KMBZ-FM (98.1 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Kansas City, Kansas. Owned by Audacy, Inc., KMBZ-FM airs a news/talk radio format. Its studios and offices are located on Squibb Road in Mission, Kansas. KMBZ-FM broadcasts at 98,500 watts (100,000 with beam tilt), covering the Kansas City metropolitan area including much of Northwest Missouri and Eastern Kansas. The transmitter is located near East 56th Street in Kansas City, Missouri. Programming KMBZ-FM's schedule is mostly local talk shows, while its sister station, AM 980 KMBZ, carries mostly nationally syndicated hosts. Weekdays on KMBZ-FM begin with "Kansas City's Morning News", followed by "Jayme & Grayson," "Dana & Parks" and "Armstrong & Getty." Nights feature syndicated shows including "Beyond Reality Radio," "Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis," "Coast to Coast AM with George Noory" and "This Morning, America's First News with Gordon Deal." On weekends, shows on money, health, law and technology are heard, some of which are paid brokered programming. Syndicated hosts on weekends include Kim Komando, Bill Handel and Ric Edelman. Most hours begin with world and national news from ABC News Radio. History 1959-1969: KCJC The station first signed on the air on December 9, 1959, as KCJC. It was owned by Futura Music, Inc. and had studios on Rock Creek Lane in Mission, Kansas. The format varied from MOR (Middle of the Road) to progressive rock over time. In 1967, Starr Broadcasting acquired both KCJC and KUDL (1380 AM, now KCNW) in nearby Fairway, Kansas. 1969-2011: KUDL KCJC began to simulcast the Top 40 format on KUDL and switched its call sign to KUDL-FM in 1971. The Top 40 hits gave way briefly to a progressive rock format. Then in 1972, the station became Kansas City's second FM station targeting the African-American community, after KPRS-FM, and aired an R&B/soul music format. In 1973, KUDL switched back to a progressive rock format until 1975, when it reverted to Top 40. The following year, it began calling itself "Disco 98" with a disco music format. In 1977, KUDL switched to their long running soft rock format. The format lasted through the 1980s and early 1990s, although modified to a soft adult contemporary format, which would later transition to a more upbeat direction by 2000. In 1978, KUDL and AM 1380, which aired an all-news format, would separate, as the latter was sold to new owners. In 1993, Apollo Broadcasting bought KUDL