KZJK: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 16:50, 13 May 2005

Revision as of 22:42, 15 May 2005

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'''WXPTKZJK''' (104.1 [[FM band|FM]]) is a [[radio station]] broadcasting the [[Top 40]] "[[Jack FM]]" [[radio format|format]] in the [[Minneapolis-St. Paul]] region of [[Minnesota]]. The current format took to the air on the morning of [[April 21]], [[2005]], following more than four years of a [[1980s]]-centered playlist, starting in [[November 2000]]. The station is owned by [[Viacom]] through the radio subsidiary [[Infinity Broadcasting]].

104.1 first gained notoriety in the mid-'80s as the [[modern rock]] '''KJJO-FM''', simulcast with 950 [[AM band|AM]], though that format gave way to [[alternative rock]] as the [[1990s]] dawned. It switched to [[country music|country]] a few years later, and has since seen a number of format changes. A [[smooth jazz]] playlist was introduced in April [[1995]], and the [[call sign]] soon changed to '''KMJZ'''. '''WXPT''' became the name in [[1998]] when the station returned to an alternative format as "104.1 The Point" for two years. With the '80s format that started in [[2000]], the station took the tagline "Mix 104.1". On May 10, 2005, three weeks after the format change to "Jack FM", the call letters were officially changed to KZJK.

The flip to "Jack" is believed by some to be in response to the launch of [[Minnesota Public Radio]]'s eclectic station, [[KCMP]] ("89.3 The Current"), in late [[January 2005]]. The main similarity is a larger playlist than average stations, which commonly have 200–400 songs in rotation. The Jack format brings that up to about 1,200 [[song]]s, reducing repetition. However, KCMP hopes to eventually a 50,000 [[album]] library. WXPT also dropped [[disc jockey]]s with the format, while KCMP is very DJ-driven.