KABZ
| City | Little Rock, Arkansas |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Branding | 103.7 The Buzz |
| Frequency | 103.7 MHz |
| First air date | 1962 (as KKYK) |
| Format | Talk/Sports |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| HAAT | 457 meters (1,499 ft) |
| Class | C |
| Facility ID | 60134 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 34°47′56.00″N 92°29′44.00″W / 34.7988889°N 92.4955556°W |
| Former callsigns | KKYK (1962-1982) KKYK-FM (1982-1996) KSYG (1996-2000) |
| Affiliations | Dial Global, Premiere, ESPN |
| Owner | Signal Media (Signal Media of Arkansas, Inc.) |
| Sister stations | KKPT, KHLR |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 1037thebuzz.com |
KABZ (103.7 FM) "The Buzz" is an American radio station broadcasting a talk/personality format with a focus on sports. Licensed to Little Rock, Arkansas, US, it serves the Little Rock area. The station is currently owned by Signal Media and the broadcast license is held by Signal Media of Arkansas, Inc. The station's studios are located just west of downtown along the south shore of the Arkansas River (David D. Terry Lake), and the transmitter tower is located on Shinall Mountain, near the Chenal Valley neighborhood of Little Rock.
The station that is now KABZ was historically tied to KARK/KARN 920 and was previously KARK-FM and KARN-FM. It's one of Little Rock's oldest FM stations, and it once boasted a signal that could be heard on a good car radio from Ft. Smith to Memphis, TN, along the entire I-40 run through Arkansas. It took on the KKYK calls in the mid-1970s and ran TM Century's "Stereo Rock" format for several years as "K-Kick 104." Like many Stereo Rock affiliates, it switched to top-40 over the late-1970s to early-1980s.
As a top-40 station, KKYK 103.7 typically finished well behind KLAZ 98.5 and its successor KZOU "Zoo 98." Ted Snider, owner of KARN 920, sold it to Shepard Communications in late 1988 after members of his family bought an interest in urban startup KIPR "Power 92." After Shepard bought it, KKYK adopted a more major-market sound and overtook Zoo 98. It usually finished in the top three behind country KSSN 95.7 and either just behind or just in front of the former beautiful music KEZQ 100.3.
When CHR/Top-40 began to suffer in the early-1990s, KKYK had struggles similar to most CHR's at the time. It forced KZOU out of the format in June 1991, when it became hot AC KURB "B-98.5." While that would normally have been a moment of celebration, KKYK was unable to capitalize on the demise of its previously more successful competitor. B-98.5 managed to hire KKYK's popular morning man Craig O'Neill away, and KKYK began a steep decline despite its biggest competitor leaving the air.
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