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1620 AM, Bellevue (Omaha)

City of License: Bellevue, NE

First Air Date: May 30, 1999

Operating Power: 10,000 watts days, 1,000 watts nights

Original Call Letters: KAZP

Format: Sports

Network Affiliation: ESPN

General Manager: Marty Riemenschneider

Program Director: Neil Nelkin

Sales Manager: Dan Charleston

Chief Engineer: Allen Sherrill

Date of FCC Issue: 1999

Issued To: Mitchel Broadcasting Company of Iowa (John C. Mitchell)

Through the Years

  • 1999

    May 30, 1999- KAZP signs on with studios at 1001 Farnam on the Mall, Omaha, co-located with KKAR, KOIL and KQKQ.  Transmitter location is at 60th & Harrison Street at co-owned KKAR 1290 site, employing a combiner to use KKAR’s center tower.     Initially programming consists of simulcasting the Sports format airing on co-owned KOIL 1180 AM,

    September, 1999- Station continues sports  and ESPN affiliation after KOIL changes format.

  • 2000

    The long-running Unsportsmanlike Conduct show begins in afternoon with hosts Kevin Kugler and Bob Bruce.

  • 2001

    October, 2001-  KAZP call letters are changed to KOZN, The Zone. 

  • 2002

    January, 2002- Station is sold to Waitt Broadcasting as part of the Mitchell group sale for $36.6 million.  Studios are moved to 50th & Capitol Streets, Omaha.

  • 2004

    KOZN begins originating and producing the College World Series games for national distribution by Dial Global, later Westwood One, becoming Sports Director Kevin Kugler’s first national work.

  • 2005

    Waitt Broadcasting merges with the New Radio Group, forming NRG Media (Cedar Rapids, IA) under President Mary Quass.

  • 2010

    The Zone airs Omaha Nighthawks football for two years until the United Football League folds in 2012.

  • 2011

    Sports Director Kevin Kugler leaves for the Big Ten Network and Westwood One.  ESPN is dropped in favor of Fox Sports Radio.

  • 2012

    Gary Sharp joins station as Sports Director and begins Sharp & Benning morning show with former Husker running back Damon Benning.

    August, 2012- Big Red Over-Reaction call-in show begins, following Husker Football games.

  • 2013

    All sports programming on the station becomes local from 6am-6pm Monday-Friday.