KBYZ (96.5 FM), known as "96.5 The Walleye", is a

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 ...

located in

Bismarck, North Dakota Bismarck (; from 1872 to 1873: Edwinton) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat, seat of Burleigh County, North Dakota, Burleigh County. It is the state's List of cities i ...

, United States, owned by

Townsquare Media Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

. Townsquare Media also owns KLXX 1270 ( Talk), KKCT 97.5 ( CHR), KACL 98.7 ( Classic Hits), and KUSB 103.3 (

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

) in the Bismarck-

Mandan The Mandan () are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains who have lived for centuries primarily in what is now North Dakota. They are enrolled in the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation. About half of the Mandan still ...

area. All the studios are at 4303 Memorial Highway in Mandan, along with the AM transmitter and tower. All the FM transmitters are at a site in Saint Anthony, North Dakota, on 57th Road.

History

The station originally debuted in 1984 as "Z-96", and aired a format of

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 ...

music. The station changed formats to

classic rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

in the early 1990s, rebranded as "The Fox", and began evolving into the fringe alongside the

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 ...

format with the addition of newer rock in 2006. When Townsquare Media purchased the station from

Cumulus Media Cumulus Media, Inc. is a broadcasting company of the United States and is the second largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States ahead of Audacy and behind iHeartMedia iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdi ...

in 2012, the station evolved into a full-fledged

format (while continuing to be billed as a classic rock station) to compete with

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 ...

formatted KSSS, which also began as a classic rock station. In 2013, the station rebranded itself as "The New Evolution of

Classic rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

" and began playing more 80's and 90's-based rock. The station also dropped

The Bob and Tom Show ''The Bob & Tom Show'' is a syndicated US radio program established by Bob Kevoian and Tom Griswold at radio station WFBQ in Indianapolis, Indiana, March 7, 1983, and syndicated nationally since January 6, 1995. Originally syndicated by Pre ...

, opting for Grand Rapids-based Free Beer and Hot Wings, to anchor the station's morning show. On December 11, 2021, KBYZ dropped its "96.5 The Fox" branding and began stunting as "Go Fish Radio", promoting a format a change at 4 p.m. on December 16. The radio station revamped their format as "96.5 The Walleye" and returning somewhat to their more recent classic rock mix before Townsquare bought the station.KBYZ Revamps Classic Rock Format As 96.5 The Walleye
Radioinsight - December 16, 2021 The first song on "The Walleye" was " My Own Worst Enemy" by Lit.

Previous logo

References

External links

* * {{coord, 46.590, N, 100.797, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title BYZ Radio stations established in 1984 1984 establishments in North Dakota Townsquare Media radio stations Classic rock radio stations in the United States