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KZCE (101.1
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 ...
FM
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 A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...
to Cordes Lakes, Arizona, which is 66 miles north of Phoenix. KZCE is owned by Sierra H Broadcasting and broadcasts a
classic hip hop Classic hip hop is a music radio format focusing primarily on hip hop music from the 1980s, 1990s, and the early to mid-2000s. Although stations with such a format date back as far as 2004, the format was first popularized in October 2014, after ...
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, ...
. Its
radio studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for recording and mixing of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enough to record a single sin ...
s are on Central Avenue in Midtown Phoenix. KZCE has 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 ha ...
(ERP) of 40,000
watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), 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 quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...
s. 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 off Tower Mountain Road in
Crown King Crown King is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Yavapai County, Arizona, Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. Crown King has a ZIP Code of 86343; in 2000, the population of the 86343 ZIP Code Tabulation Area, ZCTA was 133. ...
. It is considered a
rim-shot A rimshot is a percussion technique used to produce an accented snare drum backbeat. The sound is produced by simultaneously hitting the rim and head of the drum with a drum stick. The sound and various techniques The sound of rimshots can be ...
FM station in the Phoenix
radio market A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...
, since its
tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...
is about 50 miles north of Phoenix.


History


Loop 101

The first attempt to put a station on the air on 101.1 in Payson failed. A group had a
construction permit Planning permission or building permit refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. House building permits, for example, are subject to bu ...
from the
Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...
(FCC) for KRMM. But it never got on the air and the construction permit lapsed. Another group applied for the frequency and was more successful. In the late 1990s, KESP
signed on A sign-on (or start-up in Commonwealth countries except Canada) is the beginning of operations for a radio broadcasting, radio or television station, generally at the start of each day. It is the opposite of a sign-off (or closedown in Commonw ...
from Payson as a classic hits station named "Loop 101", taking its name from the Phoenix-area freeway. In 2000, the
call sign 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 as ...
was changed to KAZL (K AriZona Loop), and K224CJ 92.7 FM from South Mountain and K292DF 106.3 FM (now K228XO 93.5 FM) in Flagstaff were applied for and signed on during the same period. The station's goal was to be an alternative to
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
-owned
KOOL-FM KOOL-FM (94.5 MHz branded ''Big 94.5'') is a commercial classic hits radio station in Phoenix, Arizona, owned by Audacy, Inc. ''Big 94.5'' features mostly hits of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. KOOL-FM's studios are located in downtown Phoenix, a ...
, another classic hits station serving the Phoenix area. KAZL, K224CJ, and K292DF never achieved sufficient ratings.


All Commercials

The dismal ratings were followed by a format change at 5 pm on June 18, 2002: KAZL began stunting with all-commercials ("All Commercials, All the Time, KAZL"). Steven Szalay, operations manager, an established producer and stockholder in Sierra H Broadcasting, Inc, created an entire radio format complete with
sweepers A street sweeper or street cleaner is a person or machine that cleans streets. People have worked in cities as "sanitation workers" since sanitation and Waste management, waste removal became a priority. A street-sweeping person would use a b ...
, liners, IDs and live DJ comments as well as a collection of classic radio commercials. His "theory" was that since all the most popular stations played many commercials, a station that played commercials all the time would quickly shoot to the top. The station received many calls asking if this was serious; some called to express their appreciation of the joke, and some believed it pleading and demanding that the classic hits format be returned.


Energy 92.7 and 101.1

Three days later, at 5 pm on June 21, 2002, KAZL switched to
Dance Top 40 Dance radio is a type of radio format that focuses on dance and electronic music. These formats typically feature current and recent hits in the genres, and may often include mixshows featuring songs mixed by DJs (including station personalitie ...
, branded as "Energy 92-7 & 101-1". The first song on "Energy" was "
The Launch ''The Launch'' is a Canadian reality music competition created by Daniel Lachance. The series broadcast by CTV, which premiered on January 10, 2018. Each episode of the series follows five emerging musicians competing for a chance to have a d ...
" by
DJ Jean DJ Jean (born Jean Engelaar, 7 May 1968) is a Dutch disc jockey. Biography He is most popular for his space countdown themed hard house single "The Launch". In the past DJ Jean has performed all over the world, but now plays mostly in the Nether ...
. KNRJ was considered a clone of WKIE in
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 ...
; both were programmed and consulted by Chris Shebel until WKIE was sold and changed to a Spanish format in early 2003. KNRJ was also a reporter in ''
Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to th ...
's''
Dance/Mix Show Airplay Dance/Mix Show Airplay (formerly Hot Dance Airplay) is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart came about as a result of the small but influential impact of electronic dance musi ...
panel. KNRJ's
dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...
product included
house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
, trance, and
club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises * ...
music, as well as
remixes A remix, also sometimes called reorchestration or rework, is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, poem, or photograph ca ...
of
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
and R&B hits. The first personality to be live on-air was KEDJ's "Pistol Pete", who took the afternoon day part. Shortly thereafter, Lysa D. became evening host. In January 2004, Alex Santa Maria (at the time, PD of KNRJ's sister station,
KAJM KAJM (104.3 FM) is a commercial rhythmic oldies-formatted radio station in Camp Verde, Arizona, broadcasting to Phoenix, Arizona. Owned by locally based Sierra H Broadcasting, its studios are located on Central Avenue in Midtown Phoenix, and ...
) took over the programming reins as well as becoming the voice of morning drive. The first mixshow to air on the station was a syndicated version of
Paul Oakenfold Paul Mark Oakenfold (; born 30 August 1963), formerly known mononymously as Oakenfold, is an English record producer, remixer and trance DJ. He has provided over 100 remixes for over 100 artists including U2, Moby, Madonna, Britney Spears, Ma ...
's ''International BPM Sundays Nights''. After months of promoting the station, evening personality Lysa D. launched live mixshows, including the ''Friday Night Funky Mix'' and ''GrooveSessionz'', which aired weekend evenings. With the thought of expanding the station's reputation in the dance world, Lysa featured exclusive interviews and mixes from the likes of
Bad Boy Bill Bad Boy Bill (born William Renkosik) is a disc jockey (DJ) from Chicago, Illinois, U.S. who plays an assortment of house music. While only in his teens, Bad Boy Bill began his DJ career in 1985 during the Chicago house music movement of the mi ...
and
Richard Vission Richard Gonzalez (born 24 May 1969), better known by his stage name Richard "Humpty" Vission, is a Canadian house music producer, remixer, and DJ. Biography He was raised in Highland Park, in Los Angeles, California, and graduated from Benj ...
, as well as local talent, such as Rob Wegner, Kevin Brown and Pete Salas. In March 2003, Santa Maria brought in DJ Perry for mixing duties during the ''Rewind Lunch'' (which ran until early 2004), and then later recruited DJ Shy, who had a short-lived morning show. Around the same time, Greggy D and Randy became afternoon show hosts, with Pistol Pete moving to mornings. In May 2004, programming authority had changed, as well as the station's playlist. "Mike O", program director of Internet radio station "Energy 98", took the crown as KNRJ's new program director and afternoon host (while letting go of Greggy D and Randy), and attempted to improve the station with his format he used on "Energy" (which was merged with KNRJ's while Energy 98's website redirected to KNRJ's website). Months later, Pistol Pete left for Los Angeles, and Lysa D. took over mornings with her show titled "The Morning Frenzy". More mixshows and some syndicated radio talent would be featured, including Richard Dalton,
Joe Bermudez Joseph R. Bermudez is an American disc jockey and house music artist. Three of his songs - "Sunrise" (2016, with Louise Carver), " Ghosting" (2018, with Megn), and " Crazy Enough" (2018, with Louise Carver) - have reached number one on ''Billboard ...
, DJ Perry (Middays), Victor Dinaire, Roger Sanchez, Justin Dohman,
Rod Carrillo Rod Carrillo is a Panamaian electronic dance music record producer and the CEO of Carrillo Music. Originally hailing from the Republic of Panama, Carillo specializes in dance music with a Latin influence. He founded Carrillo Music in 2007 and ha ...
, and many more. In summer 2005, Mike O was let go, and returned to programming "Energy 98".
Rod Carrillo Rod Carrillo is a Panamaian electronic dance music record producer and the CEO of Carrillo Music. Originally hailing from the Republic of Panama, Carillo specializes in dance music with a Latin influence. He founded Carrillo Music in 2007 and ha ...
took over programming KNRJ, and Beau Duran (who previously worked weekends and evenings under Mike) took over afternoons. But a few months later, Rod also gained control of KAJM and let go of his MD Lysa D (who was on both stations), in addition to Beau Duran, and the station became mostly jockless. The unhosted morning show was titled ''More Music Mornings'', while the unhosted mid-day show was called ''More Music Mid-Days''. However, that didn't help ratings, and it was later decided to bring back Pistol Pete as afternoon host. On October 31, 2007, KNRJ began stunting, playing
Wall of Voodoo Wall of Voodoo was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California who were active from 1977 until disbanding in 1989. Though largely an underground act for the majority of its existence, the band came to prominence when its 1982 single " ...
's "
Mexican Radio "Mexican Radio" is a song by American rock band Wall of Voodoo. The track was initially released on their second studio album '' Call of the West'' (1982). The video for the single was regularly featured on MTV in the United States, contributing ...
",
Front 242 Front 242 is a Belgian electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s. Pioneering the style they called electronic body music, they influenced the electronic and industrial music genres. History Formation Front 242 were for ...
's " Headhunter", and Ministry's "
(Every Day Is) Halloween "All Day" and "(Every Day Is) Halloween" are songs by American industrial band Ministry, written and produced by Al Jourgensen. They were originally released by Wax Trax! Records in 1984 as Ministry's "comeback" single following their departure ...
" along with commercials, the normal legal ID with voiceover Harry Legg saying "KNRJ Payson/Phoenix, 92.7 K227CJ Phoenix, 106.3 K292DF Flagstaff", and a white man speaking in
Spanglish Spanglish (a blend of the words "Spanish" and "English") is any language variety (such as a contact dialect, hybrid language, pidgin, or creole language) that results from conversationally combining Spanish and English. The term is mostly u ...
saying, "Friends, please excuse the music which you hear on 92.7 and 101.1. Tune in tomorrow at 10 o'clock in the morning for more information. Thank you." At 10 AM on November 1, 2007, KNRJ played the
Mexican hat dance The Mexican hat dance, also known as ''Jarabe Tapatío'', is the national dance of Mexico. It originated as a courtship dance in Guadalajara, Jalisco, during the 19th century, although its elements can be traced back to the Spanish ''zambra'' and ...
three times, and then KNRJ was relaunched with Beau Duran saying that "Energy is back, and new and improved". The changes that took place included the return of Beau Duran as MD/Mid-day host, Pistol Pete remaining in afternoons, recorded mix shows were added in overnights ("High Energy After Dark" featuring Carl Cox, Armin van Buuren, Markus Schulz, Spencer Thomas,
Eddie Amador Eddie Amador (born 1967) is best known as an international house music producer, remixer and DJ. He penned the song "House Music" in 1997 and is an established icon in house music. Biography Amador's productions in 2011 included "Spirituality" o ...
, Mickey "Mixin" Oliver (of "Chicago's Hot Mix 5"), and many others), the station playlist was completely revamped, and all new jingles were produced without long time Energy voice over veteran Harry Legg; instead, he was replaced by Mitch Craig, a similar-sounding person. In April 2008, Rod Carrillo was let go, and Beau Duran took over as program director for the remainder of the format. After a few months, the station still struggled in the ratings (mainly due to the constant musical and airstaff adjustments over the years, and the lack of support from management for over two years). Beau Duran was then forced to take the station in a different direction.


The Beat

"Energy" signed off at 5 p.m. on October 31, 2008, with
Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...
's "
Enjoy The Silence "Enjoy the Silence" is a song by the English electronic music band Depeche Mode. Written by Martin Gore and recorded in 1989, it was released as the second single from their seventh studio album, '' Violator'' (1990), on 5 February 1990 by Mut ...
" as the last song. Translator K257CD (99.3 FM) then began simulcasting KNRJ (as former simulcast partner KAJM now had adequate Phoenix area coverage on 104.3), and KNRJ launched a
stunt A stunt is an unusual, difficult, dramatic physical feat that may require a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually for a public audience, as on television or in theaters or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Befo ...
format that started with a man saying "This is KNRJ Payson. If you're looking for Arizona's Old School, you need to hike it on over to Mega 104.3. The
Valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...
will be in the
Zone Zone, Zones or The Zone may refer to: Places Military zones * Zone, any of the divisions of France during the World War II German occupation * Zone, any of the divisions of Germany during the post-World War II Allied occupation * Korean Demilit ...
, Monday morning at 9:27 a.m.; right now though, I found this guy's iPod. Let's see what's on it." and then played U2's "
Pride (In The Name Of Love) "Pride (In the Name of Love)" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the second track on the band's 1984 album, ''The Unforgettable Fire'', and was released as its lead single in September 1984. The song was produced by Brian Eno and Daniel ...
". KNRJ's stunt format included many different songs from different genres as well as an announcer announcing that a new format will be coming to the Valley. Each announcement mentioned a different radio station, some of which were legacy names (e.g. "Y" for
KYOT Kyot the Provençal is claimed by Wolfram von Eschenbach to have been a Provençal poet who supplied him with the source for his Arthurian romance ''Parzival''. Wolfram may have been referring to the northern French poet Guiot de Provins, but th ...
, which used to be KOY-FM/"Y-95"). At exactly the promised time on November 3, 2008, KNRJ switched to
old school hip hop Old-school hip hop (also spelled old skool) (also known as disco-rap) is the earliest commercially recorded Hip-hop, hip hop music and the original style of the genre. It typically refers to the music created around 1979 to 1983, as well as any ...
as 92.7 & 99.3 The Beat, with the first song being
Ice Cube O'Shea Jackson Sr. (born June 15, 1969), known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1989 album '' Straight Outta Compton'' contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popu ...
's " You Know How We Do It". At first, they were the only known all old-school hip hop station on terrestrial radio up until
KDAY KDAY (93.5 FM, "93.5 KDAY") is a radio station that is licensed to Redondo Beach, California and serves the Greater Los Angeles area. The station is owned by Meruelo Media and airs a classic hip hop format. The station's studios are locate ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
relaunched their old school hip hop format in August 2009. KNRJ primarily played old school hip hop from the 1980s and 1990s, and some hip hop songs from the early 2000s. In 2011, Fred Rico was named the new program director of KNRJ. The music director was Ramses Ja. Since these changes have been made, newer hits had found their way onto KNRJ's playlist. In March 2012, KNRJ completed its signal upgrade and changed its city-of-license to Cordes Lakes. When the old transmitter near Payson went silent, K228XO in Flagstaff, at the same time, stopped simulcasting KNRJ, and began simulcasting KAFF. In May 2012, KNRJ stopped airing on K224CJ (92.7 FM), as they have now have enough coverage with 101.1.
East Valley Institute of Technology The East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT) is a public school district serving the eastern portion of the Phoenix, Arizona metro area. It is a joint technological education district with programs are available to students at the member high ...
's
KVIT KVIT (88.7 FM) is a radio station licensed in Chandler, Arizona, United States. KVIT is licensed to the East Valley Institute of Technology. Its studios are located at EVIT's main facilities in Mesa, while the transmitter is to the south nea ...
is using K224CJ to expand their coverage into the
Phoenix Metropolitan Area The Phoenix metropolitan area, also known as the Valley of the Sun, the Salt River Valley, metro Phoenix, or The Valley, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the Southwestern United States, with its largest principal city being the c ...
. With this, the station rebranded as "99.3 & 101.1 The Beat". In November 2012, K257CD (99.3 FM) went silent, and upon resuming broadcast in January 2013, it began simulcasting
KFNN KFNN (1510 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Mesa, Arizona, and serving the Phoenix metropolitan area. News Talk Radio in Phoenix, it airs a financial news and talk radio format, broadcasting from studios in North Scottsdale. KFNN ...
. With this, the station rebranded again, this time as "101.1 The Beat"'. In May 2013, KNRJ was added to
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 ...
's Rhythmic panel due to a shift to a current-based presentation, putting it in direct competition with both
KZON KZON (103.9 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Gilbert, Arizona, and broadcasting to the Phoenix metropolitan area. It simulcasts an Rhythmic Hot AC radio format with co-owned KMVA 97.5 FM Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona, as "Hot 97.5 ...
and
KKFR KKFR (98.3 FM) is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Mayer, Arizona, and serves the Phoenix metropolitan area. The station is owned and operated by Riviera Broadcast Group and airs a rhythmic radio format. KKFR broadcasts with an ...
. Despite incorporating more current focused hits, the station overall retained a predominant classic hip hop direction. By late 2017, KNRJ would complete its evolution to a current-based rhythmic, initially under the moniker of "Hip-Hop and Hits", and then "Arizona's Hip-Hop Station".


The Bounce

On January 20, 2021, KNRJ changed its call letters to KZCE. On March 31, 2021, the station dropped the "Beat" format and began stunting with a loop of songs by Notorious B.I.G and
Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...
, alternating artists each song, with sweepers stating “What the hell is happening at 101.1?” and “Something big is coming” with a new format launch set for 4 p.m. on April 1. With new station manager John Candelaria joining the station and the recent callsign change, it was theorized by radio industry website ''RadioInsight'' that the station would flip back to classic hip hop at that time, possibly with the branding "The Bounce", as Candelaria had experience and success with the format while heading the similarly-named
WMGC-FM WMGC-FM (105.1 MHz "105.1 The Bounce") is a commercial radio station in Detroit, Michigan. It is owned and operated by the Beasley Broadcast Group and airs a classic hip hop radio format. WMGC-FM broadcasts with 50,000 watts of effective radiat ...
in Detroit. At 3:48 p.m., the stunt shifted to a looped sound of a heartbeat. At 4 p.m., the station returned to classic hip hop as "101.1 The Bounce." The first song under the new brand was "
Party Up (Up in Here) "Party Up (Up in Here)" is a song by American rapper DMX, released as the second single from his third album '' ... And Then There Was X'' (1999) and was his most successful single (in the US). There are three versions of the song: an explicit ...
" by DMX.101.1 The Bounce Debuts in Phoenix
/ref>


References


External links

{{Phoenix Radio ZCE 1999 establishments in Arizona Radio stations established in 1999 Classic hip-hop radio stations in the United States