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KDKB (93.3
MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...
"Alt AZ 93-3") is a commercial FM
radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...
broadcasting to the
Phoenix metropolitan area The Phoenix Metropolitan Area – also the Valley of the Sun, the Salt River Valley, or Metro Phoenix (known by most locals simply as “the Valley”) – is the largest metropolitan area in the Southwestern United States, centered on the city ...
with its
city of license In American, Canadian, and Mexican broadcasting, a city of license or community of license is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator. In North American br ...
in Mesa, Arizona. It is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc. with the license held by Phoenix FCC License Sub, LLC. It airs an
Alternative Rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...
radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when radio was compelle ...
. Its studios are located in Phoenix, while its
transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the ...
is in
South Mountain Park South Mountain Park in Phoenix, Arizona is the largest municipal park in the United States, and one of the largest urban parks in North America and in the world. It has been designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride. Geography and ecology South ...
.


History


KYEW (1960-1962)

The first radio station on 93.3 in Phoenix was short-lived KYEW, owned by Frank S. Barc, which went on the air May 9, 1960. KYEW's license was canceled and its call letters deleted as of April 18, 1962.


Easy listening (1968-1971)

On April 20, 1968, the current 93.3 license first
signed on Signing may refer to: * Using sign language * Signature A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on do ...
the air as the sister station to
1510 AM The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 1510 kHz: 1510 AM is a North American (U.S.) clear-channel frequency. WLAC in Nashville, Tennessee, is the dominant Class A station on 1510 AM. KGA Spokane had been a Class A station, ...
(now
KFNN KFNN (1510 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Mesa, Arizona, and serving the Phoenix metropolitan area. It airs a financial news and talk radio format, broadcasting from studios in North Scottsdale. KFNN is owned by CRC Broadc ...
). Originally, the station was KMND, broadcasting an
easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...
music format branded as "Command Radio".


Rock (1971-2014)

On August 23, 1971, the format was changed to
Progressive Rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. In ...
. In many respects, this format was a continuation of the freeform format of KCAC, a daytime-only station that was going bankrupt. According to KDKB co-owner Dwight Tindle, he and KCAC program director, William Edward "Bill" Compton, "invented KDKB" and its air sound. Moreover, Compton and several of KCAC's DJs were hired to staff KDKB. KDKB-FM's rock format was
simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simulta ...
on 1510 KDKB (AM). In 1978, the AM simulcast was broken and 1510 changed formats to
oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as ...
. The AM
call letters In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...
were changed to KDJQ ("The Golden Rock") with program director Robert M. Chenault and morning DJ Griffin Gary "Toad Hall" Kinsey, followed later by Bruce "Brother" Baumbush. In 1980, the format on KDJQ changed to
new wave music New wave is a loosely defined music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s and the 1980s. It was originally used as a catch-all for the various styles of music that emerged after punk rock, including punk itself. La ...
for a brief time, with Jonathan "Johnny D." Dixon as the program director and
Jonathan L Jonathan Leigh Rosen (born December 5, 1946, in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York), better known by his radio handle Jonathan L, is an American radio deejay, programmer, and entertainment media publisher. He organized his first large music festival ...
as assistant program director, music director, and evening personality. 1510 is now broadcasting a Financial/Business News format as KFNN. KDKB was the first
Album Oriented Rock Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the 1970s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock. Album-orient ...
(AOR) station in the Phoenix
media market A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...
, and one of the first AOR stations in America. Throughout the 1980s, KDKB evolved into more of an adult-leaning direction focusing on the
classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, prima ...
artists. A favorite segment during the summer in the early 80's was reading listener shared "Dashboard Recipes" at noon. Everything from cookies and pastries to nachos and slow cooked chili were favorites. Starting in March 1989, KDKB was anchored in mornings by the "Tim & Mark" show. The show proved to be one of the most popular in Phoenix radio history, lasting through 2005. The show featured regular segments like "Helium Hilarity" and "Rump Ranger." Tim & Mark would do night time anniversary shows every year at places like the Tempe Improv and the Celebrity Theater. Tim & Mark also contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to local charities through their self-formed "Tim & Mark Charities." They would sell their annual "Best Of Tim & Mark" CDs throughout the Valley while doing autograph signings at Wherehouse Record stores. All of the profits were then given to charity. Tim & Mark left KDKB in early 2005. Their last show featured listeners calling in and thanking them for their show and also had Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano and Secretary of State Betsy Bayless call in to thank them and wish them well. On September 5, 2006, KDKB began playing full-length albums of classic rock artists without the use of any on-air personalities. On September 15, 2006, KDKB returned to its
Mainstream Rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...
format with the new slogan, "Everything That Rocks", including a larger variety of Rock artists along with special programming features including '80s themed weekends. In mid 2010, the station initiated the slogan, "KDKB Rocks Arizona!", and retooled the entire on-air lineup. In the fall of 2013, the station changed its lineup and featuring Shmonty & Conklin in the mornings, Ruby Cheeks midday, KDKB's Program Director and DJ Paul "Neanderpaul" Marshall in afternoons, and Mike Gaube at night. In 2013, Sandusky Radio sold its stations in Phoenix and Seattle to Hubbard Broadcasting, including KDKB.


Alternative (2014-present)

On September 17, 2014, at 10 a.m., KDKB dropped its Rock format after 43 years (which would move to KDKB's HD2 sub-channel), and began stunting as "93.3 The Cheese" playing songs by jazz-lounge cover artist
Richard Cheese Richard Cheese & Lounge Against The Machine (or simply Richard Cheese) is a cover band and comedy act, performing popular songs in a lounge/swing style. Lounge singer Richard Cheese is a character created and portrayed by Los Angeles-based act ...
. At Noon that day, 93.3 flipped to
Alternative Rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...
as "Alt AZ 93.3". The last song on "KDKB" was ''
Living After Midnight "Living After Midnight" is a song by English heavy metal band Judas Priest. It was originally featured on their 1980 album '' British Steel'', which was their first gold album in the United States selling more than 500,000 copies (and eventua ...
'' by Judas Priest (promoting a November 2014 concert at
Gila River Arena Desert Diamond Arena (originally Glendale Arena and formerly Jobing.com Arena and Gila River Arena) is an indoor multi-purpose entertainment arena located in Glendale, Arizona. The venue anchors the 223-acre, $1 billion Westgate Entertainment D ...
by the group), while the first song on "Alt AZ" was '' Come With Me Now'' by Paradise Valley-founded band KONGOS. This move allowed Hubbard to keep their "Wall of Rock" intact, while eliminating all overlaps between KDKB and sisters Classic Rock
KSLX-FM KSLX-FM is a Classic rock radio station serving the Phoenix, Arizona area. The Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc. outlet broadcasts at 100.7 MHz with an ERP of 100 kW and is licensed to Scottsdale, Arizona. KSLX simulcasts in digital HD Radio. I ...
and Active Rock
KUPD KUPD (97.9 MHz, "98 KUPD") is a commercial active rock FM radio station. Licensed to Tempe, Arizona, the station serves the Phoenix metropolitan area. The station is owned by Hubbard Radio, a division of Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc. of St. Paul ...
. In 2020, the station began airing the syndicated Woody Show in morning drive from
KYSR KYSR (98.7 FM) is a commercial alternative radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, serving the Greater Los Angeles area. Owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., KYSR is the flagship station of syndicated morning drive program ''The Woody Show''. T ...
in Los Angeles. Less than two years later, the show was dropped due to low ratings.https://radioinsight.com/headlines/220103/93-3-alt-az-adds-izzy-for-mornings/


HD radio

KDKB's HD Radio signal is multiplexed. The main signal airs KDKB's alternative rock programming. The second channel carried KDUS "The Fan", a valley AM sports talk radio station until June 21, 2012 when KDUS was replaced by
KAZG KAZG (1440 AM) is a radio station broadcasting an oldies format. Licensed to Scottsdale, Arizona, United States, the station covers the Phoenix metropolitan area. KAZG is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc. and licensed to Phoenix FCC License Sub ...
"Arizona Gold", a co-owned
oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as ...
station that broadcasts on
1440 AM 144 may refer to: * 144 (number), the natural number following 143 and preceding 145 * AD 144, a year of the Julian calendar, in the second century AD * 144 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar * ''144'' (film), a 2015 Indian comedy * ''14 ...
. On September 17, 2014, when KDKB's main signal flipped to alternative rock, their previous rock format moved to the HD2 subchannel. KDKB's HD2 sub-channel later switched back to a simulcast of KAZG.


References


External links

{{Authority control DKB Mass media in Mesa, Arizona Alternative rock radio stations in the United States Hubbard Broadcasting