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Z Rock

lp said:
When Key Market bought KNAC in '93, the first thing they did was bring in Lee Abrams to consult. He stood in front of the staff and proclaimed, "The days of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest are over." In the blink of an eye we were playing Offspring and Green Day. It's probably for the best that KM sold the station shortly after and it was laid to rest while it still had some dignity.
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It seems like Abrams has the 'Reverse Midas Touch'. Virtually everything he touches seems to turn to rust!
 
We had Z rock come to Columbus twice. Once on 107.1( Circleville) as WNHZ and again in 1991 on 103.1(Johnstown) as WRZR. WNHZ was hampered by a Marion radio station on 106.9. 103.1 did good at first then radio station called the Blitz came on the air with it's 50,000 watts and blew it out of the water. The Owners sold it to Salem and it went christian. Now 107.1 is country as Wink 107.1 and 103.1 is Spanish.
 
I used to listen to Z-Rock occasionally when it was on in Minneapolis (first on 950, then picked up by 980). At a time when AM radio was dying, Z-Rock did pretty decent for a small AM. Lots of buzz in the market. Even showed up in the ratings. I think it was New Years Day in 1993 or whenever when 980 dumped Z-Rock and switched it to an automated hard rock format. Their rationale was that listeners were calling the station to complain about Z-Rock taming their format by adding stuff like U2. The new "Mega Rock 980" kept it hard for at least a few months, then just switched it to a simulcast of their FM station (active rocker 93X) when they realized that hair metal was pretty much passe. Within a year, both stations flipped to alternative as "The Edge" (after Entercom sold the FM to ABC). A few years later, after being on the market for a long time, the AM station was sold to Salem.

Z-Rock, in my opinion, died due to changing tastes in the marketplace. Hair rock went out of style and alternative/grunge was in. They didn't know how to adapt. The network was a product of its time.
 
I think the main reason Z rock died is because the format dropped the speed metal and aimed more modern rock at the end of it's run. Another issue they had is no intown fm signal would carry them only a weak rimshot.
 
Isn't there still one last Z Rock station in Chico, CA?
 
Neanderpaul said:
Isn't there still one last Z Rock station in Chico, CA?
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Yes there is, KRQR 106.7, they use the same "Z" logo that the original Z-ROCK used, but this station is now programmed locally and has no connection to the original Z-ROCK.
 
There is a radio station in Pikeville that uses the same name but plays a CHR/Alternative type music format called Z Rock 107.5.
 
kenrayc said:
Neanderpaul said:
Isn't there still one last Z Rock station in Chico, CA?
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Yes there is, KRQR 106.7, they use the same "Z" logo that the original Z-ROCK used, but this station is now programmed locally and has no connection to the original Z-ROCK.
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I didn't mention that Z-ROCK 106.7 KRQR is Active Rock and plays metal classic like Z-ROCK played then, mixed with more recent ROCK like Slipnot, Disturbed, 3 days Grace, Godsmack, and etc. etc, without the Alternative Rock/Pop, not like my Hometown Rock station KFRR 104.1 Fresno That mixes both.
 
agentUrge said:
My first exposure to Z-Rock was with it's flagship station in Chicago back in 1986-87...I went to a boarding school west of Milwaukee and we used to get it up there. By far the best radio station I've ever heard. Sadly, I was moving to Florida that summer so I used a couple of cassettes to record a couple of hours worth...I listened to those tapes quite often. First time I'd heard Anthrax, Motorhead, Slayer..lots of bands I hadn't heard in a while back then as well. Then I had my dad make me a couple of more tapes later in the year.
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After Z-Rock went away in Chicago, a group of guys put a locally produced, all-Metal format on WKTA (G-Force 1330). See links below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FviGaJWo0fU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38u7DCYb-yU
http://www.g-forceradio.zoomshare.com/
This started up about 1988 and lasted until 1991. A successor format, 'Rebel Radio' would take over from where G-Force left off but eventually, the programming would eventually be limited to a few hours on Sundays until it was finally gone some time ago. This format still exists online at:http://rebelradio.com/

agentUrge said:
I did discover that http://www.kdkt.us/ is essentially Z-Rock...Mad Max Hammer, The Tiptonizor, Rockin Ron....there's also a Facebook page, just an FYI
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The Z-Rock tribute site is:http://www.zrockready.com/
The Facebook page is:http://www.facebook.com/ZRockReady
 
In The Pacific Northwest, Z-Rock was on KZOK 1590 Seattle, KZRC 1010 Portland and KNJY 103.9 Spokane

As was published in a local Seattle alternative weekly, the reason for KZOK dropping the Z-Rock format was that the network was dropping it's AM affiliates en masse (this was in late 1993) to concentrate on FM. Which didn't make a damn bit of sense to me as most Z-Rock affiliates were AM.

During daylight hours at KZOK-AM, the network was off and the station ran local and indie metal programming. Music that would NEVER get ANY airplay on ANY commercial rock station. Extremely hard thrash metal and some indie punk. Ratings were extremely low, but the listenership was loyal.

KNJY Spokane continued the Z-Rock format independently well into 1999 when it flipped into ANOTHER classic rock competitor to KKZX called KWHK (103.9 The Hawk), which was a disaster.

There's a station in Lewiston, ID called "Z-Rock 96.5" (KOZE-FM) Not sure if it was ever affiliated with the actual network or picked up the brand name after the network gave up the ghost, but it was a heavily classic rock based format.
 
If you guys want a Z-Rock station (the old Z-Rock PD started this station)... go to rock945.com its out of Spokane, Washington KHTQ 94.5 They play Today's Metal/Hard rock you wont hear Poison or Firehouse or even metal like Savatage,Kingdom Come or Accept.. but they will mix in Pantera,Anthrax and stuff like that. What did we listen to on Z-Rock back in 1987-1993? New Hard Rock and Metal.. well thats what rock945 plays... New Hard Rock and Metal.. I suggest you guys go to the site.. click on listen and here whats being played... and Bookmark it... and give your thoughts on it. (I'll probably post a topic on it also)
 
the marv said:
I think the main reason Z rock died is because the format dropped the speed metal and aimed more modern rock at the end of it's run. Another issue they had is no intown fm signal would carry them only a weak rimshot.
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The reason why Z-Rock affiliates were mostly 'rimshot' is because the format couldn't generate the revenue necessary to keep operations going on a major FM station in the cities. That's what killed Z-Rock's first start-ups.
 
lp said:
When Key Market bought KNAC in '93, the first thing they did was bring in Lee Abrams to consult. He stood in front of the staff and proclaimed, "The days of Iron Maiden and Judas Priest are over." In the blink of an eye we were playing Offspring and Green Day. It's probably for the best that KM sold the station shortly after and it was laid to rest while it still had some dignity.
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Aaah, yes, the late great KNAC! Too bad it had signal problems; you couldn't pick it up in the San Fernando Valley. When that station went all-Spanish language in 1995 (not that Los Angeles really needed yet another Spanish language station), nobody ever picked up the gauntlet. Well, maybe 96.7 in the Inland Empire, but once you hit about Laverne or San Dimas, it's bye-bye.
 
I am the engineer who turned off the ABC fed Z Rock from Dallas that December night in 1996...We went 15 mins longer than planned....and there were lots of tears and stories..(and razor blade cuts in the console wood in the Z Rock room ;) ) Moby (out of Ga, not the rocker) did his morning show from the Z Rock studios about a year later while visiting...I was at the ABC RN for only 2 years but it was fun and I consider it an honor to have worked there..(cleaned up a lot of telephone and telecom issues they were having with the phone system and broadcast circuits!)
 
I remember well, listening to Z-Rock in the Dallas area one Saturday afternoon, when they aired a heavy song they had unearthed/discovered for their young listeners. It was song that I recalled being blown away by in the 70's.... Bloodrock's "D.O.A."

I personally drove over to the Dallas site to get a Z-Rock membership card.

Although it was a weak signal, I enjoyed listening at home where I could pull it in well.

I got an advance word that the station was going off the air. I remember telling that to a Z-Rock freak, and he was crest-fallen.

Still, I was/am proud that Z-Rock originated from Dallas, Tx.
 
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