City Salt Lake City, Utah Branding 1280 The Zone Frequency 1280 kHz | Broadcast area Salt Lake City, Utah Slogan The Sports Leader | |
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First air date February 1945 (as KNAK) | ||
KZNS (1280 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Sports talk format. Licensed to Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, it serves the Salt Lake City area. The station is currently owned by Larry H. Miller Communications Corporation and features programming from Yahoo! Sports Radio and Premiere Radio Networks.
As of February 1, 2011, KZNS' "The Zone" sports talk programming is also heard on KZNS-FM 97.5 licensed to Coalville, Utah, a Salt Lake City area radio station.
History
The station was first licensed June 4, 1945, and held the call sign KNAK. On January 16, 1976, the station's call sign was changed to KWMS. As KWMS, the station aired an all-news format.
On July 21, 1982, the station's call sign was changed to KDYL. In the early and mid 1980s, KDYL aired an all-news format. By 1986, the station had begun airing the Music of Your Life big band/nostalgia format. The station continued airing this format until June 27, 2000. On June 27, 2000, the station switched to a talk radio format, carrying primarily conservative talk programming. Shows hosted by Michael Savage and Michael Medved appeared.
On November 12, 2001, the station's call sign was changed to KZNS. That same day, Simmons Media changed the format of the station, airing CNN Headline News and sports talk in the afternoon. Soon thereafter, sports talk programming occupied the station's entire schedule.
When Simmons acquired the station, the KDYL call letters were assigned to the Tooele, Utah station, then at 990 kHz, and the owner of that station, then Thomas Mathis, was compensated to release the KDYL call letters, changing the call of his station to KTLE. Prior to the Tooele, UT station having the call of KDYL, those call letters were assigned to the 1320 kHz Salt Lake City station, now known as KFNZ. Simmons wanted the KDYL call because of its name recognition in their initial target demographic.