KWMZ-FM
| City | Empire, Louisiana |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Branding | Z-104.5 WMZ FM |
| Slogan | The Greatest Hits Of The 1980's |
| Frequency | 104.5 MHz |
| First air date | June 5, 2001 (as KNOU) |
| Format | 80's Hits |
| ERP | 13,500 watts |
| HAAT | 259 meters (850 feet) |
| Class | C2 |
| Facility ID | 89100 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 29°33′45″N 89°49′46″W / 29.56250°N 89.82944°W |
| Former callsigns | KBIL (1998-2001, CP) KNOU (2001-2012) |
| Owner | Michael A. Costello (M.A.C. Broadcasting, LLC) |
| Sister stations | WTIX-FM |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | Z-104.5 |
KWMZ-FM (104.5 FM, "Z-104.5, WMZ FM") is a radio station licensed to serve Empire, Louisiana. The station is owned by Michael A. Costello through licensee M.A.C. Broadcasting, LLC.
This station received its original construction permit from the Federal Communications Commission on May 15, 1998. The new station, intended for Grand Isle, Louisiana, was assigned the call letters KBIL by the FCC on July 17, 1998.
The station signed on the air as a Rhythmic Contemporary Hit music formatted station branded as "U104.5" on June 5, 2001 using the call sign KNOU. KNOU had evolved to an urban contemporary/hip hop music format by December 2001.
JP Broadcasting, LLC agreed in July 2002 to sell KNOU to On Top Communications of Louisiana, LLC for a reported $8.5 million. The deal was approved by the FCC on September 6, 2002, and the transfer was completed on December 6, 2002.
On January 6, 2003, the station changed its branding to "Hot 104.5" and brought in Russ Parr's syndicated morning show and veteran programmer Lamonda Williams.
In September 2005, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, KNOU applied to the FCC for permission to temporarily broadcast from another site and tower. They noted in their application that the current city of license and the broadcast tower were "destroyed" and that it would be "many months" before a new tower could be constructed. The FCC twice denied their request to continue operations at the temporary site.
In January 2006, On Top Communications of Louisiana's filed for bankruptcy, and the license was transferred to the debtor in possession handling the bankruptcy proceedings.
On February 6, 2006, the FCC granted KNOU a special temporary authority to broadcast from a facility near Diamond, Louisiana. On March 23, 2006, the station fell silent again. Although no longer broadcasting, Hot 104.5 maintained an internet radio stream in order to "keep New Orleans' hip-hop community united."
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Wikipedia