KGME

KGME (910 AM) is a commercial radio station in Phoenix, Arizona. KGME carries a sports radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices are in Phoenix near Sky Harbor International Airport.

KGME is powered at 5,000 watts, using a directional antenna at night. The transmitter is in the city's Deer Valley district, at North 30th Avenue at Maryland Avenue.

Programming

The station's weekday lineup includes seven hours worth of local shows, in morning drive time as well as early afternoons. Late mornings feature the syndicated Colin Cowherd Show. Fox Sports Radio takes up the rest of the broadcast schedule.

In 2019-20, KGME regained its contract as the flagship station of the Arizona Coyotes hockey team, which it held to until 2021. Since 2013, Fox Sports 910 has been the Phoenix affiliate for the University of Arizona Wildcats football and men's basketball radio network.

History

910 was originally KPHO, operating on 1200; the station moved to 1230 in 1941 (following the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement). On September 21, 1949, at 9:10pm, KPHO relocated from 1230 kHz to 910, a frequency change that brought with it new transmitter facilities and a power increase to 5,000 watts. In 1972, Meredith sold KPHO radio and retained KPHO-TV channel 5 in a sale process that dragged on for more than a year due to concerns over the station dropping its news format (alleviated when KHAT 1480 was sold to an owner who flipped it to all news); the new owners, Dairyland Associates, changed the call letters to KJJJ and operated the station as "Big Country KJ". In 1985, KJJJ became KFYI after being purchased by Fred Weber's Broadcast Group. KFYI implemented a highly successful talk format, and became the home to hosts that would go on to greater success, such as Tom Leykis.

In 1999, Broadcast Group sold to AMFM, formerly Chancellor. On September 25, 2000, after AMFM merged with iHeartMedia (then known as Clear Channel Communications), KFYI moved to AM 550 to obtain a better signal, swapping frequencies with what is now KGME. Clear Channel rebranded KGME as XTRA Sports 910 to match the "XTRA" branding of their other sports-talk properties.

The KGME call letters and sports talk format had been operating on AM 550 under the branding "KGME Sports Radio 550," and had only jumped to 550 a year earlier (April 23, 1999) from AM 1360 in a three-way frequency swap involving heritage station KOY. In KGME's 1360 kHz days (1994–99), the station was Phoenix's only full-time sports station and branded itself "The Game." Mike Golic was a show host on the station along with Tony Femino in 1994. Other hosts included Bruce Jacobs, Arnie Spanier, Chuck Powell, and Vince Marotta. Some prominent hosts that previously worked at KGME as XTRA Sports 910 include John Gambodoro, Mark Asher, Dan Bickley, and Mike Jurecki. "Bickley and MJ" was named Sports Talk Show of the year in 2007 by ''Phoenix'' magazine and Sports Talk Show of the year in 2007 by the ''Phoenix New Times''. KGME was nominated in 2007 and 2008 for the NAB ( National Association of Broadcasters) Marconi Award for Sports Station of the year.

On June 11, 2013 KGME rebranded as "Fox Sports 910".

References

External links

FCC History Cards for KGMEKGME Website

{{IHeartMedia

GME
Sports radio stations in the United States
Radio stations established in 1940
1940 establishments in Arizona
IHeartMedia radio stations