KRBZ
 |
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| City | Mission, Kansas |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Kansas City metropolitan area |
| Branding | 96-5 The Buzz |
| Slogan | The Alternative |
| Frequency | 96.5 MHz |
| First air date | September 3, 1959 (as KXTR) |
| Format | Alternative Rock |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| HAAT | 335 meters |
| Class | C0 |
| Facility ID | 57119 |
| Callsign meaning | Kansas Radio BuzZ |
| Former callsigns | KXTR (1959-2000) |
| Owner |
Entercom (Entercom License, LLC) |
| Sister stations | KCSP, KMBZ, KMBZ-FM, KQRC, KWOD, KZPT, WDAF-FM |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | www |
KRBZ, 96.5 FM in Kansas City, is an alternative rock station. The station uses the brand name 96-5 The Buzz. The station is owned by Entercom Communications, and is based in Mission, Kansas with a transmitter site in Kansas City's East Side.
KRBZ began broadcasting on September 3, 1959, as classical music station KXTR. On August 17, 2000, at 10 AM, KXTR was moved to 1250 AM, displacing sports talk station KKGM (now KYYS), and 96.5 began stunting with a ticking clock. At noon, 96.5 flipped formats to a Top 40 format that emphasized on modern rock (also known as a "Rock 40" format), taking aim at rival station KMXV, and was branded as "96.5 The Buzz." The first song played on "The Buzz" was "Learn To Fly" by The Foo Fighters. The station launched with 5,000 songs in a row, which concluded on Labor Day.
By 2002, the Buzz moved towards a Hot AC format, most likely due to low ratings with its "Rock 40" format. However, this failed, as the station sounded like KMXV, with pop acts dragging the station through the ratings. Later that year, the station refocused its brand, dumping anything that sounded like KMXV, whom they often parody in liners. However, ratings remained low, which nearly resulted in the station's demise.
On April 1, 2002 (April Fool's Day), the station stunted as an "all-gay" radio station known as "K-Gay 96.5", playing mostly dance music targeting the LGBT community. The next day, the station refocused as a Modern AC station, as well as introducing a new morning show (titled "The Kenny & Afentra Showgram"). Scott Geiger, known on the radio as Lazlo, was also hired in September 2002 to work nights. "The Kenny & Afentra Showgram" morning show lasted until July 2003, when Kenny left the show and Afentra began The Buzz's well-known morning show "Afentra's Big Fat Morning Buzz". By September of that year, the station completely shifted to a full-fledged modern rock format, which it continues with today. It returned the alternative rock format to Kansas City for the first time since 1999, when KLZR dumped alternative rock for contemporary hit radio and when KNRX (now KMJK) dumped its alternative format for urban oldies. KLZR later changed to an adult top 40 format when KRBZ dumped modern AC.
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Wikipedia