Update 8/12: Mount Wilson FM Broadcasters has returned 97.9 KYZZ to the air as Classical “K-Mozart“. The station joins sisters 1260 KMZT Beverly Hills and 95.9 KMZT-FM Big Sur in airing Mount Wilson’s Classical programming.
Update 7/31: Mount Wilson has closed on its purchase of KYZZ and has temporarily taken the station dark while it puts together facilities to feed the station’s programming from the company’s Los Angeles studios.
Mount Wilson anticipates the station will return to the air within a week to ten days.
Original Report 5/24: Buckley Broadcasting has sold Sports “97.9 ESPN” KYZZ Salinas, CA to Saul Levine’s Mount Wilson FM for an undisclosed amount.
Mount Wilson will likely use KYZZ to expand its Classical “K-Mozart” brand currently heard on 1260 KMZT Los Angeles and 95.9 KMZT-FM Big Sur into the Montery/Salinas area. KYZZ is a Class A FM operating with 2.9kW at 146 meters. The market lost its commercial Classical station in 2011 when Mapleton flipped 103.9 KBOQ to Classic Hits.
The Sports format, which began last August, will return to being heard exclusively on 630 KIDD Monterey. Buckley will retain ownership of KIDD and AC 96.9 KWAV in the market following the sale.