KZNS (AM)

The station first signed on the air in February 1945, and held the call sign KNAK.[https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=45435 History Cards for KZNS], fcc.gov. Retrieved September 13, 2015 The station was owned by the Granite District Radio Broadcasting Company with studios in the Continental Bank Building on South Temple at Main Street.[https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1946/Radio-by-state-BC-YB-1946.pdf Broadcasting Yearbook 1946 page 180]

KNAK first broadcast on 1400 kHz at only 250 watts. By this time, KSL was powered at 50,000 watts. KNAK was not associated with any of the big radio networks. Salt Lake City had four other radio stations, network affiliates of CBS, NBC, ABC and the Mutual Broadcasting System. In the 1950s, KNAK moved to 1280 kHz, accompanied by an increase in power to 5,000 watts by day, 500 watts at night.

On January 16, 1976, the station's call sign was changed to KWMS. As KWMS, the station aired an all-news format.Bob Hamilton, "[http://americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Tip-Sheets/Hamilton/Hamilton's-Radio-Quarterly-76.pdf Salt Lake City, Utah] {{Webarchive|url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20150827221310/http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Tip-Sheets/Hamilton/Hamilton's-Radio-Quarterly-76.pdf |date=August 27, 2015 }}", Radio Quarterly Report '76, Jan. 1 – June 30, 1976. p. 386. Retrieved September 13, 2015 It was an affiliate of NBC Radio's "News and Information Service" (NIS), a 24-hour all-news network.[https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1977/C%20Section%20Radio%20Broadcasting%20Yearbook%201977%20P-6.pdf Broadcasting Yearbook 1977 page C-215]

NIS was discontinued in 1977. KWMS began doing a local version of the all-news format using its own anchors and the services of the Mutual Broadcasting System.

In 1982, the station was acquired by Simmons Family Inc., which already owned popular adult contemporary station 100.3 KSFI, for $750,000.{{cite news |title=Changing Hands |work=Broadcasting |date=March 15, 1982 |page=192}} On July 21, 1982, the station's call letters switched to KDYL.[http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=60458&Callsign=KZNS Call Sign History], fcc.gov. Retrieved September 13, 2015 When Simmons acquired the station, the KDYL call letters were assigned to a Tooele, Utah, station, then at 990 kHz, and the owner of that station, Thomas Mathis, was compensated to release the KDYL call letters, changing the call sign of his station to KTLE. Prior to the Tooele station having the KDYL call sign, they were assigned to the 1320 kHz Salt Lake City station, now known as KNIT. Simmons wanted to call this station KDYL because those call letters had been in use for a long time in the Salt Lake City radio market.

In the early and mid 1980s, KDYL aired an all-news format."[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR-Directories/RR-1983-1.pdf Fall '82 Ratings Reports for the Top 50 Markets]", Radio & Records, April 1983. p. 124. Retrieved September 9, 2015"[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Radio-Logbooks/Across-The-Dial/Across-The-Dial-4.pdf Across the Dial]", Broadcasting Publications, (1983) p. 107. Retrieved September 9, 2015"[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR-Directories/RR-1985-1.pdf Ratings Report]", Radio & Records, April 1985. p. 123. Retrieved September 9, 2015 By 1986, the station had begun airing the "Music of Your Life" adult standards format, featuring big band music and adult pop songs from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s."[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1986/RR-1986-05-09.pdf Arbitron Winter '86 Advances]", Radio & Records, Issue Number 634, May 9, 1986. p. 7. Retrieved September 9, 2015"[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=336&dat=19860126&id=Tp8oAAAAIBAJ&sjid=D4QDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4633,5200556&hl=en Radio Logs]", Deseret News, January 26, 1986. p. 45. Retrieved September 9, 2015Lynn Arave, "[https://web.archive.org/web/20151122033636/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/34207/AM-RADIO-WHEN-WAS-THE-LAST-TIME-YOU.html?pg=all AM Radio. When was the last time you listened to it?]", Deseret News, February 10, 1989. Retrieved September 9, 2015 The station continued airing this format until June 27, 2000.{{cite web|url=https://www.deseret.com/2000/6/27/19515078/kdyl-switches-to-all-talk-format|title=KDYL switches to all-talk format|agency=Associated Press|via=Deseret News|date=June 27, 2000|accessdate=November 25, 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151122045912/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/768563/KDYL-switches-to-all-talk-format.html?pg=all|archivedate=November 22, 2015|url-status=live}}

On June 27, 2000, the station switched to a talk radio format. It primarily carried conservative talk programming.{{cite news |last=Renzhofer|first=Martin|url=http://www.sltrib.com/11142001/business/148600.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011116155907/http://www.sltrib.com/11142001/business/148600.htm|archive-date=November 16, 2001|title= KDYL Is Now K-Zone With CNN, Sports Talk |work=Salt Lake Tribune |date=November 14, 2001|url-status=dead|accessdate=November 18, 2021}} Syndicated shows hosted by Michael Savage and Michael Medved appeared, along with Imus in the Morning hosted by Don Imus.

Image:KZNStowers.jpg]]

On November 12, 2001, KDYL's call sign was changed to KZNS. That same day, Simmons Media changed the format of the station, airing CNN Headline News in the daytime and sports talk in the afternoon and evening. The station promoted itself as "KZN", or "K-Zone"; KZN had been the original call sign for KSL.{{cite news |last1=Arave |first1=Lynn |title=Station with a new format adopts historic call letters |url=https://www.deseret.com/2001/11/16/19616988/station-with-a-new-format-adopts-historic-call-letters/ |access-date=December 9, 2024 |work=Deseret News |date=November 16, 2001 |language=en}} Simmons saw KZNS as the flagship of a regional "KZN" network of stations; by 2002, much of its sports programming was also carried on KZNU in St. George, KZNI in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and KZNR in Blackfoot, Idaho.{{cite news |last1=Arave |first1=Lynn |title=KFAN personality switches stations |url=https://www.deseret.com/2002/4/18/19643171/kfan-personality-switches-stations/ |access-date=December 9, 2024 |work=Deseret News |date=April 18, 2002 |language=en}} Soon thereafter, sports talk programming occupied the station's entire schedule, calling itself "The Zone".{{cite web|first=Lynn|last=Arave|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/904357/KFNZ-loses-James-to-KZNS.html?pg=all|title=Radio dial: KFNZ loses James to KZNS|work=Deseret News|date=March 29, 2002|accessdate=January 9, 2022|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073747/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/904357/KFNZ-loses-James-to-KZNS.html?pg=all|archivedate=March 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}

As of February 1, 2011, KZNS' "The Zone" sports talk programming also began to be heard on co-owned KZNS-FM 97.5 licensed to Coalville, Utah, a Salt Lake City suburb. Some time later, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) allowed KZNS to increase its power to 50,000 watts by day and 670 watts at night.

As part of the change in ownership of the Utah Jazz, the sale of the station from the Larry H. Miller Group of Companies to Smith Entertainment Group was finalized on May 27, 2021."[https://www.lhm.com/larry-h-miller-group-of-companies-finalizes-sale-of-the-zone-sports-network-to-smith-entertainment-group/ Larry H. Miller Group of Companies Finalizes Sale of The Zone Sports Network to Smith Entertainment Group]", May 27, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2021.

On September 30, 2021, it was announced that Bonneville International, owner of KSL and KSL-FM, would be taking over operations of The Zone sports network. The arrangement with Bonneville would result in select Utah Jazz games being aired on KSL.{{cite web|url=http://www.insideradio.com/free/bonneville-assumes-control-of-utah-jazz-owned-kzns-am-fm/article_9c3e799a-22c9-11ec-9219-3f4bb03e06f6.html|title=Bonneville Assumes Control Of Utah Jazz-Owned KZNS-AM/FM.|work=Inside Radio|date=October 1, 2021|accessdate=November 18, 2021}} Founding host Gordon Monson and some producers were laid off by the new management.{{cite web|url=https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2021/09/30/tribune-columnist-gordon/|title=Tribune columnist Gordon Monson out at The Zone, as KSL takes over management of sports radio station|last=Larsen|first=Andy|work=The Salt Lake Tribune|date=September 30, 2021|accessdate=November 18, 2021}} The Zone introduced a new lineup effective October 20.{{cite web|url=https://kslsports.com/470455/the-zone-sports-network-announces-new-lineup-with-some-familiar-faces/|title=The Zone Sports Network Announces New Lineup With Some Familiar Faces|date=October 19, 2021|publisher=KSL Sports|accessdate=November 18, 2021}}

File:1280 The Zone logo.png

On September 20, 2024, KZNS was announced as the flagship radio affiliate of the NHL's Utah Hockey Club beginning with the franchise's Inaugural campaignhttps://kslsports.com/jwplayer_videos/video-ksl-sports-zone-announced-as-radio-home-of-utah-hockey-club/

{{Reflist}}

{{AM station data|60458|KZNS}}

• [https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=45435 FCC History Cards for KZNS]

{{Salt Lake City Radio}}

{{Sports Radio Stations in Utah}}

{{Utah Jazz}}

Category:Mass media in Salt Lake City

ZNS

Category:Sports radio stations in the United States

Category:Radio stations established in 1945

Category:1945 establishments in Utah