KESZ

KESZ
City of license	Phoenix, Arizona
Broadcast area	Phoenix, Arizona
Branding	99.9 KEZ
Slogan	A Better Variety For A Better Work Day (General) Phoenix's Holiday Station (Nov.-Dec.)
Frequency	99.9 MHz (also on HD Radio) 99.9 HD2 KEZ Classic
First air date	1982 (as KNNN)
Format	Adult Contemporary (Christmas music Nov.-Dec.)
ERP	100,000 watts
HAAT	519 meters
Class	C
Facility ID	40992
Callsign meaning	EaSZ (The Z substitutes for the Y)
Former callsigns	KNNN (1982-1984) KLZI (1984-1988)
Owner	iHeartMedia, Inc. (CC Licenses, LLC)
Sister stations	KFYI, KGME, KMXP, KNIX, KOY, KYOT, KZZP
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	kez999.com

KESZ (99.9 KEZ FM) is an adult contemporary radio station based in Phoenix, Arizona. Its studios are located in Phoenix near Sky Harbor Airport and its transmitter is in South Mountain Park.

History

The station signed on the air in 1982 as KNNN, a Spanish-language station. It made the evolution to its current format in 1988. In 1999, Clear Channel added the station to its Phoenix cluster.

The station is anchored by the highly successful "Beth and Bill Show," its Morning Drive Program since approximately 1990 (hosted by Beth McDonald and former KPNX meteorologist Bill Austin). The show was renamed Beth and Friends after Bill Austin retired in early 2010 due to his cancer. On June 2, 2010, Bill Austin (real name William Austin Waggoner) died of bladder cancer.^[1]

Other KESZ hosts include Kevin Gossett (3pm-7pm), Robin Rock (10am-3pm), and Lori Bradley (evenings). All three also appear on radio stations owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. in other markets. Gossett is based in Phoenix, and also serves as KESZ's Program Director, while Rock is based in Chicago and Bradley in Seattle.

Traditions

Each year after Thanksgiving, the station has a tradition of playing "Non-Stop Christmas Music". Beth and Friends still air as regularly scheduled but the songs they play are strictly Christmas music.

Since 2008 the music has started prior to Thanksgiving.

Competitors

The station competes with two of its sister stations. One competitor is KMXP, which is Hot AC and excludes the 70's hits on KESZ. Another competitor is KYOT, which offers a Rhythmic AC format (although it was a competitor for many years with its Smooth Jazz/Smooth AC format).

HD Radio

KESZ's HD Radio signal is multiplexed. The main signal is a simulcast of KESZ's adult contemporary programming. The second channel carries KEZ's Classic Channel programmed by Clear Channel's Format Lab classic hits format consisting of songs from the 60s, 70s and 80s.

References

↑ http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_phoenix_metro/central_phoenix/former-tv,-radio-personality-bill-austin-dies

External links

Station website

Query the FCC's FM station database for KESZ

Radio-Locator information on KESZ

Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for KESZ

Radio stations in the Phoenix metropolitan area

by AM frequency	550 620 710 740 860 910 960 1010 1060 1100 1150 1190 1230 1260 1280 1310 1330 1340 1360 1400 1440 1480 1510 1540 1580

by FM frequency	88.3¹/88.3² 88.7 89.1 89.5 89.9 90.3 90.7 91.5 92.3 92.7 93.3 93.9 94.1 94.5 95.1 95.5 96.3 96.9 97.5 97.9 98.3 98.7 99.1 99.3 (K257CD, KEMP, KRWV-LP) 99.5 99.9 100.3 100.7 101.1 101.5 102.1 102.5 103.1 103.5 103.9 104.3 104.7 105.3 105.5 105.9 106.3 106.9 107.1 107.5 107.9

NOAA Weather Radio frequency	162.550

by callsign	K257CD KAHM KAJM KASA KASC KAZG KBAQ KBMB KBSZ KCDX KCKY KDKB KDUS KDVA KEC94 KEMP KESZ KEXX KFLR-FM KFNN KFNX KFXY-LP KFYI KGME KHEP KHOT-FM KHOV KIDR KIHP KIKO KJZZ KKFR KKNT KLNZ KLVA KLVK KMLE KMVA KMVP KMVP-FM KMXP KNAI¹/KPHF² KNIX-FM KNRJ KNUV KOAI KOMR KOOL-FM KOY KPHQ-LP KPHX KPNG KPXQ KQMR KRDE KRPH KSLX-FM KSUN KSWG KTAR KTAR-FM KUPD KVIT KVVA-FM KWSS-LP KXEG KXXT KYOT-FM KZON KZZP

¹-Daytime hours ²-Nighttime hours (KNAI and KPHF are timeshare stations) Satellite radio local traffic/weather XM Channel 219 Sirius Channel 157 Nearby radio markets Flagstaff–Prescott Lake Havasu City Tucson Yuma See also List of radio stations in Arizona

Adult Contemporary radio stations in the state of Arizona

By frequency	600 93.3 94.9 95.1 95.3 97.3 99.1 99.9 100.7 100.9 101.7 104.5 104.9 106.7

By callsign	KCDQ KESZ KIKO-FM KJIK KMXZ-FM KOAI KPPV KQAZ KQSR KTMG KVNA KWCX-FM KXAZ KZUL-FM

By city	Claypool Duncan Douglas Flagstaff Lake Havasu City Page Phoenix Prescott Valley Prescott Sun City West Springerville Tucson Willcox Yuma

See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in Arizona

iHeartMedia

Corporate officers	Bob Pittman (Chairman/CEO)

Board of directors	Lowry Mays Irving Azoff B. J. "Red" McCombs J. C. Watts John H. Williams

Radio stations	List of radio stations owned by iHeartMedia

Radio networks	Fox Sports Radio Premiere Networks Premium Choice Total Traffic and Weather Network

Miscellaneous	Clear Channel Outdoor Clear Channel UK iHeartRadio List of programming syndicated by iHeartMedia Mediabase Radio Computing Services

Coordinates: 33°20′02″N 112°03′47″W / 33.334°N 112.063°W / 33.334; -112.063

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