Phoenix Broadcasting History Page

Spanish-language station owned by the United Farm Workers of America. Shares time with religious KPHF.

Religious station that operates only at night and shares time with KNAI.

Translator for religious KEAR San Francisco.

Yet another religious station.

South Mountain translator for KBAQ 89.5.

Classical station jointly owned by ASU and the Maricopa Community College District. Transmitter is on White Tanks while studios are on the ASU and Mesa Community College campuses, the latter shared with KJZZ. They operate translators on 89.3 on South Mountain (licensed to Sun Lakes) and soon in north Scottsdale on 89.7.

Still another translator.

Family Life Broadcasting operates this station which began in 1978 on AM 1230 when the company bought KRIZ. It sold the AM in 1985 when the FM frequency became available. The AM is now KOY after many format and call-letter changes.

Religious translator.

Another religious station.

The original educational FM station in the valley, located at Phoenix College. Started out as a 10 watter on 88.5, moved to 91.5 in the '60s.

KFCA changed calls to KMCR-FM when they relocated to Mesa Community College in the early '70s.

KJZZ carries NPR news & talk programming during the day, Jazz at night, Blues on Sunday nights.

Rebroadcasts a religious station in Idaho. Actually located on South Mountain.

Originally a Jazz station, they did Disco in the late '70s. After Disco died in 1979 they tried country, but I'm not sure if they simulcasted KJJJ AM-910. Changed calls to KEZC in 1984 and were called Easy Country for about a year before becoming KKFR (now Power 92).

Power 92 was originally known as The Fire Station but changed to Power in 1988. Old call letters: KXTC, KJJJ-FM, KEZC.

South Mountain translator for KAZL 101.1 Payson.

Not sure if KALF-FM was ever used on the air, but I did see a listing for this station in a mid-'60s station guide as a CP.

KMND-FM was a Country station simulcasted with AM 1510. Went broke in the early '70s and was resurrected as KDKB AM & FM.

KDKB is an AOR station that has been around forever. Originally on both AM (1510) and FM, the AM became KDJQ in the early '80s. KDKB is the FM home of the Phoenix Coyotes.

KFMA was a modern-rock station that didn't last long.

KMEO was no relation to the old KMEO 740 & 96.9. This one was a "New Age" music station that was definitely in the wrong city. Almost no advertising either. Moved to 94.1 (which helped the signal) and changed calls to KBSZ but it still didn't make it.

KSWG is a satellite-delivered country station.

One of the few (along with KUPD & KNIX) pre-1970 FM stations still using its original call letters. This station has had an oldies (1955-1973 Rock & Roll) format since Richard Nixon's first term in the White House.

This station is currently broadcasting from Winslow but has applied to the FCC to move its operations to Sun City West with transmitter in Black Canyon City (on the KUET tower?) to serve the area from north Phoenix to Camp Verde, including Prescott. This application has not been acted upon as of the time of this writing (7/28/2000).

UPDATE 10/13/2000 - The new city of license will be Mayer, not Sun City West. The transmitter will be just south of Prescott and will cover the areas of Flagstaff, Payson, Prescott, and the northern part of Phoenix.

KRFM & KQYT were easy-listening stations.

KOY-FM (Y-95) was a Contemporary-Hit station in the late '80s.

KYOT is a Smooth Jazz station.

South Mountain translator for KLVA 105.5 Casa Grande.

KMEO-FM was an easy-listening station simulcasted with AM 740. No relation to the later KMEO in Wickenburg on 93.7

KPSN "Sunny 97" played '60s and '70s oldies similar to what KOOL-FM does today.

KCHT was very briefly used after the demise of KPSN. Changed to KHTC after a couple of weeks when station owner Bonneville Communications figured that KCHT could be interpreted as "K-SH#T." Uh huh.

KGLQ "Eagle 96.9" was a classic-hits station with personality. KMXP plays '80s and '90s hits.

Low-powered "Town & Country" station from Globe, 70 miles east of Phoenix but does put a decent signal into the east valley. Need some history of this one.

This translator for KRXS is currently off the air. They are located on Shaw Butte in north Phoenix and formerly were a translator for KRXS 97.3 Globe.

Long-time album-rocker and Top-40 before that, competing with KRIZ, KRUX, and KBBC in the early and mid '70s. Simulcasted with KUPD 1060 until 1980.

KTAR-FM was a sister station to KTAR (obviously) but I don't know the format. KBBC was Top 40 competition to KRIZ, KRUX, and KUPD in the '70s, while KKLT has been Lite Rock since the late '80s.

This translator (on Shaw Butte) used to rebroadcast KSTM 107.1 Apache Jct. but now carries KAJM 104.3 Payson.

First attempt at a Spanish-language FM in Phoenix. It didn't last - too early. KLZI was a soft-rock station that replaced KNNN. Evolved into KESZ.

Known as KEZ, KESZ is the home of Beth and Bill. Was KTVK's (TV 3) FM sister station for years until they sold to Owens Broadcasting (KNIX) in 1998, then to Clear Channel.

One of the earliest FM stations in Arizona. It was on the air at least by 1958. KEYX and KGRX were later call letters. Info?

KZRX "Z-Rock" was a Heavy-metal station that replaced KGRX. Became KHOT, a short-lived attempt at FM "Hot-Talk." No relation to the current KHOT on 105.9.

KDDJ relays KEDJ 106.3 for the east valley. A proposed frequency swap with KLVA 105.5 fell through last year.

KDOT-FM was an easy-listening station. KOPA was a Top-40 station that tried to replace KRIZ when it switched to religion (KFLR) in 1978. KSLX is a classic-rock station. Simulcasted on AM 1440 for its entire existence except for 199?-1996.

"The Loop" classic-rocker with studios in Scottsdale but with the main transmitter 80 miles away in Payson and translators on South Mountain at 92.7 and Sunflower (serving Mesa & Fountain Hills) at 103.1.

KHEP-FM (later KONC) was the valley's original classical-music station. Tried soft-rock as KAMJ-FM and KMXX before going to alternative rock in 1992 as KZON. Currently a kinda-sorta CHR station recently purchased by CBS/Infinity in the wake of the Clear Channel-AMFM merger.

One of the top country stations in the US and has been for decades. Simulcasted on AM 1580 through the '60s and '70s.

Translator based in Sunflower for KAZL 101.1 Payson that serves the Fountain Hills area and also covers parts of Mesa.

This station was testing for a brief time in 1999 but is not in full-time operation. It is not currently on the air. The KAZL translator in Sunflower serving Fountain Hills and Mesa is heard on this frequency.

First tried an adult-standards/contemporary mix as KTWC, then New Age KOAZ to compete with KYOT, then "Wild Country" KWCY with ex-KMLE morning guys Tim & Willie. Finally sold to Z-Spanish in 1999, switched to Spanish, and now simulcasts on KUET 710.

On August 1, 2000 Station owner Z-Spanish was purchased by Entravision.

Originally country as KQEZ, then classic rock (KAZR), metal (KBZR), and now Party Radio@103.9. Changed city of license from Coolidge to Gilbert and upgraded their power from 6000 to 50,000 watts in 1997. An awful station for years, now turning it around.

KRIM was a country station serving Payson for years. Later it simulcasted KBZR 103.9, changing its call letters to KBZG. Ran an oldies format for a couple of years until switching to "Arizona Jamz" as KAJM. Took over the 99.3 Shaw Butte translator formerly used by KSTM in the '80s.

Arizona's first FM station, founded by the Harkins Theater group. This group also founded Channel 12 in 1953. Moved to Phoenix as KBUZ in the '60s. Was a top-40 competitor to KOPA in the '80s, soft-rock in the early '90s and trying it again as a CHR now.

Local country outlet in the '70s, simulcasted religion and adult standards with AM 1190 until the station was sold to Big City radio in 1999. Now carrying a Spanish-lanaguage format.

Religious station broadcasting from Casa Grande with a booster in Phoenix. A proposed frequency swap with KDDJ 100.3 fell through in 1999.

Originally supposed to be a Classical station, KXLL couldn't get clearance to put up a plastic-cactus-covered antenna inside Paradise Valley. They debuted as a country station transmitting from Fountain Hills. Changed calls soon after going on the air to KBUQ "Young Buck Country" but 4 FM country stations at the time was too many (as was 3 - see KWCY 103.5). Changed formats to Urban Oldies and call letters to KHOT but this format didn't last either. Now a Spanish-language station.

Originally an MOR station serving the retired folk in Sun City, they later tried oldies, then country, as KMZK. Classical as KONC (call letters picked up when 101.5 dropped them), and finally became the ultimate radio oxymoron - An alternative-rock station that caters to people under 25 licensed to a town where the average age of the residents is over 70. Simulcasts on KDDJ 100.3 in Globe.

Recently moved their transmitter from the Safeway shopping center at 107th Avenue & Grand to near Lake Pleasant, 15 miles north of Sun City.

This South Mountain translator rebroadcast KRDS-FM and KMYL-FM 105.3 Wickenburg for a long time but I'm not sure if it is still on the air.

Urban Contemporary station broadcasting from 25 miles southwest of Phoenix.

The "STM" originally stood for Superstition Mountains. It was a local AJ station until the late '70s when it became "The Storm," an album-rock station with a translator on Shaw Butte at 99.3 (now used by KAJM). Switched to Spanish in 1987 simulcasting KVVA 860. Parent company went bust in 1996 but Spanish survived on 107.1 while 860 became all-sports KMVP.

On August 1, 2000 Station owner Z-Spanish was purchased by Entravision.

Religious broadcaster until 1988 when it switched to Country. This was the station that made Tim & Willie famous (although they are now at KNIX). Sold to CBS in 2000.

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