KGRZ

On June 3, 1946, Western Montana Associates applied for a construction permit to build a new radio station in Missoula on 630 kHz. This was amended to 1450 kHz and granted on November 14 of that year.{{Cite web|url= https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=38545 |title= History Cards for KGRZ|publisher=Federal Communications Commission}} (Guide to reading History Cards) The owners of the permittee were three men, one from Butte and two from Helena.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88961378/|title=Broadcasters Incorporate|date=April 2, 1946|work=The Havre Daily News|agency=United Press|page=3|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115185639/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88961378/broadcasters-incorporate/|url-status=live}} The station remained unbuilt by May 1947, but it had been rolled into the growing Z Bar Network, with affiliation with NBC and the call sign of KXLL (to match the XL designations of the other Z Bar outlets).{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88961521/|title=Another Radio Station To Be Set Up|page=3|work=The Daily Missoulian|date=May 30, 1947|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115185640/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88961521/another-radio-station-to-be-set-up/|url-status=live}} The station made its debut February 29, 1948, marking the first new service for the city since KGVO (1290 AM) started in 1930.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88961648/|title=New Radio Station, KXLL, Opens Sunday Afternoon|page=8|work=The Daily Missoulian|date=February 28, 1948|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115185710/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88961648/new-radio-station-kxll-opens-sunday/|url-status=live}}

Goodover remained with KXLL until 1958, when he purchased station KXLK at Great Falls; Craney needed to sell that outlet to purchase KFBB radio and television.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88546420/|title=FCC Okays Sale of KXLK Radio|page=1|work=Great Falls Tribune|date=March 6, 1958|access-date=November 8, 2021|archive-date=November 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108065939/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88546420/fcc-okays-sale-of-kxlk-radio/|url-status=live}} Two years later, the Z-Bar network was sold off to separate owners, with June, Inc.—owned by the Wilson family—purchasing KXLL.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88962125/|date=October 11, 1960|title=Butte and Helena Stations Sold by Craney|agency=Associated Press|page=7|work=The Daily Missoulian|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115185642/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88962125/butte-and-helena-stations-sold-by-craney/|url-status=live}}

After more than two years running KXLL, however, the station's financial condition had worsened. At midnight on February 7, 1963, the station closed down and went silent.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88962354/|title=Radio Station Goes Off Air|date=February 9, 1963|work=Missoulian-Sentinel|page=6|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115185640/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88962354/radio-station-goes-off-air/|url-status=live}} Christian Enterprises, Inc., which owned stations airing Christian programming in Billings, Glendive and Belgrade, purchased the outlet for $28,000, with the Wilsons receiving a waiver of the FCC's three-year ownership minimum to sell the property.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88962343/|title=Sale of KXLL Gets Approval|page=2|work=The Missoulian|date=November 14, 1963|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115185653/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88962343/sale-of-kxll-gets-approval/|url-status=live}} On November 21, the station returned to the air with new KGMY call letters and a religious and "good" music format.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88962822/|title=Fourth Local Radio Station Is Broadcasting|page=2|work=Missoulian-Sentinel|date=November 23, 1963|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115185642/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88962822/fourth-local-radio-station-is/|url-status=live}}

Christian Enterprises leased KGMY to Dewey and Lawrence G. Wilmot in 1966; the new operators, who also held an option to buy the station outright, intended to return KGMY to a popular music-based format.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88963073/|title=Radio Station Has New Operators|date=October 16, 1966|page=12-A|work=The Missoulian|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115185711/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88963073/radio-station-has-new-operators/|url-status=live}} Nothing ever came of the agreement, however, and a new local firm, Mission Broadcasters, acquired the outlet in 1968. Mission hired a station manager who had worked at KGVW, the original Christian Enterprises station, and claimed it would retain the "good music" format.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88963228/|title=5 Local Men Buy KGMY Radio Station|page=18|date=April 28, 1968|work=The Sunday Missoulian|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115185647/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88963228/5-local-men-buy-kgmy-radio-station/|url-status=live}} However, the station manager was replaced that December, and KGMY flipped to country music.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88963384/|date=December 22, 1968|title=Radio Station Features Country Music|page=34|work=The Sunday Missoulian|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115185648/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88963384/radio-station-features-country-music/|url-status=live}} Daytime power was increased to 1,000 watts in 1971.{{r|hc}}

Robert Ingstad of Grand Forks, North Dakota, purchased KGMY from Mission in 1977. The station was shut down for a month while new studios were built in the Town and Country Shopping Center—replacing the transmitter site studios used since the start of operations. The call letters were also changed to KGRZ,{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88963663/|title=Radio KGMY: Over and Out|date=July 1, 1977|page=6|work=The Missoulian|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115185642/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88963663/radio-kgmy-over-and-out/|url-status=live}} and the country music format was broadened.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88963735/|title=KGRZ Radio Station Is Begun|date=August 21, 1977|work=The Sunday Missoulian|page=8-A|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115185642/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88963735/kgrz-radio-station-is-begun/|url-status=live}} Ingstad then purchased KDXT (93.1 FM). During this time, morning host Dan Sollom—who, like Ingstad, was a Grand Forks native—did a regular North Dakota "joke of the mornin'" on his show.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88845576/|title=And now, your daily North Dakota joke|date=April 2, 1979|page=13|first=Kathleen|last=Johnson|work=The Missoulian|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115185714/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88845576/and-now-your-daily-north-dakota-joke/|url-status=live}}

KGRZ and KDXT were sold to Wind Point 1970 Holding Company, which was owned by the S.C. Johnson family, in 1982.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88845620/|title=KGRZ, KDXT radio stations sold|page=B-2|work=The Missoulian|date=November 8, 1981|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115044628/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88845620/kgrz-kdxt-radio-stations-sold/|url-status=live}} (The name likely came from the fact that the Johnsons' first bank was founded in a trailer in Wind Point that year.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88987211/|title=Building a banking empire|work=The Journal Times|first=John|last=Matthews|date=July 24, 1989|page=5B|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115185714/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88987211/building-a-banking-empire/|url-status=live}}) The next year, the country format was jettisoned in favor of oldies.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88964132/|title=Presenting the New KGRZ, The Greatest Hits of All Time!|date=June 5, 1983|page=20|work=The Missoulian|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115185643/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88964132/presenting-the-new-kgrz-the-greatest/|url-status=live}} The two stations were then sold to Sunbrook Communications in 1986; Sunbrook opted to flip KGRZ back to country the following year.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88964168/|title=Radio stations change their tunes|page=11|date=July 8, 1987|work=The Missoulian|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115185716/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88964168/radio-stations-change-their-tunes/|url-status=live}}

The country format's second stint lasted until 1991, when the station flipped to jazz music as "Lite Jazz 1450"; the unusual format for an AM station was intended to revive it and also a recognition that KYSS-FM 94.9 had taken most of the country audience in the Missoula market.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88845757/|title=All that jazz: Citing some lingering trouble on the AM dial, KGRZ dumps country for lightly flavored jazz|first=Mike|last=McInally|page=C-1|date=October 2, 1991|work=The Missoulian|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115185644/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88845757/all-that-jazz/|url-status=live}} Within a year, this was replaced by adult standards.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88964450/|title=Now Appearing in Missoula: Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller, Patti Page and many, many more!|page=E-4|date=May 13, 1992|work=The Missoulian|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115185653/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88964450/now-appearing-in-missoula-frank/|url-status=live}} The station then turned back to country by September 1993.{{cite news|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-M-Street/M-Street-Journal/M-Street-1993-09.pdf|page=1|work=M Street Journal|title=Format Changes & Updates|date=September 1, 1993|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=March 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309181601/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-M-Street/M-Street-Journal/M-Street-1993-09.pdf|url-status=live}}

Sunbrook sold its radio properties—ten in Montana and a pair in Wenatchee, Washington—to Seattle-based Fisher Broadcasting in 1994, with Sunbrook becoming a division of Fisher after the sale was completed.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88550278/|title=Sunbrook sells radio stations|work=Great Falls Tribune|page=4B|date=September 27, 1994|access-date=November 8, 2021|archive-date=November 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108070054/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88550278/sunbrook-sells-radio-stations/|url-status=live}} The present sports talk format was adopted by 1997.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88987448/|page=U-7|title=Radio stations|work=The Missoulian|date=April 27, 1997|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115185647/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88987448/community-snapshots/|url-status=live}}

In a 24-station sale that was only partially completed, Fisher sold many of its small-market radio properties to Cherry Creek Radio in 2006 in order to fund an expansion into Spanish-language television in major Pacific Northwest markets. The 24 stations contributed just one-fourth of the radio division's revenue, with Fisher's three Seattle stations comprising the rest.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88846094/|pages=A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88846114/ A5], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88846133/ A6]|first=Michael|last=Jamison|title=Fisher sells 6 Missoula radio stations|date=June 2, 2006|work=The Missoulian|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=November 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115044629/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88846094/fisher-sells-6-missoula-radio-stations/|url-status=live}}

Effective June 17, 2022, Cherry Creek Radio sold KGRZ as part of a 42 station/21 translator package to Townsquare Media for $18.75 million.

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.cherrycreekradio.com/ Cherry Creek Radio]

{{AM station data|63879|KGRZ}}

• {{FCC-LMS-Facility|63881|K224AA}}
• {{FXL|K224AA}}
• [https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=38545 FCC History Cards for KGRZ]

{{Missoula Radio}}

{{Sports Radio Stations in Montana}}

{{Missoula, Montana}}

{{Townsquare Media}}

GRZ

Category:Radio stations established in 1948

Category:Fox Sports Radio stations

Category:1948 establishments in Montana

Category:Townsquare Media radio stations