KSZR (97.5 FM) 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 ...

serving

Tucson, Arizona , "(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 ...

, United States. It is licensed to broadcast from

Oro Valley, Arizona Oro Valley, incorporated in 1974, is a suburban town located north of Tucson, Arizona, United States, in Pima County. According to the 2020 census, the population of the town is 47,070, an increase from 29,700 in 2000. Dubbed the "Upscale Te ...

, (a northern suburb of Tucson), but its reception is generally above average in most areas of Tucson. It is owned by

Cumulus Media Cumulus Media, Inc. is an American broadcasting company and is the third largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States behind Audacy and iHeartMedia. As of June 2019, Cumulus lists ownership of 428 stations in 87 ...

. Its studios are located north of downtown Tucson, and the transmitter is in

Marana, Arizona Marana is a town in Pima County, Arizona, United States, located northwest of Tucson, with a small portion in Pinal County. According to the 2010 census, the population of the town is 34,961. From 1990 to 2000, Marana was the fourth fastest-gr ...

History

Rock (1991-1994)

Its first days on the air as KRKN were as a satellite based

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

station.

Country (1994-1996)

In 1994, KRKN's call letters were changed to KCDI. As KCDI, the station was known as "CD Country" and played satellite delivered country music.

Rhythmic Top 40 (1996-1998)

In 1996, KCDI became KSJM, and was known as "Power 97.5". Power played a mix of hip hop, Spanish, and Top 40 music, (today's

Rhythmic Top 40 The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and previously named Rhythmic Songs, Rhythmic Top 40 and CHR/Rhythmic) is an airplay chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on ...

) and received high ratings, which competed with

KOHT KOHT (98.3 FM) is an urban-leaning rhythmic contemporary station serving Tucson, Arizona, and is licensed to Marana, (a northwestern suburb of Tucson). It has been owned by since July 30, 2001 and broadcasts with an ERP of 6 kW. The stat ...

. Power was the first station in Tucson to play Rhythmic Top 40 over the FM airwaves. After about two years,

Citadel Broadcasting Citadel Broadcasting Corporation was a Las Vegas, Nevada-based broadcast holding company. Citadel owned 243 radio stations across the United States and was the third-largest radio station owner in the country. Only iHeartMedia and Cumulus Media ...

purchased the station from locally owned Slone Broadcasting.

Smooth jazz (1998-2001)

In 1998, Citadel turned Power 97.5 to a

smooth jazz Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz and easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. History Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the 19 ...

station. It was known as 97-5 The Oasis. The call letters became KOAZ.

Country (2001-2002)

Due to low ratings and a lack of interest, the smooth jazz format was scrapped for a

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

format known as "Cat Country" in 2001. This seemed to be a response to

Clear Channel Communications iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...

' addition of a country station to Tucson, 92.9 Coyote Country (KOYT)(Today's

KHUD KHUD (92.9 FM) is a country radio station in Tucson, Arizona. It is owned by . The radio studios and offices are located north of downtown Tucson along Oracle Road. On weekdays, KHUD carries two nationally syndicated country music shows from ...

). Clear Channel's plans in creating Coyote Country were to take away enough listeners from long-dominant

KIIM-FM KIIM-FM (99.5 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station in Tucson, Arizona. It is owned by Cumulus Media and airs a country music radio format. Studios and offices are located on Oracle Road in North Tucson. KIIM-FM's effective radiated power (ER ...

99.5 (who coincidentally enough is also owned by Citadel), who has consistently been number one in the Tucson

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 ...

ratings. Both Cat Country and Coyote Country failed.

Hot adult contemporary (2002-2004)

The station then changed to "Star 97.5" in 2002, a mix of pop,

modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...

, and

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 ...

. The call letters became KSZR, and this format went on the longest. Ratings still failed to make a considerable difference, and Star 97.5 failed.

Adult hits (2004-2012)

In November 2004, Citadel Broadcasting Corporation changed Star to

Bob FM BOB FM is the on-air brand of a number of FM radio stations in the United States and formerly in Canada. The BOB FM format mostly concentrates on album rock, alternative rock and pop hits from the 1980s and 90s, especially those popular during t ...

, an

/ variety hits format. Citadel merged with Cumulus Media on September 16, 2011.

Top 40 (2012-2015)

On February 3, 2012 at Noon, KSZR flipped to CHR as "i97.5". The final song on Bob FM was ''

Bye Bye Bye "Bye Bye Bye" is a song by the American boy band NSYNC. It was released on January 17, 2000, as the lead single from their third studio album '' No Strings Attached''. The song was written and produced by Kristian Lundin and Jake Schulze, with a ...

'' by NSYNC, while the first song on "i97-5" was ''

Party Rock Anthem "Party Rock Anthem" is a song by American music duo LMFAO, featuring British singer Lauren Bennett and American music producer GoonRock. It was released as the first single from their second album '' Sorry for Party Rocking'' in 2011. The sin ...

'' by LMFAO. KSZR logo

Classic hip hop (2015-present)

On May 22, 2015 at Noon, KSZR flipped to classic hip hop as "97.5 The Vibe". The final song on "i97-5" was " Worth It" by

Fifth Harmony Fifth Harmony, often shortened to 5H, was an American girl group based in Miami, composed of Ally Brooke, Normani, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui, and previously Camila Cabello until her departure from the group in December 2016. The group signe ...

, while the first song on "97.5 The Vibe" was "

Hip Hop Hooray "Hip Hop Hooray" is a song by American hip hop group, Naughty by Nature. The song spent one week at number one on the US R&B chart, and reached number eight on the US Pop chart. It contains samples from "Funky President" by James Brown, "Don't C ...

" by Naughty By Nature.KSZR Becomes 97.5 The Vibe
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References

External links

* {{Cumulus Media SZR Cumulus Media radio stations Radio stations established in 1991 Classic hip hop radio stations in the United States 1991 establishments in Arizona