KSRZ

KSRZ
Broadcast areaOmaha-Lincoln-Council Bluffs
Frequency104.5 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingStar 104.5
Programming
FormatAdult contemporary
SubchannelsHD2: Sports (KXSP simulcast)
Ownership
Owner
KEZO-FM, KKCD, KQCH, KXSP
History
First air date
May 12, 1972; 52 years ago (1972-05-12) (as KOOO-FM)
Former call signs
KOOO-FM (1972–1979)
KESY-FM (1979–1997)
Call sign meaning
K StaR Z
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID50308
ClassC0
ERP100,000 watts
HAAT331.7 meters (1,088 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
41°18′16″N 96°1′41″W / 41.30444°N 96.02806°W / 41.30444; -96.02806
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
Website104star.com

KSRZ (104.5 FM, "Star 104.5") is a commercial radio station in Omaha, Nebraska.[2] It airs an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and December. The station is owned by SummitMedia, and its studios are located on Mercy Road in Omaha's Aksarben Village.[3]

KSRZ is a Class C0 station with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts, the maximum for most stations.[4] The transmitter tower is at the Omaha master antenna farm on North 72nd Street and Crown Point.[5]

History

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Country (1972–1979)

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The station signed on the air in May 12, 1972; 52 years ago (1972-05-12).[6] Its original call sign was KOOO-FM, the sister station to KOOO (1420 AM, now KXCB). The two stations broadcast a country music format and were owned by Pier San of Nebraska, Inc. KOOO-FM's power was only 31,000 watts, a fraction of its current output.

Beautiful music (1979–1989)

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In 1979, the station changed its call letters to KESY, and flipped to a largely automated beautiful music format. It played quarter-hour sweeps of soft instrumental music, mostly cover versions of popular adult songs with Broadway and Hollywood show tunes. Throughout the early 1980s, KESY was used as the audio on a local Limelight Movie Channel when it signed off the air for the night.

Soft adult contemporary (1989–1998)

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By the late 1980s, the audience for easy listening music was aging, so KESY added more vocals to its playlist to entice younger listeners. In 1989, KESY evolved to soft adult contemporary music, adopted the moniker "Y 104", and used live DJs.

Adult contemporary (1998–present)

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On January 9, 1998, KESY moved to the 97.7 FM frequency. After a few days of simulcasting, 104.5 FM flipped to modern adult contemporary (which emphasizes on more modern rock hits targeting a female audience) as "Star 104.5", with new call letters KSRZ.[7] The format later evolved to a more broad-based Hot AC format.

By 2008, KSRZ repositioned to a mainstream adult contemporary format, with a heavy reliance on songs from the 1980s.

Journal Communications and the E. W. Scripps Company announced on July 30, 2014 that the two companies would merge to create a new broadcast company under the E. W. Scripps Company name that owned the two companies' broadcast properties, including KSRZ. The transaction was completed in 2015.[8] Scripps exited radio in 2018; the Omaha stations went to SummitMedia in a four-market, $47 million deal completed on November 1, 2018.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KSRZ". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "KSRZ Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. ^ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Archived from the original on 2010-03-01.
  4. ^ FCC.gov/KSRZ
  5. ^ Radio-Locator.com/KSRZ
  6. ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1974 page B-129. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  7. ^ Jim Minge, "Star 104 up, running," The Omaha World-Herald, January 17, 1998.
  8. ^ "E.W. Scripps, Journal Merging Broadcast Ops". TVNewsCheck. July 30, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  9. ^ "Scripps Completes Two More Pieces Of Radio Division Sale". Inside Radio. November 2, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
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