City Bismarck, North Dakota Branding 96.5 The Fox Frequency 96.5 MHz | Broadcast area Bismarck-Mandan Slogan Classic Rock First air date 1984 | |
KBYZ (96.5 FM), known as "96.5 The Fox", is a radio station located in Bismarck, North Dakota, owned by Townsquare Media. The station airs a classic rock format.
Townsquare Media also owns KLXX 1270 (Talk), KKCT 97.5 (CHR), KACL 98.7 (Oldies), and KUSB 103.3 (Country) in the Bismarck-Mandan area. All the studios are located at 4303 Memorial Highway in Mandan, North Dakota.
The Fox debuted with a classic rock format, and began evolving into the fringe alongside the mainstream rock format with the addition of newer rock in 2006. When Townsquare Media purchased the station from Cumulus Media in 2012, the station evolved into a full-fledged mainstream rock format (while continuing to be billed as a classic rock station) to compete with active rock formatted KSSS, which also began as a classic rock station.
In 2013, the station rebranded itself as "The New Evolution of Classic rock" and began playing more 80's and 90's-based rock. The station also got rid of The Bob and Tom Show, opting for Grand Rapids-based Free Beer and Hot Wings, to anchor the station's morning show.