WKZO (AM)
WKZO (590 AM) is a radio station licensed to Kalamazoo, Michigan broadcasting a news-talk format. The station offers local shows, like Kalamazoo's Morning News, and shows of statewide interest, like Michigan's Big Show starring Michael Patrick Shiels.
National syndicated programming includes Dave Ramsey, Mark Levin, Michael Savage and Coast to Coast AM.
The station is also the southwest Michigan radio home of Michigan State Spartans football and men's basketball and Detroit Tigers baseball.
In addition to serving as the afternoon drive disk jockey on sister station WZOX, Jay Morris also serves at the WKZO's program director and hosts Kalamazoo's Morning News with Jim McKinney.
The station's news department consists of John McNeill and Anthony Pollreisz.
History
The station has been on the air as WKZO since 1931, but traces its roots back to 8AZ, an experimental station founded by John Fetzer in 1922 while he was a student at Emmanuel Christian College (now Andrews University) in Berrien Springs. The success of the experimental station (which was heard as far away as France) encouraged the college to look into starting a "real" radio station. The result was KFGZ, 'The Radio Lighthouse,' licensed in April 1923 and broadcasting at 1120 kilocycles with 500 watts of power. KFGZ's calls were changed in 1925 to WEMC. KFGZ/WEMC operated as a full-service radio station serving the St. Joseph Valley with community information and religious programming. The station was received across the eastern United States and into Canada, and a reception report once came in from a Dutch ship in the North Sea.
