KRZI (1660
AM, 92.3
FM ''ESPN Central Texas'') 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 ...
, paired with an FM relay translator, 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 and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...
format. Both facilities are licensed to
Waco, Texas
Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the ...
, United States, and serve the Waco area. KRZI is fully simulcast on sister station 1330
KTON Cameron
Cameron may refer to:
People
* Clan Cameron, a Scottish clan
* Cameron (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
* Cameron (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
;Mononym
* Cam'ron (born 197 ...
, extending ESPN Central Texas's coverage area into Temple, Killeen, Belton, and Fort Hood.
Programming
KRZI features programming from
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio, which is alternately platform-agnostically branded as ESPN Audio, is an American sports radio network and extension of the ESPN television network. It was launched on January 1, 1992, under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN". ...
and
Westwood One
Westwood One is an American radio network
There are two types of radio network currently in use around the world: the one-to-many (simplex communication) broadcast network commonly used for public information and mass-media entertainment, and ...
. While the station airs local programming, roughly 75 percent is ESPN content. The associated stations have the broadcast rights for the NFL, the Texas Rangers, The Baylor Bears and NCAA Basketball and Football. Simmons, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, also owns and operates Simmons Radio in Utah, Western Broadcasting, Simmons Lone Star Media, Simmons Outdoor Media, Simmons Ventures and
Morris Murdock Travel.
History
KRZI originated as the expanded band "twin" of an existing station on the standard AM band.
On March 17, 1997 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) announced that eighty-eight stations had been given permission to move to newly available "
Expanded Band" transmitting frequencies, ranging from 1610 to 1700 kHz, with the original KRZI authorized to move from 1580 kHz to 1660 kHz.
["FCC Public Notice: Mass Media Bureau Announces Revised AM Expanded Band Allotment Plan and Filing Window for Eligible Stations"](_blank)
(FCC DA 97-537), March 17, 1997.
A construction permit for the expanded band station was assigned the call letters KAXY on January 9, 1998.
[ The FCC's initial policy was that both the original station and its expanded band counterpart could operate simultaneously for up to five years, after which owners would have to turn in one of the two licenses, depending on whether they preferred the new assignment or elected to remain on the original frequency,] although this deadline was extended multiple times. It was ultimately decided to transfer full operations to the expanded band station, and on May 18, 2006 the license for the original station on 1580 AM, now with the call sign KQRL, was cancelled. This allowed KEKR
KEKR (1590 kilohertz, kHz, 99.3 FM broadcasting, FM "Kicker 99.3") is a commercial radio, commercial AM radio, AM radio station, paired with an FM relay translator, broadcasting a classic country radio format. city of license, Licensed to Mexia, T ...
1590 AM Mexia
Mexia ( ) is a city in Limestone County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,893 at the 2020 census.
The city's motto, based on the fact that outsiders tend to mispronounce the name , is "A great place to live, no matter how you pronou ...
to move farther west in Limestone County, to cover Waco proper with its daytime signal.
AM 1660 changed its call sign to KRZX on August 30, 1999, and to KRZI on October 7, 2004.
In the summer of 2004 KRZI and its sister stations became owned by Simmons Media Group
Redrock Media is a media company based/their headquarters in St. George, Utah, in the United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily locate ...
(now Redrock Broadcasting), which in 2009 sold its entire Waco station cluster to M&M Broadcasters.
Translator
References
External links
*
*
* - Operation on 1580 kHz (covering 1961-1980 as KBGO / KRZI)
{{Simmons Media Group
RZI
ESPN Radio stations
Radio stations established in 1998