The station first signed on April 7, 1974 as KZIQ. Originally owned by Space/Time Broadcasting Company, it aired a country music format.[4] In June 1986, Space/Time sold KZIQ and its FM sister station KZIQ-FM to Bel Air Broadcasting Corporation, owned by Robert M. Rosenthal, for $335,000.[5]
Bel Air attempted to sell KZIQ-AM-FM in 1991, but the first two deals fell through. The first deal reached was in January with Michaels Media, headed by Pat Michaels, for $650,000.[6] In March, a sale to Blessing Broadcasting valued at $682,500 also failed to close.[7] By the end of the year, Bel Air successfully sold the combo to James Knudsen for $250,000 — less than half of either previous deal. At the time, KZIQ aired an oldies/classic rock format.[8]
In January 2013, James and Donna Knudsen sold KWDJ and KZIQ-FM to Adelman Broadcasting for $220,000. The deal included a time brokerage agreement allowing Adelman to begin programming the station immediately; the sale closed in April.[10][11] Until early 2014, KWDJ aired a sports format as a Fox Sports Radio affiliate.
