The station signed on the air in March 1964. The original call sign was KAKC-FM, the sister station to AM 970 KAKC (now KCFO).[5] At first, it simulcast the AM station's programming. But by Summer 1977, it was airing an easy listening format, taking the call sign KBEZ, with the last two call letters signifying "Easy." Over time, the number of instrumental easy songs decreased and the soft vocals increased, moving the station to a soft adult contemporary music format.
At about noon on September 9, 2013, KBEZ changed from its former Bob FM "We Play Anything" genre to popular hits of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, moving the station from adult hits to classic hits. The station later dropped most music from the 1960s to concentrate on 1970s, 1980s and some 1990s hits, using the slogan "Tulsa's Greatest Hits."
On August 1, 2017, KBEZ rebranded as "92.9 The Drive - Tulsa's Classic Hits!".[9]
KRQV
On September 4, 2023, at midnight, the station rebranded as "92.9 The River - KRQV Tulsa - Tulsa's Greatest Hits!" It shifted to a more standard classic hits format compared to the classic rock lean it carried as "The Drive". The following day, the station took on the new call sign KRQV, retiring the KBEZ call sign after 46 years.
Cliff and Carly Mornings started on September 18, 2023. It was the first change in the station's morning show in 15 years. The first song on The River was "Always Something There to Remind Me" by Naked Eyes.[10]
Ownership changes
On March 8, 2012, Renda announced that it was selling KHTT and KRQV to Journal Communications for $11.8 million. The deal closed on June 25, 2012.[11] Both KHTT and its sister KBEZ moved into the Journal Communications facility at 29th and Yale Avenue adjacent to the Broken Arrow Expressway joining the existing Journal stations KVOO, KXBL, and KFAQ.
Journal Communications (KRQV's former owner) and the E. W. Scripps Company (owner of Tulsa's NBCnetwork affiliateKJRH-TV) announced on July 30, 2014 that the two companies would merge to create a new broadcast company under the E. W. Scripps Company name that would own the two companies' broadcast properties, including KBEZ.[12]
On June 26, 2018, parent company E. W. Scripps announced that it would sell KBEZ - along with its sister stations, KFAQ, KHTT, KVOO, and KXBL to Griffin Communications.[13] Griffin began operating the stations under a local marketing agreement on July 30, and completed the purchase on October 1, at a price of $12.5 million; the company already owned CBS affiliate KOTV-DT and CW affiliate KQCW-DT.[14]
Gunman
On January 13, 2010 just after 1 PM, 58-year-old Barry Styles came to KRQV's and KHTT's offices and studios, and walked up and down the hallways demanding to speak to morning show co-host Carly Rush.[15] When the receptionist informed the man she had left for the day, he walked out of the office, then immediately returned brandishing a pistol.[16] The receptionist escaped to the back of the office and called the Tulsa Police Department.
The gunman trapped several employees inside the office and guarded the exit. After approximately ten minutes, police arrived on scene. When the gunman refused to drop his weapon, police fired three, shots, hitting him in the waist once.[17] Shortly after, the police handcuffed the man and he was taken to a hospital where he was listed as being in serious condition. No employees were hurt.[citation needed]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
