It's easier than ever to listen to music on the go, to procure playlists and podcasts that make your morning and evening commutes a little less hellish. But some of us still appreciate the personality and unpredictability of live radio, and 92.9 KZZU-FM is the station most of Spokane appears to have programmed on their car stereos.
The station's musical roster runs the full spectrum of the current Top 40 — pop, rock, R&B, hip-hop, EDM. Whatever's popular in the moment, that's what KZZU's gonna play.
Looking through the Inlander archives, we see that KZZU appeared as a first-place winner in the Inlander's Best Of poll way back in 1999. That win was for Best Radio Team and was awarded to KZZU's longtime personalities Dave Sposito and Ken Hopkins, better known as the Breakfast Boys, who have been a duo longer than the Inlander has existed. They've been the go-to pick for Best Radio Team ever since.
'99 was a simpler time. Britney Spears had just broken out with "Baby One More Time," Cher's "Believe" was the biggest single on the radio, and TLC's FanMail was the country's No. 1 album. And while those have all been relegated to the oldies station, 92.9 has kept its finger on the pulse of what's hip: Tune in today and you'll hear Drake, Dua Lipa, Bruno Mars, The Weeknd, Ed Sheeran.
KZZU (or "the Zoo," as it has been affectionately known) has changed with the times, remaining relevant in a cultural landscape that isn't always kind to terrestrial radio and adapting its style to reflect the biggest hits of the day.
Amongst the constants at the station are Sposito, Hopkins and Molly Allen, whose addition to the beloved drive-time show allowed them to drop that exclusively masculine moniker and simply go by "Dave, Ken and Molly." But even when their voices aren't being broadcast over the airwaves, KZZU possesses a personal touch that most radio stations don't, as if they're only picking the songs they know you want to hear.
That's something Spotify can't do for you.
2nd PLACE: KHTQ, Rock 94.5;
3rd PLACE: The Big 99.9 Coyote Country
