1620 AM, Bellevue (Omaha)
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
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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.
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2000
The long-running Unsportsmanlike Conduct show begins in afternoon with hosts Kevin Kugler and Bob Bruce.
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2001
October, 2001- KAZP call letters are changed to KOZN, The Zone.
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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.
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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.
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2005
Waitt Broadcasting merges with the New Radio Group, forming NRG Media (Cedar Rapids, IA) under President Mary Quass.
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2010
The Zone airs Omaha Nighthawks football for two years until the United Football League folds in 2012.
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2011
Sports Director Kevin Kugler leaves for the Big Ten Network and Westwood One. ESPN is dropped in favor of Fox Sports Radio.
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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.
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2013
All sports programming on the station becomes local from 6am-6pm Monday-Friday.