KAZR (103.3

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...

) is a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting 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 rad ...

licensed to

Pella, Iowa Pella is a city in Marion County, Iowa, United States, with a population of 10,464 at the time of the 2020 U.S. Census. Founded by immigrants from the Netherlands, it is forty miles southeast of Des Moines. Pella is the home of Central Colleg ...

, and serving the

Des Moines metropolitan area The Des Moines metropolitan area, officially known as the Des Moines–West Des Moines, IA Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is located at the confluence of the Des Moines River and the Raccoon River. Des Moines serves as the capital and larges ...

. It is owned by Saga Communications, and is operated as part of its Des Moines Radio Group, with studios located on Locust Street in Des Moines. KAZR airs 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 a cross between classic rock, active rock and alternativ ...

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...

, known as "Lazer 103.3". The

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter (often abbreviated as XMTR or TX in technical documents) is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna with the purpose of sig ...

is located off Pinion Avenue near Runnells, broadcasting at 100,000

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s. KAZR broadcasts in the

HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. HD radio generally simulcast, simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD R ...

format.

History

The station signed on as KPLL in 1976, with studios and transmitter located in

Otley Otley is a market town and civil parish at a bridging point on the River Wharfe, in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the population was 13,668 at the 2011 c ...

, near

Pella Pella () is an ancient city located in Central Macedonia, Greece. It served as the capital of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedon. Currently, it is located 1 km outside the modern town of Pella ...

. It was owned by the Meyer family with a varied format of music and religious programming. In 1980, its call letters changed to KXJX, in April 1986 to KFMD, and to KDMG in June 1988. KDMG, owned by Beta Broadcasting, had a gold-based

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 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...

format until September 1988, when it flipped to

oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as well as for a radio format playing this music. Since 2 ...

. On February 4, 1991, KDMG flipped to an

adult album alternative Adult album alternative (also triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a radio format. See pages 9 and 10Mills, Joshua. "A New Radio Music Format: Rock for Prosperous Adults" New York Times, Feb 28 1994, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. Accessed September 4, ...

(AAA) format with the slogan "Where The Music Comes First", similar to

WXRT WXRT (93.1 FM), also known as XRT and 93-XRT is an alternative rock radio station in Chicago, Illinois. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. The station broadcasts from a transmitter atop John Hancock Center and its studios are located at T ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

KBCO KBCO (97.3 FM broadcasting, FM) is a radio station in Boulder, Colorado. It serves Boulder, the Denver metropolitan area, and Northern Colorado. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts an adult album alternative (AAA) format. Its studios are locat ...

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

. It became KFMG in April 1992. During the era of 1990–1996, night times tended to be harder-edged, following an alternative/modern rock/new rock format in the daytime. KFMG's format consisted of

modern Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosophy ...

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

, and variety shows such as "The

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...

Hour". In the early 1970s, owner and program director Ron Sorenson had operated a station with those call letters on 94.9 FM, now KGGO. On August 1, 1996, KFMG flipped 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 ...

as KAZR, "Lazer 103.3", after Sorenson sold the station to Saga Communications.

Lazerfest

In August 2002, KAZR created and organized a

music festival A music festival is a festival, community event with music, performances of singing and instrument playing that is often presented with a theme such as musical genre (e.g., rock music, rock, blues, folk music, folk, jazz, classical music), nation ...

known as Lazerfest. The inaugural festival took place in Water Works Park, but subsequently moved to the Indianola Balloon Grounds in

Indianola, Iowa Indianola is city in and county seat of Warren County, Iowa, United States, located south of downtown Des Moines. The population was 15,833 at the time of the 2020 census. Indianola is home to the National Balloon Classic, a nine-day hot ai ...

, in 2003. In 2012 Lazerfest moved to its new home at the Central Iowa Expo in

Boone, Iowa Boone ( ) is a city in Des Moines Township, Boone County, Iowa, Des Moines Township, and county seat of Boone County, Iowa, United States. It is the principal city of the Boone, Iowa Micropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Boone ...

. Lazerfest 2010 was the first Lazerfest to completely sell out, with 25,000 tickets sold.

KAZR-HD2

KAZR's HD2 sub-channel currently airs an

format as "Pure Oldies 104.5", which is relayed on a 250-watt

translator station A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tran ...

104.5 K283CC in Des Moines. The translator signed on in August 2014, and initially carried a simulcast of sister

KPSZ KPSZ (940 AM, "Hope 940") is a commercial radio station in Des Moines, Iowa. The station is owned by Saga Communications, and operates as part of its Des Moines Radio Group. KPSZ's studios and offices are located on Locust Street in Des Moine ...

. In September 2015, after sister

KRNT KRNT (1350 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a sports format. Serving the Des Moines, Iowa, United States, area, the station is owned by Saga Communications through licensee Saga Communications of Iowa, LLC; it operates as part of Saga's Des ...

dropped its longtime standards format for sports talk, the format moved to the translator/KAZR-HD2 as "Legends 104.5." In August 2016, K283CC/KAZR-HD2 flipped to a conservative talk format as "Talk 104.5." In March 2017, K283CC/KAZR-HD2 flipped to the current oldies format.

KAZR-HD3

On April 1, 2021, KAZR launched a contemporary Christian format on its HD3 subchannel, branded as "Joy 102.1" (which is simulcast on translator K271CO (102.1 FM)).Saga Brings Joy To Des Moines
Radioinsight - April 4, 2021 On September 20, 2021, KAZR-HD3/K271CO dropped the Christian format, with K271CO flipping back to a simulcast of KRNT.

References

External links

KAZR WebsiteDes Moines Radio Group
* * {{coord, 41.5383, N, 93.2996, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title Active rock radio stations in the United States AZR Pella, Iowa Radio stations established in 1976 1976 establishments in Iowa