Kansas City Radio: Historic KMBZ Towers Dismantled

In March 2016, The Shawnee Mission Board of Education approved the district’s purchase of 6.5 acres land on the Entercom property at 50th and Belinder in Westwood, setting the stage for the construction of a new Westwood View Elementary school.

The purchase price approved by the board was $1,386,560.

The deal represented a huge change to the Entercom property, which has operated as a broadcasting site for News/Talk KMBZ 980 AM since 1933. Though the radio tower on the property remained in use initially, it was dismantled and removed this summer as the district moves forward with the construction of a new school on the site.  The new school will replace the current building, which is 50-years-old.

Location of KMBZ dismantled Towers surrounded by residential neighborhoods

With Kansas City's post-WW2 growth spurt toward its southwestern suburbs, the KMBZ site became placed near the center of the Kansas City metropolitan area, The site became part of the city of Westwood when the city was incorporated in 1949.

The area around the site developed into a residential neighborhood, with an elementary school across the street. Relations between the station and its neighbors became tenuous by 1994, when the city required the station to obtain a special-use permit for the towers every 3-5 years, with residents of the neighborhood generally opposing the permit every time.

Entercom moved its studios and offices to the intersection of Shawnee Mission Parkway and Metcalf in 2004. And Entercom applied to re-locate the KMBZ transmitter to the towers of KCCV near I-435 and Blue Parkway on land owned by the city of Kansas City and increase daytime power to 9 kW.

The FCC approved the Construction Permit on January 14, 2015.

KMBZ is the oldest surviving station in Kansas City, beginning experimental broadcasts in 1921. The station officially signed on as a commercially-licensed station on April 5, 1922, with the call sign WPE (680 AM). It was the second radio station in the state of Missouri, behind only St. Louis' WEW.

One of dismantled towers

Station moved to pre-NARBA 950 kHz frequency, November 11, 1928, with 2.5 kW daytime, 1 kW night. Granted 1 kW fulltime November 23, 1929, increased to 2.5 kW daytime, 1 kW night September 25, 1934, increased to 5 kW daytime, 1 kW night, December 10, 1935 at Westwood, Kansas site. Moved to 980 kHz under NARBA March 29, 1941. 5 kW fulltime with nightime directional system implemented June 1, 1940.

In its history it has been owned by two rival branches of the Latter Day Saint movement although it has no church affiliation now. The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (RLDS Church based in Independence, Missouri) bought the station in 1923 and renamed it KFIX and later KLDS (with the LDS standing for "Latter Day Saints").

In 1928, Midland Broadcasting bought the station and renamed it KMBC for Midland Broadcasting Company. In 1953, Midland put Channel 9 KMBC-TV on the air. Cook Paint and Varnish Company bought the Midland holdings in 1954. KMBC-AM-TV operated out of the Lyric Theatre.

In 1961, Cook sold the radio and television stations to Metromedia. In 1962, Metromedia signed on 99.7 KMBC-FM (later KMBR and KLTH, now KZPT). In 1967, Metromedia sold both radio stations to Bonneville International but kept the television station.

Bonneville is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons based in Salt Lake City). So for the second time, the station was owned by a Mormon Church organization. Since Metromedia held the rights to the KMBC call letters, Bonneville changed the AM station's call letters to KMBZ (with "Z" rhyming with "C"). In the 1970s and early 1980s, the station's nickname was "Z-98". During those years, the station aired a full service middle of the road music format.

In 1997, Bonneville sold its entire Kansas City cluster, which by then consisted of KMBZ, KLTH, KCMO (AM) and KCMO-FM, to Entercom Communications.

KMBZ 980 AM (9 Kw-D, 5 Kw-N, DA-N)

Worthy of note,  after having worked as Director of Promotion for the Kansas City Royals baseball team, Rush Limbaugh got his start in political commentary on the station in 1983. He continues to be heard on KMBZ in his live 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. time slot.

(H/T: Bobby Day)