slot. The daily lineup consisted of Rob, Arnie and Dawn in morning drive; long-time staff member Pat Martin (formerly of
KGB-FM
KGB-FM (101.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to San Diego, California. It is owned and operated by iHeartMedia and broadcasts a classic rock music format. KGB-FM's studios are located in San Diego's Kearny Mesa neighborhood on th ...
in San Diego and
KMET in Los Angeles) in middays; and Craig the Dogface Boy (Dog) joining in 2004 in afternoons.
In 2004, the FCC fined KRXQ $55,000 for broadcasting indecent material.
Dog and Joe teamed up in 2008 to form the Dog and Joe Show, and Mikey (Mike Muscatello) assuming nights. Mikey left the night show for other opportunities with Cristi briefly taking over the evening timeslot; he later returned to the show. Dog and Joe left KRXQ in March 2017 to host mornings on 93.7 The River, Mikey assuming afternoons and Leeanne nights.
By the late 2000s, the station completed the shift to
active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...
from
mainstream rock
Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada.
Format background
Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...
with
Nielsen BDS
Broadcast Data Systems (also known as BDS or Luminate BDS), is a service that tracks radio, television and internet airplay of songs. The service, which is a unit of MRC Data, is a contributing factor to North American charts published by co-owned ...
going first and
Mediabase
Mediabase is a music industry service that monitors radio station airplay in 180 US and Canadian markets. Mediabase publishes music charts and data based on the most played songs on terrestrial and satellite radio, and provides in-depth analytic ...
following suit later. More recently, KRXQ moved back to mainstream rock, featuring a mix of
alternative
Alternative or alternate may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki''
* ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film
* ''The Alternative ...
and classic rock along with
hip hop tracks that crossed over to the rock chart, such as those from
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...
,
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...
, and
House of Pain
House of Pain was an American hip-hop trio that released three albums in the 1990s. The group consisted of DJ Lethal, Danny Boy, and Everlast. The group's name is a reference to the H. G. Wells novel '' The Island of Dr. Moreau'', a refer ...
.
On the weekend of April 29–30, 2006, KRXQ
stunted
Stunted growth is a reduced growth rate in human development. It is a primary manifestation of malnutrition (or more precisely undernutrition) and recurrent infections, such as diarrhea and helminthiasis, in early childhood and even before birth, ...
as "The Flannel Channel", playing mostly rock hits from the 1990s with no recent or older songs. The station returned to its regular mainstream rock format on May 1. No on-air explanation was given for the temporary name change. However, according to station manager Jim Fox, the switch was an unannounced publicity stunt to celebrate the release of
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...
's new
self-titled album on May 2 and to "scare the listeners". Fox explained off-air:
On May 28, 2009, hosts Rob Williams and Arnie States from the ''Rob, Arnie, and Dawn Show'' drew media attention in reference to two news stories regarding
transgender
A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...
children. States said, "God forbid if my son put on a pair of high heels, I would probably hit him with one of my shoes". Williams and States took turns referring to
gender dysphoric children as "idiots" and "freaks", who were just out "for attention" and had "a mental disorder that just needs to somehow be gotten out of them", either by verbal abuse on the part of the parents, or even shock therapy. In response, several advertisers (including
Snapple
Snapple is a brand of tea and juice drinks which is owned by Keurig Dr Pepper and based in Plano, Texas, United States. The company (and brand), which was originally known as Unadulterated Food Products, was founded in 1972. The brand achieved som ...
,
Sonic Drive-In
Sonic Corporation, founded as Sonic Drive-In and more commonly known as Sonic (stylized as SONIC), or "The Drive-In," is an American drive-in fast food restaurant Chain store, chain owned by Inspire Brands, the parent company of Arby's and Buf ...
, Carl's Jr, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Verizon, Chipotle Mexican Grill, AT&T, and McDonald's) temporarily pulled their advertising from KRXQ. Nissan similarly declined to renew an advertising contract with the station.
HD Radio
KRXQ broadcasts in
HD Radio
HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...
with two digital subchannels:
*KRXQ-HD1 is a digital
simulcast
Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultane ...
of the analog signal.
*KRXQ-HD2 is a Christmas music station.
References
External links
*
Michael Rowe's June 2, 2009 article, "KRXQ Sacramento Radio Hosts Encourage Violence Against Transgender Children"
{{Entercom
RXQ
Active rock radio stations in the United States
Radio stations established in 1959
Audacy, Inc. radio stations
1959 establishments in California