User:Levdr1lp/sandbox8

KTBZ-FM (94.5 FM) – branded 94.5 The Buzz – is a commercial alternative rock radio station licensed to Houston, Texas. Owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., the station serves Greater Houston. The KTBZ-FM studios are located in Houston, while the station transmitter resides in Missouri City. Besides a standard analog transmission, KTBZ-FM broadcasts over two HD Radio channels, and is available online via iHeartRadio.



History
This station first signed on the air on October 15, 1960 as KARO, then becoming KLEF with a classical music format in 1964. On March 13, 1986, the station became KJYY (Joy 94) with an adult contemporary format, then becoming KLDE in 1988 with an oldies format, branded as "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 to KRQT-FM. 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. Due to a merger of Clear Channel Communications, Inc. and AMFM, Inc., and the need to stay within the FCC's station ownership cap, KLDE was sold to recent move-in Cox Radio and acquired the 107.5 frequency. Shortly after that, 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 staged a public rally, 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 pm, 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. This officially completed the "trade" in ownership.

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

In 2007, the station was nominated for the top 25 markets Alternative station of the year award by Radio & Records magazine. Other nominees included WBCN in Boston, Massachusetts, KROQ-FM in Los Angeles, KITS, in San Francisco, KNDD in Seattle, Washington, and WWDC in Washington, DC.

BuzzFest
Initially, once a year since 1995, KTBZ-FM promotes a live concert called the Buzz Festival, although now known as Buzzfest. In 2001, Buzzfest moved to twice a year, with one show in the Spring and the other taking place in the Fall of each year.

For Fall 2005, Buzzfest was supposed to be held at Minute Maid Park, but because the Houston Astros advanced to the 2005 World Series that was held at the same time, it was moved to the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands. This turned out to be a major problem for the public, because the Woodlands could not honor the tickets 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 less than one week before the concert. Performers were: Audioslave, Nickelback, Seether, Cold, 10 Years, Institute, 30 Seconds to Mars, Hinder, Boys Night Out, Fallout Boy, Bloodhound Gang, Yellowcard, Coheed & Cambria, Vaux, Dredg, The Starting Line, Motion City Soundtrack, Panic! At the Disco

BuzzFest XXII was scheduled for October 26, 2008. The extensive artist lineup included such names as The Offspring, Staind, Seether, Papa Roach, Puddle of Mudd, 10 Years and more. However, due to extensive damage to the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion caused by Hurricane Ike, the show was forced to be canceled.

Current programming
KTBZ begins its broadcasting day at 6 am with The Rod Ryan Show, hosted by Rod Ryan and co-hosted by Dinah Powers, Clair McPherson, and Doug Faulk. Features of The Rod Ryan Show include "Sex, Jail, Blood or Fame," where listeners recount their weekend activities in regard to sexual adventures, arrests, horrific injuries, or encounters with celebrities, 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 in morning-drive, the station's once-waning numbers jumped significantly.

Immediately following The Rod Ryan Show is The Midday Show, hosted by Theresa every Monday through Friday from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm. The All Request Nooner is broadcast from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm and features songs requested by the radio audience via e-mail and social media such as Twitter and Facebook. The Midday Show also celebrates "Concert T-Shirt Friday," when once a week Theresa encourages her listeners to wear their favorite concert apparel, photos of which she posts on the station's website. Following Theresa is ,A.D. who hosts the drive-time slot from 3:00 pm until 7:00 pm. Former weekend/fill-in DJ Karah Leigh now hosts Monday through Friday nights 7:00 pm to 12:00 am.