KARZ FM 99.7

A classic hits format radio station licensed to Marshall, Minnesota, owned by Linder Radio Group. Broadcasting at 99.7 FM, the signal reaches a broad multistate area encompassing southwestern Minnesota, eastern South Dakota, and northwestern Iowa, with audiences in markets including Sioux Falls, Watertown, Willmar, Worthington, and Spirit Lake. The station additionally rebroadcasts on FM translator K277AI at 103.3 FM in the Russell and Marshall area. The 99.7 frequency has a lengthy history in the region. It first signed on in 1975 as KMHL-FM operating at 100.1 MHz with a country music format, before transitioning to Top 40 (CHR) in 1982 under the KKCK call letters. During the 1980s and 1990s, KKCK became a significant presence in the Sioux Falls market despite broadcasting from over 50 miles away, serving as the de facto Top 40 station until local competition emerged in 1997. The station upgraded from 3,000 watts to 100,000 watts during this era. The KARZ call letters and classic hits identity arrived in 2017 following a frequency swap: 94.7 FM, which had been carrying the classic hits format, exchanged call signs with 107.5 FM. The 107.5 frequency simultaneously shifted from mainstream rock to sports programming. Today KARZ serves as a cornerstone of the Linder Radio Group's southwestern Minnesota cluster.