City Powell, Tennessee Branding 94Z | Broadcast area Knoxville, Tennessee Frequency 94.3 MHz | |
Slogan Knoxville's Only Alternative First air date February, 1967 (as WATO-FM) | ||
WNFZ is a radio station licensed to Powell, Tennessee, serving Knoxville, Tennessee. WNFZ is owned by John Pirkle and operated under an LMA by Oak Ridge FM.
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History
WNFZ 94.3 signed on the air in February 1967 as WATO-FM where it broadcast an underground rock format. Students at the University of Tennessee would use their antennas to get the station.
94.3 later changed to an easy listening format as WUUU and their slogan was "The Station For You". It was off the air for a short time until January 18, 1982 when WUUU became WETQ, a country music formatted station as "Q-94FM".
On March 25, 1985, the station changed calls to WKNF-FM and became "Magic 94". This was Oak Ridge and Knoxville's only oldies station. In April 1993, they became a classic country station as "K-94". In September 1993, they became a heavily alternative leaning "Alt-40" CHR and changed the on-air position to "94Z". On July 1, 1994, WKNF-FM changed to their current calls to WNFZ to reflect on-air branding of 94Z and became an alternative rock station. In 2008, WNFZ refocused becoming an active rock format. Between 1994 and 2013 the station was branded variously "94Z", "The Planet", "94.3 Extreme Radio", and, "94-3 The X".
Ownership and format change
WNFZ simulcasted former sister station WVRX until October 31, 2013, as The X moved to the latter station. At 12:00am EDT on November 1, WNFZ was returned to its licensee, John Pirkle and the station's format switched to News/Talk, formerly broadcast on WNOX-FM, which was licensed to Oak Ridge FM, Inc. under the branding, "KnoxTalkRadio 94.3 WNFZ".
At noon on October 21st, 2015 WNFZ returned to alternative rock as "94Z".