KNRJ
| City | Cordes Lakes, Arizona |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Phoenix, Arizona |
| Branding | 101.1 The Beat |
| Slogan | Arizona's Hip Hop Station |
| Frequency | 101.1 MHz |
| First air date | 1998 (as KESP) |
| Format | Rhythmic contemporary |
| ERP | 40,000 watts |
| HAAT | 807 meters |
| Class | C |
| Facility ID | 55425 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 34°13′47″N 112°21′3″W / 34.22972°N 112.35083°WCoordinates: 34°13′47″N 112°21′3″W / 34.22972°N 112.35083°W |
| Callsign meaning | NRJ (from former format as Energy 92.7 & 101.1) |
| Former callsigns | KESP (1997-2000) KAZL (2000-2002) KESP (1997-2000) |
| Owner | Sierra H Broadcasting |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | azthebeat.com |
KNRJ (101.1 FM "The Beat") is a radio station serving the Phoenix, Arizona, area, which airs a Rhythmic CHR format. KNRJ is licensed to Cordes Lakes, Arizona, which is 66 miles north of Phoenix. KNRJ is owned by Sierra H Broadcasting. Its studios are located on Indian School Road in Phoenix, and its transmitter is in Crown King.
The first attempt to put a station on the air on 101.1 in Payson failed. A group had a construction permit for KRMM, but that never got on the air and the construction permit lapsed. Another group applied for the frequency and was more successful.
In the late 1990s, KESP-FM signed on from Payson as a classic hits format station named Loop 101. In 2000, the callsign was changed to KAZL (K AriZona Loop), and K224CJ 92.7 FM from South Mountain and K292DF 106.3 FM (now K228XO 93.5 FM) in Flagstaff were applied for and signed on during the same period. The station's goal was to be an alternative to KSLX-FM, another classic hits station serving the Phoenix area. KNRJ, K224CJ, and K292DF never achieved sufficient ratings.
The dismal ratings were followed by a format change at 5 pm on June 18, 2002: KAZL began stunting with all-commercials ("All Commercials, All the Time, KAZL"). Steven Szalay, operations manager, an established A/V producer and stockholder in Sierra H Broadcasting, Inc, created an entire radio format complete with sweepers, liners, ID's and live DJ comments as well as a collection of classic radio commercials- his "theory" was that since all the most popular stations played lots of commercials, a station that played commercials all the time would shoot to the top in no time. The station received many calls asking if this was serious; some called to express their appreciation of the joke, and some believed it pleading and demanding that the classic hits format be returned.
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