KTAR-FM
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

KTAR-FM (92.3
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 ...
) is a
commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...
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 radio ...
licensed A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
to
Glendale, Arizona Glendale () is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, located approximately northwest of Downtown Phoenix. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 248,325. History In the la ...
, and serving 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 ...
. It is owned by
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
–based
Bonneville International Bonneville International Corporation is a media and broadcasting company, wholly owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) through its for-profit arm, Deseret Management Corporation. It began as a radio and TV network ...
, a profit-making division of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
. KTAR-FM broadcasts a
News/Talk Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...
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 broadcasting, ...
. Its
studio A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...
s and offices are on North 16th Street near
Piestewa Peak Piestewa Peak ( ; ood, Vainom Do'ag, formerly Squaw Peak), at is the second highest point in the Phoenix Mountains, after Camelback Mountain, and the third highest in the city of Phoenix, Arizona. It is located in the Piestewa Peak Recreation ...
. In the Phoenix
radio 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 station, television and radio broadcasting, ra ...
, KTAR-FM and
KFYI KFYI (550 AM) – branded ''News/Talk 550 KFYI'' – is a commercial news/talk radio station licensed to serve Phoenix, Arizona. Owned by iHeartMedia, KFYI serves the Phoenix metropolitan area as the market affiliate for Fox News Radio, ''The ...
550 AM The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 550 kHz, which the Federal Communications Commission classifies as a regional frequency. Argentina * La Primera in Neuquén, Neuquén. (still have no call sign assigned) Bolivia * CP ...
owned by
iHeartMedia iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
, compete for talk radio listeners. KFYI mostly carries nationally syndicated
conservative talk Conservative talk radio is a talk radio format in the United States and other countries devoted to expressing conservative viewpoints of issues, as opposed to progressive talk radio. The definition of conservative talk is generally broad enough ...
hosts while most weekday hours on KTAR-FM are local. The weekday schedule begins with "Arizona's Morning News," followed by "The Mike Broomhead Show." The syndicated " Dave Ramsey Show" is heard in middays, followed by "Gaydos & Chad," then "Arizona's Evening News." At night, other syndicated shows air, including more of
Dave Ramsey David Lawrence Ramsey III (born September 3, 1960) is an American personal finance personality, radio show host, author, and businessman. An evangelical Christian, he hosts the nationally syndicated radio program ''The Ramsey Show''. Ramsey has ...
, followed by Chad Benson, "
Red Eye Radio ''Red Eye Radio'' is a talk radio program currently hosted by Eric Harley and Gary McNamara. The program is syndicated nationwide by Westwood One, and originates from WBAP in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The show traces its history through ...
" and "
This Morning, America's First News with Gordon Deal ''This Morning: America's First News'' (formerly ''The Wall Street Journal This Morning'') is a two-hour radio news/talk program hosted by Gordon Deal and Jennifer Kushinka, who replaced long-serving co-host Gina Cervetti on January 2, 2015. In a ...
." On weekends, shows on money, health, home improvement and other specialties are heard, some of which are paid
brokered programming Brokered programming (also known as time-buy and blocktime) is a form of broadcast content in which the show's producer pays a radio or television station for air time, rather than exchanging programming for pay or the opportunity to play spot comm ...
. Nights and weekends, most hours begin with
ABC News Radio ABC News Radio is the news radio service of ABC Audio, a division of ABC News in the United States. Formerly known as ABC Radio News, ABC News Radio feeds, through Skyview Networks, five minute newscasts on the hour and news briefs at half-pas ...
. KTAR-FM has an
effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would hav ...
(ERP) of 100,000
watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...
s. The
transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which i ...
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 ...
, amid the
tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...
s for other Phoenix-area FM and TV stations. KTAR-FM broadcasts in
HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...
. Its HD2
digital subchannel In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a method of transmitting more than one independent program stream simultaneously from the same digital radio or television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compress ...
carries the
Latter-day Saints Channel :''Mormon Channel is also the name of a waterway in Stockton, California.'' The Latter-day Saints Channel (formerly the Mormon Channel) is an over the air and Internet radio station owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
from
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
.


History


KXTC

On December 19, 1970, the station 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 ...
as KXTC, owned by the Arizona Communications Corporation. It aired a mix of mainstream and contemporary
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
music, and was an affiliate of the ABC-FM Radio Network. It initially broadcast from a transmitter atop the Westward Ho. In 1978, with
disco music Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric piano ...
gaining in popularity, KXTC switched to an all-disco format, using the name "Disco 92".
Disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...
s included Scott Tuchman and Rick Nuhn. After a couple of years, however, the disco craze faded.


KJJJ-FM and KEZC

The station dropped disco for
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
in 1980, going by the moniker "KC-92". In January 1981, the station's studios moved to Shaw Butte, and three months later, the station switched its
call sign 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 ...
to KJJJ-FM for the first time. In 1982, the call letters switched to KEZC, which stood for EZ Country. Easy Country played the softer hits from current and recent country music charts, designed for office listening and relaxing. In 1984, the station began to
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, simultane ...
with KJJJ (now
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, u ...
). It returned to the call sign KJJJ-FM, moving back to mainstream country music.


Top 40 Years

In 1985, KJJJ-FM flipped to KKFR as a gold-based
Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
outlet as "The Fire Station, Arizona's 92 Fire FM", and later as "92.3 KKFR, Your Fire Station!". In 1988, KKFR began calling itself "Hot Hits 92.3", but was forced to drop that by radio consultant Mike Joseph, the owner of the "
Hot Hits Hot Hits was a radio format created by consultant Mike Joseph in the 1970s. That concept, which helped spur the birth of what is now known as CHR, also revitalized the Top 40 format and would play a role in bringing the format to the FM band throug ...
" slogan nationally. Over the next few years, the station began shifting towards a
Rhythmic Contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary never uses ...
format. It also adopted the name "Power 92", influenced by former
sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...
KPWR KPWR (105.9 FM) – branded as ''Power 106'' – is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area. KPWR is owned and operated by Meruelo Group and airs a Rhythmic Hot AC format. KPWR's studio ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. During this time, KKFR heavily competed
KZZP KZZP (104.7 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Mesa, Arizona, and serving the Phoenix metropolitan area. The station airs a top 40 (CHR) format and is owned and operated by iHeartMedia. Studios and offices are on East Van Buren Street ...
and KOY-FM for contemporary music listeners. In April 1991, however, KZZP flipped to
Hot AC Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet s ...
, and in September 1993, KOY-FM dropped out of the format, flipping to a short-lived "rhythm and rock" format, and then
smooth jazz Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz and easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. History Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the 19 ...
, leaving KKFR as the lone Top 40-oriented station in the market. On December 16, 1993, despite high ratings as a rhythmic contemporary outlet, KKFR evolved to Mainstream
Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
, leaning slightly toward
Modern Rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...
. However, the station's ratings slipped. From January to March 1995, the station re-added rhythmic and dance music to the
playlist A playlist is a list of video or audio files that can be played back on a media player either sequentially or in a shuffled order. In its most general form, an audio playlist is simply a list of songs, but sometimes a loop. The term has sever ...
, which helped the station regain much of its lost audience. By 1997, KKFR began dropping the dance hits, transforming into an R&B/ Hip-Hop approach. By the end of the year, the station was no longer Top 40 at all. Chancellor Media (which later became AMFM, Inc.) purchased the station in late 1998 from its longtime owners The Broadcast Group. When Chancellor merged with
Clear Channel Communications iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
, the company had to divest the station to meet
FCC The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...
ownership regulations.
Emmis Communications Emmis Communications is an American media conglomerate based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Emmis, based on the Hebrew word for Truth (Emet) was founded by Jeff Smulyan in 1980. Emmis has owned many radio stations, including KPWR and WQHT, which hav ...
bought the station in 2000. By this time, the station began calling itself "Power 92.3".


News Talk 92.3 KTAR-FM

In 2006, Emmis sold the station to
Bonneville International Bonneville International Corporation is a media and broadcasting company, wholly owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) through its for-profit arm, Deseret Management Corporation. It began as a radio and TV network ...
. In turn, Bonneville announced it would move the news/talk format airing on
KTAR KTAR may refer to: * KTAR (AM), a radio station (620 AM) licensed to Phoenix, Arizona. * KTAR-FM, a radio station (92.3 FM) licensed to Glendale, Arizona. * KMVP-FM, a radio station (98.7 FM) licensed to Glendale, Arizona, which formerly used the ...
(620 AM) to KKFR beginning September 18, 2006. That same day, KKFR became KTAR-FM. The AM station merged its programming with KMVP, the local
ESPN Radio ESPN Radio, which is alternately platform-agnostically branded as ESPN Audio, is an American sports radio network and extension of the ESPN television network. It was launched on January 1, 1992, under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN". ...
sports radio Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often- boisterous on-ai ...
station. The merger was complete by January 1, 2007. As KTAR-FM carried all news/talk programming, KTAR AM became "Arizona Sports 620". (On September 15, 2014, KTAR AM became "ESPN Phoenix 620 AM" with the local "Arizona Sports" format moving to 98.7 FM on January 6, 2014.) 860 AM was divested to the non-profit Cesar Chavez Foundation on March 9, 2017.


KKFR Programming

The former occupant of the 92.3 frequency, KKFR, went through several changes. Its intellectual property was acquired by Riviera Broadcast Group (which already owned 103.9 KEDJ and two stations in
Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...
). Shortly thereafter, KKFR moved to 98.3 FM licensed to Mayer, which was KKLD in
Prescott Valley Prescott Valley is a town located in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States, approximately east of Prescott. According to the 2020 United States Census, Prescott Valley has a population of 46,785 residents. History Prescott Valley's Fitzmaur ...
. Sunburst Media let Riviera operate and later own the station. KKFR took over KKLD and created the new
KKFR KKFR (98.3 FM) is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Mayer, Arizona, and serves the Phoenix metropolitan area. The station is owned and operated by Desert Valley Media Group and airs a rhythmic contemporary radio format. KKFR broad ...
on September 1.


HD radio

KTAR-FM broadcasts in the
HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...
hybrid format. The main signal airs KTAR's news/talk programming. The HD2
digital subchannel In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a method of transmitting more than one independent program stream simultaneously from the same digital radio or television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compress ...
carries the
Mormon Channel :''Mormon Channel is also the name of a waterway in Stockton, California.'' The Latter-day Saints Channel (formerly the Mormon Channel) is an over the air and Internet radio station owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...
, aimed at members of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...
, which owns
Bonneville International Bonneville International Corporation is a media and broadcasting company, wholly owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) through its for-profit arm, Deseret Management Corporation. It began as a radio and TV network ...
. The Mormon Channel originates from Temple Square in
Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
, and broadcasts religious and lifestyle shows 24 hours a day, seven days a week.


References


External links

* * {{Bonneville International TAR-FM News and talk radio stations in the United States Bonneville International Radio stations established in 1970 1970 establishments in Arizona