KTBZ (AM)

KTBZ (1430 kHz, "1430 the Buzz") is a commercial AM radio station in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It airs a sports radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., with the license held by iHM Licenses, LLC.[2] On weekdays, Oklahoma-based hosts are heard in mornings, middays and afternoons, some shared with co-owned 94.7 KREF-FM in Oklahoma City. For evenings, nights and weekends, CBS Sports Radio is heard. KTBZ's studios are at the Tulsa Event Center, on Yale Avenue in Southeast Tulsa.

For the Alternative Rock station in Houston, see KTBZ-FM.
KTBZ
Broadcast areaTulsa metropolitan area
Frequency1430 kHz
Branding1430 the Buzz
Programming
FormatSports
AffiliationsCBS Sports Radio
Ownership
Owner
KAKC, KIZS, KMOD-FM, KTBT, KTGX
History
First air date
1923 (1923) (in Chickasha as KFGD)
January 22, 1934 (1934-01-22) (in Tulsa as KTUL)
Former call signs
KFGD (1923-1925)
KOCW (1925-1933)
KTUL (1933-1961)
KELI (1961-1986)
KVLT (3/1986-7/1986)
KSKS (1986-1990)
KQLL (1990-2001)[1]
Call sign meaning
The BuzZ
Technical information
Facility ID68293
ClassB
Power25,000 watts (days)
5,000 watts (nights)
Transmitter coordinates
36°14′12″N 95°57′19″W
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitebuzztulsa.iheart.com

By day, KTBZ is powered at 25,000 watts. But at night, to protect other stations on 1430 AM from interference, it reduces power to 5,000 watts. It uses a directional antenna with a three-tower array.[3] The transmitter site is on East 56th Street North at North Lewis Avenue in Turley.

History

The station has traditionally traced its history to January 22, 1934,[4] the date when it began broadcasting from Tulsa. However, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) records list the station's first license date as April 19, 1923,[5] tracing its origin to the original license, issued as KFGD to the Chickasha Radio & Electric Co. in Chickasha, Oklahoma.[6] The KFGD call sign was randomly assigned from an alphabetic roster of available call letters. The next year the station was purchased by the Oklahoma College for Women,[7] and in 1925 the call sign was changed to KOCW.[8] In 1932 the station was sold, and moved beginning the next year to Tulsa as KTUL.

It was heard on 1400 kHz starting in 1929, and moved to 1430 kHz with the 1941 implementation of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA). KTUL was Tulsa's second radio station, after KVOO.

CBS Radio and MOR

It was a CBS Radio Network affiliate. KTUL carried CBS's schedule of dramas, comedies, news, sports, soap operas, game shows and big band broadcasts during the "Golden Age of Radio". One of its early local stars, with a regular live music program, was a young teen-aged Patti Page.

In the 1950s, network programming moved from radio to television. So KTUL switched to a full service, Middle of the Road (MOR) format of popular adult music, news and sports.

Top 40 KELi

In the fall of 1961, the station was bought by new owners. It switched to a Top 40 hits format and the call letters were changed to KELi (with a little "i" in the station logo).

During the 1960s, KELi became famous for having a disc jockey and news staff all with the last name of "Kelly". The station broadcast from the "Satellite Studios" in the middle of the Tulsa State Fairgrounds until the station moved in 1982. The station had studio tours and did many promotions during the Tulsa State Fair. KELi's Top 40 format lasted for 20 years, outlasting rival KAKC 970 AM, which switched to MOR and adult standards in 1979.

Since the early 1980s, 1430 has aired a talk radio format, contemporary hits (as the short-lived "14-K / 92-K" in 1983-84), oldies, adult contemporary and classic country.

Sports Radio The Buzz

The station was assigned the KTBZ call letters by the Federal Communications Commission on June 5, 2001.[1] It flipped to a sports talk station as "AM 1430 The Buzz." Originally it was a Fox Sports Radio affiliate. It carries live games from the Oklahoma Sooners, Tulsa Drillers and the Dallas Cowboys. In Tulsa, co-owned AM 1430 and AM 1300 had combined to form the Buzz Sports Network.

In 2021, KFAQ 1170 AM in Tulsa, switched to a sports format, as KTSB "The Blitz." It took the Fox Sports Radio affiliation, with KTBZ switching to CBS Sports Radio. Co-owned KAKC 1300 AM flipped to talk radio programming as "The Patriot."

References
  1. "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
  2. "Winter 2008 Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
  3. Radio-Locator.com/KTBZ-AM
  4. "Oklahoma: Tulsa: KELI", Broadcasting Yearbook (1970 edition), page B-164.
  5. "Date First Licensed", FCC History Cards.
  6. "New Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, May 1, 1923, page 3.
  7. "Alterations and corrections", Radio Service Bulletin, November 1, 1924, page 10.
  8. "Alterations and corrections", Radio Service Bulletin, November 2, 1925, page 8.
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