KTBZ-FM
Encyclopedia
KTBZ-FM, also known as 94.5 The Buzz, is an alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 radio station licensed to Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

 with studios located in Houston at 2000 West Loop South, Suite 300, and with transmitter facilities located in Missouri City, Texas
Missouri City, Texas
Missouri City is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. The city is mostly in Fort Bend County with a small portion within Harris County. As of the 2000 U.S...

.

History

This station first signed on March 13, 1986 as KJYY-FM, becoming KLDE-FM in 1988 (Oldies 94.5).

The current format launched at 107.5 FM on October 31, 1994 at 11:00 am CDT. The station called itself, "The New Rocket 107.5 - Houston's New Alternative," and changed its call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...

 to KRQT-FM. In March 1995, it changed both its call sign and format to what it is today. Under the direction of new General Manager, Pat Fant (formerly of KLOL-FM), the station re-launched its format in late May 1995 using the new call sign KTBZ-FM and the "107.5 The Buzz" slogan.

Before July 2000, KTBZ continued to broadcast on 107.5 FM
Frequency modulation
In telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...

. Due to a merger of Clear Channel Communications, Inc.
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...

 and AMFM, Inc., and the need to stay within the FCC
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...

's station ownership cap, KLDE
KLDE
KGLK is a classic hits formatted radio station licensed to serve the community of Lake Jackson, Texas, USA. It is owned by Cox Radio. It is headquartered out of Suite 2300 at 1990 Post Oak Blvd in the Uptown district in Houston, Texas, United States...

 was sold to recent move-in Cox Radio
Cox Radio
Cox Radio, Inc. is a division of Cox Enterprises that holds a number of radio stations. Cox Radio is headquartered at 6205 Peachtree Dunwoody Road in Sandy Springs, Georgia....

 and acquired the 107.5 frequency. At 8:00 PM on July 18, 2000 KLDE
KLDE
KGLK is a classic hits formatted radio station licensed to serve the community of Lake Jackson, Texas, USA. It is owned by Cox Radio. It is headquartered out of Suite 2300 at 1990 Post Oak Blvd in the Uptown district in Houston, Texas, United States...

 Oldies 94.5 and KTBZ 107.5 The Buzz, swapped frequencies to complete the "trade" in ownership. A month before the swap, KTBZ announced that The Buzz would cease operations at 107.5 on July 18 and began a "Save the Buzz" campaign, sending Buzz listeners into a frenzy for information on the station's "impending demise." When the actual purpose of the campaign was discovered, an online forum maintained by KTBZ was shut down in order to try to keep the word from getting out as listeners began to post their findings. Still, this did not prevent listeners from distributing banners throughout Houston and painting "Save The Buzz" on their car windows. KTBZ even staged a public rally
Pep rally
Pep rallies are events that occur primarily in the United States and Canada. A pep rally is a gathering of people, typically students of middle school, high school and college age, before a sports event. The purpose of such a gathering is to encourage school spirit and to support members of the...

, at which a representative from parent company Clear Channel Radio came to read a statement. The statement read, in part, that in response to public comments, The Buzz would be saved and moved to 94.5 FM, a much stronger signal, resulting in a "Bigger, Better Buzz."

Just before 8:00 pm CDT on July 18, 2000, KTBZ and KLDE each played a pre-recorded lead-in to the station switch. KLDE had their air staff riding in a transporter across the dial to 107.5 FM, while KTBZ led a one-minute countdown as they "faded" off of the 107.5 frequency. At exactly 8:00 p.m., the stations simultaneously exchanged frequencies. KTBZ's montage led in with, "Turn On the Juice!," while KLDE's air staff "crash landed" on 107.5. Both stations celebrated the move with their own "Switch Parties," The Buzz presenting a free concert starring Stone Temple Pilots that was broadcast live from The Aerial Theater in downtown Houston on "The New 94.5 The Buzz." The remaining new station, "Oldies 107.5," marked the transition by playing 48 hours of non-stop music.

KTBZ began transmitting its HD and HD2 digital signals in January 2006. KTBZ 94.5-2 HD2 current format is "94-5 The Rock, Houston's Rock Station" playing Active and Classic Rock

Current Staff and Programming

KTBZ begins its broadcasting day at 6 am with The Rod Ryan Show, hosted by Rod Ryan and co-hosted by Theresa (also The Midday Show hostess), Jessica, and Doug. Features of The Rod Ryan Show include "New Music Monday," "Sex, Jail, Blood or Fame" (where listeners recount their weekend activities), and "Free Beer Friday," where a case of beer is given away to a caller every hour. The Rod Ryan Show has made many altruistic contributions to the greater Houston community, beginning with the organization of the Houston Dodgeball Association, also known as HODA. Once The Rod Ryan Show arrived at The Buzz, the station's once-waning numbers jumped significantly. As of August 2010, The Rod Ryan Show was the most-listened-to morning radio show in Houston.

Immediately following the Rod Ryan Show was a DJ named Chris Rice who first hosted the famous "All Request Nooner." This time slot now belongs to Theresa, who hosts the very popular Midday Show Monday through Friday from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm. Succeeding her is Don Jantzen, who is known for his controversial anecdotes.

Former weekend/fill in jock A.D. now hosts nights.

Other notable staff includes "Captain Cash" Hal Lynde, a local stockbroker providing reports during Ryan's and Jantzen's shows, Karah Leigh, recently took over as the station's Music Director.

Former staff member Travis Bruce Golightly, (also known as TBG), was on the Rod Ryan Show through May 11, 2006, and in January 2010 returned to weekends after a long hiatus working in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

. Mark Wiggins left the show in late November 2009 and was best known for his humorous commentary. Wiggins left the show to pursue a career in news, and currently works as political reporter for KVUE-TV in Austin.

Former airstaff includes: Zakk United, "Just Plain" Mark Sutherland, Lanny Griffith (later of KRIV
KRIV
KRIV, channel 26, is an owned-and-operated television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox, located in Houston, Texas. KRIV is co-owned with MyNetworkTV affiliate KTXH...

 FOX 26), Lisa Kendall, "Shark", Ken Fusion, Brian Blades
Brian Blades
Brian Keith Blades is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League.Blades graduated from Piper High School in Sunrise, Florida in 1983....

, Geno Pearson  (formerly of KNRJ  co-host of Alternative Static), John Leach
John Leach
John Leach may refer to:*John Leach , English judge*John Leach , Royal Navy captain*John Albert Leach , Australian ornithologist*Johnny Leach, British table tennis player...

, David Sadof, Jarod Frank, Steve Robison, "Cruze", Ken Hoffman, Mr. Randy, Johnny Maze, Graeme, Will Pendarvis, Derek Nelson
Derek Nelson
Derek Nelson is an American film and television actor.-Biography:Nelson was born in Reading, Pennsylvania. He was raised in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Nelson had attended the Twin Valley High School coming with a High school diploma in 2006. He had graduated with honors despite being the class...

, Rex Oates, "The Whipping Boy", Pam Kelly
Pam Kelly
Pamela Kelly-Flowers is a former American women's basketball player at Louisiana Tech University. She won two national championships for the Lady Techsters. She was named to the All-American team in 1980, 1981, and 1982, her school's only three-time All-American...

, Eric Schmidt (DJ), "D-Day", Jeff McMurray, Jerry Rohira, Cindy Bennett, Lauren.

BuzzFest

Twice a year, KTBZ-FM promotes a live concert, called the Buzz Festival but better known as Buzzfest
Buzzfest
Buzzfest is the name of two unrelated music festivals held in Houston and Nashville. The Buzzfest in Houston is a bi-annual show hosted by the radio station 94.5 The Buzz while the Buzzfest in Nashville is an annual show hosted by the radio station 102.9 The Buzz.-Past events:*Buzzfest 2010...

. The 2005 Fall Buzzfest was supposed to be held at Minute Maid Park
Minute Maid Park
Minute Maid Park is a ballpark in Downtown Houston, Texas, United States that opened in 2000 to house the Major League Baseball Houston Astros....

, but because the Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...

 advanced to the 2005 World Series
2005 World Series
The 2005 World Series, the 101st Major League Baseball championship series, saw the American League champion Chicago White Sox sweep the National League champion Houston Astros four games to none in the best-of-seven-games series, winning their third championship and first since 1917.Home-field...

 that was held at the same time, it was moved to the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands
The Woodlands, Texas
The Woodlands is a master-planned community and a Census-designated place in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. The population of the CDP was 55,649 at the 2000 census—a 90 percent increase over its 1990 population. According to the 2010 census, The Woodlands' population rose...

. This turned out to be a major problem for the public, because the Woodlands did not honor the ticket
Ticket (admission)
A ticket is a voucher that indicates that one has paid for admission to an event or establishment such as a theatre, movie theater, amusement park, zoo, museum, concert, or other attraction, or permission to travel on a vehicle such as an airliner, train, bus, or boat, typically because one has...

s sold for Minute Maid Park. Fans had to turn in their Minute Maid Park tickets for refunds, and then make the additional effort to purchase Woodlands tickets, with the change of venue announced approximately one week before the concert. As a result of this massive error in judgment, turnout for Buzzfest XVI was a great deal lower than Clear Channel hoped it would be.

The Buzzfest XVII was held on June 17, 2006, also at C.W. Mitchell Pavilion. Tickets sold out a little over a week after they went on sale. Several well known bands were in attendance, including: Staind
Staind
Staind is an American rock band that was formed in 1995 in Springfield, Massachusetts. For 16 years, the band consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist Johnny April, and drummer Jon Wysocki...

, Hoobastank
Hoobastank
Hoobastank is an American rock band, best known for their 2004 hit "The Reason" and other hits "Crawling in the Dark" and "Running Away". They formed in 1994 in Agoura Hills, California, with singer Doug Robb, guitarist Dan Estrin, drummer Chris Hesse, and original bassist Markku Lappalainen. They...

, Shinedown
Shinedown
Shinedown is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed in 2001 and founded by members Brent Smith , Brad Stewart , Jasin Todd , and Barry Kerch . A few line-up changes followed, and the band's current line-up consists of Smith and Kerch, the band's only two remaining original...

, Three Days Grace
Three Days Grace
Three Days Grace is a Canadian rock band, formed in Norwood, Ontario, Canada in 1992, originally under the name Groundswell. After a breakup in late 1997, the band regrouped in the same year under its current name and with a line-up consisting of guitarist and lead vocalist Adam Gontier, drummer...

, Blue October
Blue October
Blue October is a rock band from Houston, Texas. The band was formed in 1995 and currently consists of Justin Furstenfeld , Jeremy Furstenfeld , Ryan Delahoussaye , Matt Noveskey , and Julian Mandrake .-History:Blue October was formed by lead...

, Evans Blue
Evans Blue
Evans Blue is an alternative rock band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada founded in 2005.- Origins :Evans Blue came together in early 2005. Five musicians, then in three separate bands, met through a local musician's message board...

, Candlebox
Candlebox
Candlebox is an American alternative rock band from Seattle, Washington. Since their debut, the group has released four studio albums, which have achieved multi-platinum and gold certification, as well as numerous charting singles, a compilation, and a CD+DVD....

, 10 Years
10 Years
10 Years is an American alternative metal band, formed in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1999.-Early Years, Into the Half Moon :10 Years was initially formed in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1999 with singer Mike Underdown, drummer Brian Vodinh, bassist Lewis Cosby, and guitarists Ryan "Tater" Johnson and Matt...

, Buckcherry
Buckcherry
Buckcherry is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1995. The band released two albums, Buckcherry and Time Bomb , before partially dissolving in the summer of 2002. In 2005, lead vocalist Josh Todd and lead guitarist Keith Nelson reformed Buckcherry and released a new album...

, People in Planes
People in Planes
People in Planes are a five piece Indie rock band from Cardiff, Wales. They are signed to Wind-up Records. Prior to 2003 they were known as Tetra Splendour and before that they went by the name of Robots in the Sky...

, Hinder
Hinder
Hinder is an American rock band from Oklahoma that was formed in 2001 by drummer Cody Hanson, guitarist Joe Garvey, and singer Austin Winkler. The band was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2007.-Formation and early history:...

, Trapt
Trapt
Trapt is an American rock band that formed in Los Gatos, California in August 1997. The group is composed of lead singer Chris Taylor Brown, lead guitarist Robb Torres, bass guitarist Peter Charell, and drummer Aaron "Monty" Montgomery...

, Brill, Hurt
Hurt (band)
Hurt is a rock band formed in 2000 in Virginia, now located in Los Angeles, California, United States. Currently in partnership with their manager's independent record label, Amusement, the band has put out three major label albums. The group consists of lead singer J...

, and Huck Johns.

BuzzFest XX was held on October 28, 2007, at C.W. Mitchell Pavilion. Tickets went on sale on Saturday, September 15, 2007 with no presale. The line-up included: Smashing Pumpkins, Chris Cornell
Chris Cornell
Chris Cornell is an American rock musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Soundgarden and as the former lead vocalist for Audioslave. He is also known for his numerous solo works and soundtrack contributions since 1998...

, Evanescence
Evanescence
Evanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. After recording private albums, the band released their first full-length album, Fallen, on Wind-up Records in 2003. Fallen sold more than 17 million copies worldwide...

, Finger Eleven
Finger Eleven
Finger Eleven is a Canadian rock band from Burlington, Ontario, formed in 1989. They have currently released five studio albums, with their album The Greyest of Blue Skies bringing them into the mainstream...

, Evans Blue
Evans Blue
Evans Blue is an alternative rock band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada founded in 2005.- Origins :Evans Blue came together in early 2005. Five musicians, then in three separate bands, met through a local musician's message board...

, Alter Bridge
Alter Bridge
Alter Bridge is an American rock band that was formed in 2004 in Orlando, Florida by lead guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall, and drummer Scott Phillips, who are all also members of Creed. Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Myles Kennedy, formerly of The Mayfield Four and the frontman...

, Sum 41
Sum 41
Sum 41 is a Canadian rock band from Ajax, Ontario. The band was formed in 1996 and currently consists of members Deryck Whibley , Tom Thacker , Jason McCaslin and Steve Jocz .In 1999, the band signed an international record deal with Island Records...

, Fuel
Fuel (band)
Fuel is an American rock band formed by guitarist/songwriter Carl Bell and bassist Jeff Abercrombie in 1989. Originally known as Small the Joy, they changed the group's name to Fuel sometime in 1994...

, Earshot
Earshot
Earshot is a hard rock/alternative metal band from Los Angeles, California. The band has released three albums: Letting Go, Two, and most recently, The Silver Lining on August 26, 2008.-Formation and Letting Go:...

, The Bravery
The Bravery
The Bravery is an American rock band from New York City that consists of Sam Endicott , Michael Zakarin , John Conway , Mike Hindert , and Anthony Burulcich...

, The Starting Line
The Starting Line
The Starting Line is an American pop punk band based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that formed in 1999.- Formation and history :In 1999, the band that would become The Starting Line was initiated in Churchville, Pennsylvania via an e-mail from guitarist Matt Watts to vocalist/bassist Kenny Vasoli...

, Sick Puppies
Sick Puppies
Sick Puppies is an Australian rock band, formed in 1997. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Shimon Moore, bassist Emma Anzai and drummer Mark Goodwin....

.

BuzzFest XXII was scheduled for October 26, 2008. The extensive artist lineup included such names as The Offspring
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...

, Staind
Staind
Staind is an American rock band that was formed in 1995 in Springfield, Massachusetts. For 16 years, the band consisted of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Aaron Lewis, lead guitarist Mike Mushok, bassist Johnny April, and drummer Jon Wysocki...

, Seether
Seether
Seether is a post-grunge/alternative metal band from Pretoria, South Africa, formed in 1999. The band is currently signed to Wind-up Records...

, Papa Roach
Papa Roach
Papa Roach is an American rock band from Vacaville, California. Their first major-label release was the triple-platinum album Infest . The group's success continued with their gold album Lovehatetragedy , their platinum album Getting Away with Murder , The Paramour Sessions , and Metamorphosis...

, Puddle of Mudd
Puddle of Mudd
Puddle Of Mudd is an American rock band from Kansas City, Missouri, USA. To date the band has sold over 7 million albums, and have had a string of #1 mainstream rock singles in the United States. Their major-label debut Come Clean has sold over 5 million copies...

, 10 Years
10 Years
10 Years is an American alternative metal band, formed in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1999.-Early Years, Into the Half Moon :10 Years was initially formed in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1999 with singer Mike Underdown, drummer Brian Vodinh, bassist Lewis Cosby, and guitarists Ryan "Tater" Johnson and Matt...

 and more. However, due to extensive damage to the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion caused by Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike was the second-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States, the costliest hurricane ever to impact Cuba and the second most active hurricane to reach the Canadian mainland in the Great Lakes Region after Hurricane Hazel in 1954...

, the show was forced to be canceled.

Callsign History

  • KARO - 10/1960
  • KLEF-FM - 10/21/1964
  • KJYY - 03/13/1986 (Joy 94)
  • KLDE - 04/29/1988 (Oldies 94.5)
  • KTBZ - 07/18/2000 (94-5 The Buzz)
  • KTBZ-FM - 01/11/2001 (94-5 The Buzz)

Awards

In 2007, the station was nominated for the top 25 markets Alternative station of the year award by Radio & Records
Radio & Records
Radio & Records was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It originally started out as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006, up until its final issue in 2009.-History:The company was founded in 1973 and...

 magazine.
Other nominees included WBCN in Boston, Massachusetts, KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM
KROQ-FM — branded 106.7 KROQ — is a commercial modern rock radio station licensed to Pasadena, California serving the Greater Los Angeles. The call sign is pronounced "kay rock." It is the flagship station of Loveline hosted by Dr...

 in Los Angeles, KITS
KITS
KITS is a San Francisco, California, USA-based radio station broadcasting at 105.3 MHz. The station is owned by CBS Radio and programs a modern rock format. The station also broadcasts on HD channel L2, locally on Comcast cable channel 986, and is streaming online.-Hot Hits:The station's...

, in San Francisco, KNDD
KNDD
KNDD , also known as "107.7 The End", is an alternative rock radio station in Seattle, Washington. It is operated by Entercom Communications Its studios are located in the Metropolitan Park West tower between Downtown and South Lake Union in Seattle...

 in Seattle, Washington, and WWDC
WWDC (FM)
WWDC is a commercial radio station in Washington, D.C., broadcasting to the Washington, DC-Baltimore, Maryland area. WWDC airs an alternative rock format on 101.1 FM branded as DC101.-History:WWDC-FM signed on in 1947 as a beautiful music station...

in Washington, DC.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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