KNZR (AM)

KNZR (1560 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Bakersfield, California. It is owned by Alpha Media and airs a conservative talk radio format. Its studios and offices are on Pegasus Drive in Bakersfield.

KNZR broadcasts with 25,000 watts of power by day and 10,000 watts at night from its transmitter on Artimus Court in Bakersfield.^[3] It uses a directional antenna with a three-tower array after sunset. KNZR is designated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as a clear channel, Class A radio station, sharing Class A status on 1560 AM with WFME in New York City.

The station's schedule features (formerly on AM, still on FM) one local talk show heard in late mornings, hosted by Terry Maxwell, a former Bakersfield City Council member and restaurateur. The rest of the weekday schedule is nationally syndicated conservative talk shows: The Glenn Beck Program, The Sean Hannity Show, The Sebastian Gorka Show, The Mark Levin Show, The Ramsey Show with Dave Ramsey, Coast to Coast AM with George Noory and The Hugh Hewitt Show.^[4]

On weekends, syndicated shows include At Home with Gary Sullivan, Bill Handel on the Law, Gun Talk with Tom Gresham, The Dennis Prager Show, Somewhere in Time with Art Bell and Rich DeMuro on Tech. Most hours begin with world and national news from Fox News Radio.

On December 19, 1933, the Federal Radio Commission (FRC) authorized three new frequencies, between 1500 and 1600 kHz, for high-fidelity operation. (At the time, the AM broadcast band ended at 1500 kHz.) These new 20 kHz-wide channels were twice as wide as the standard AM broadcasting channels. Six applications were submitted to the FRC, including one for 1550 kHz in Bakersfield from the Pioneer Mercantile Company.^[5]

The Pioneer application was one of the four approved in April,^[6] and the station went on the air under the experimental call sign W6XAI. Although licensed as an experimental station, it was authorized to conduct commercial operations. The initial authoruzation was for a power of 1,000 watts, and this was the second station on the air in Bakersfield, after KERN.

In 1934, the Federal Radio Commission was replaced by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In November 1936, the FCC allowed the high-fidelity stations to adopt conventional call letters, and the call sign was changed to KPMC, named after the Pioneer Mercantile Company. When the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement came into effect on March 29, 1941, the high-fidelity stations were converted to standard AM stations and relocated, with KPMC reassigned to 1560 kHz.

KPMC was an ABC Radio Network affiliate in the 1940s and early 50s, carrying its schedule of dramas, comedies, news and sports.^[7] In the 1950s, KPMC was given Class I-B status by the FCC, allowing it to increase its power to 10,000 watts.^[8] As network programming moved from radio to television in the 1950s, KPMC switched to a full service middle of the road format of popular music, news, talk and sports.

In the 1980s, KPMC eliminated its music programming and went full-time as a talk radio station. It was an affiliate of both CBS Radio and the Mutual Broadcasting System, used for their newsgathering of U.S. and world stories.

In January 1990, Buckley Broadcasting bought KPMC for $1 million.^[9]

Buckley Broadcasting acquired Smooth Jazz station 97.7 KSMJ in 2001. Buckley decided to pair 97.7 FM with AM 1560, to give Bakersfield listeners the choice to hear the talk programming on KNZR on either AM or FM. KSMJ changed to its current KNZR-FM call sign on September 11, 2013.^[1] The two stations began simulcasting around the clock.

Buckley switched the call sign to KNZR on September 21, 1990. An FM simulcast on KNZR-FM began in November 2011.

In 2014, Buckley Broadcasting sold its California stations, including KNZR-AM-FM, to Alpha Media of Portland, Oregon.^[10] Alpha Media chairman Larry Wilson said, "The Buckley clusters in California will be a great addition to the West Coast footprint. Bakersfield is a rich and vibrant city full of live and local opportunities."

On January 18, 2018, Midday host Jaz McKay was told that due to budgetary concerns he would be replaced the next week with Sean Hannity in the noon to 3p.m. slot which he had occupied for 14 years. McKay then took to social media and used derogatory language to describe Hispanic radio broadcasts in the area. McKay claimed the large number of Spanish language radio stations in Bakersfield made it increasingly difficult for English speaking announcers to find employment.^[11] At 45.5%, Hispanics comprise the largest demographic group in Bakersfield.^[12] On January 24, McKay's time slot was indeed taken over by the syndicated radio show from Sean Hannity.^[13] On the same day, it was also reported that McKay's fellow conservative talk show host Inga Barks was, for unspecified reasons, no longer associated with the station.^[14]

McKay was later hired for the 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. time slot on KERN 1180 AM & 96.1 FM, in December 2018.^[15] KERN 1180, KNZR's chief talk radio competitor, is owned by American General Media.

KNZR (AM) switched to a Spanish-language conservative talk format on June 29, 2023. Much of its programming came from Americano Media in Miami, Florida, which airs the format on WAXY.^[16] The Spanish-language format was short-lived. It returned to English on September 12, 2023.^[17]

• Official website
• Facility details for Facility ID 7715 (KNZR) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• KNZR in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
• FCC History Cards for KNZR (covering 1934-1980 as W6XAI/KPMC)

35°18′30″N 119°2′46″W / 35.30833°N 119.04611°W / 35.30833; -119.04611