KZOK-FM
classic rock radio station in Seattle
KZOK-FM (102.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station located in Seattle, Washington. It airs a classic rock radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. KZOK's transmitter is located near Issaquah, Washington, on Tiger Mountain, and operates from studios in Seattle in the Belltown neighborhood northwest of Downtown.
KZOK-FM broadcasts in HD.
History
KTW-FM (1964–1974)
In December 1964, the station signed on as KTW-FM. It was owned by David Segal, who called his format "The Wonderful Sound of Seattle." At first, it mostly simulcast co-owned KTW (1250 AM, now KKDZ).
The station's formats in its early years included Top 40 for nine months, then a country music format called "The Nashville Sound."
KTW-FM, along with KTW (AM), was acquired by Norwood and Dawn Patterson of Central California. Nordawn, Inc. switched the stations to a "paid religion" format. In 1970, the stations were put into court-ordered receivership, administered by attorney Walter Webster Jr. Norwood J. Patterson was sentenced to two years in federal prison for failure to pay the government employee withholding taxes. He also sabotaged both AM and FM transmitters the afternoon that the stations were placed in receivership by driving to the West Seattle transmitter site and pulling the "finals." He failed to check the engineering locker where spares were located.
The public source identifies “KZOK-FM” as classic rock radio station in Seattle. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around KZOK-FM, classic and rock.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “KZOK-FM”, the useful work is to connect “classic rock radio station in Seattle” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 1, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6342548. Authority coordinates are 47.505, -121.969. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1964, 1974, 1250 and 1970.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “KZOK-FM”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow KZOK-FM primary sources, KZOK-FM archive and KZOK-FM research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “KZOK-FM”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “KZOK-FM” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.