Blowtorch 5~Eighty Question

[DrAkbar]

Summer doldrums have hit the Valley and we're now wasting bandwidth by talking about the old xmttr site at 4701 N Swan Road. If you have some info on the subject, post here or reply to "Worst AM Signal In Phoenix" on the Phoenix Board. Nurse Jeff and I'd sure like to know why that valuable piece of real estate sits there with a bunch of unused radio towers on it.

 

[soazdude2]

Dr. Akbar, can the Gremlin even make it up Swan that far? Bienvenidos a Tucson.

A couple of years back someone on this board said that the Swan Road site is currently used by the city and/or county for their VHF/UHF communications needs.

So now we get to ask a question of you: Why did Channel 3 take away half of the Estrogen TV duo (or maybe quartet as it were) from us. Mad at Kerr for dumping D'Antoni so they're punishing the city of his alma mater?

 

[The Beave]

A couple of years back someone on this board said that the Swan Road site is currently used by the city and/or county for their VHF/UHF communications needs.

Actually that has been that way since 1998. But also on a couple of the sticks KSAZ-AM was there and now it appears they are on another site, There was a Tucson Weekly article written in 2007 by former KTUC producer John Schuster now covering the media beat as of a last year. That said they were looking at moving onto a a site in Casa Grande while keeping the studios in Marana.

There wasn't much more than that.

 

[DrAkbar]

Dr. Akbar, can the Gremlin even make it up Swan that far? Bienvenidos a Tucson.

A couple of years back someone on this board said that the Swan Road site is currently used by the city and/or county for their VHF/UHF communications needs.

So now we get to ask a question of you: Why did Channel 3 take away half of the Estrogen TV duo (or maybe quartet as it were) from us. Mad at Kerr for dumping D'Antoni so they're punishing the city of his alma mater?

While GM's couldn't see past the cheesecake, the Belo bean counters could. After seveal years of running a bloated operation inherited from MAC, it was time to do the opposite of augmentation....reduction. While the days of The Place With More Estrogen may be over, memories of mammories remain.

btw...our '76 Gremlin can really go the distance. The Nurse and I took out the AMC extended warranty: 50,000 miles or whenever the Suns get beyond the first game in the playoffs. A tip of the fez to Mr. Kerr for keeping us on the road!

 

[caveman-97]

The present owners of Blowtorch 580 have grandiose plans to move into the Phoenix market. Their proposal is to change the community of license to Queen Creek and become a daytimer with 7,000 watts using a pattern aimed to the Northwest. The existing site in Marana would be retained, with a null toward Tucson.

As every radio person in Phoenix knows, there is a terrible shortage of AM stations in that market and this new outlet should fill the void.

Meanwhile, KHIL-1250 in Willcox has permission to move to Kearny and that may also provide relief to the AM starved Phoenix market.

 

[MW_FM_DT_DXer]

Actually, KHIL's application was dismissed:
http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=1218818

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Actually that has been that way since 1998. But also on a couple of the sticks KSAZ-AM was there and now it appears they are on another site...(snip)...they were looking at moving on to a site in Casa Grande while keeping the studios in Marana.

KSAZ Marana never used the Swan Road site. It started as a daytimer with
one stick at the present site, then later erected (all clear for the Viagra joke!)
towers two and three to add their DA-N.

Immediate predecessor (with some "dark" time on the freq in-between) KJMM
Tucson was the last 580 occupant to XMIT from North Swan. Weren't both
Dan Gates and Bob Wagner part of the KJMM staff?

Proposed new COL Queen Creek, not Kahsa Grrrrahnday, as noted in a previous
post above (also excerpted here below) by our cavedude buddy.

Meanwhile, the studios have never been in Marana--Grant near Wilmot originally,
now near Speedway and Craycroft. A year or so ago, the Barna-zation of the
Giant 580 had them looking to find a new location to build out a "real" studio
complex. Does that mean Dancin' Dan will finally get to use something newer
than those lumbering old RCA turntables and an Ampex 350 reeler? Oh, and
lest we forget the cassette machines! Whatever happened to the Copenhagen
Furniture spot with the guy doing the bad Lawrence Welk impression? ;D

Their proposal is to...(snip)...become a daytimer with 7,000 watts using a pattern aimed to the Northwest. The existing site in Marana would be retained, with a null toward Tucson.

Unless their CP application has changed, the nulls would be to the NNE and SW from
the Marana XMTR site. Tucson would be covered in one rather sizeable lobe, with
Phoe--er, the giant Queen Creek metro covered in an even bigger lobe.

But a daytimer? : Not even 52 watts at night to compete on an even playing
field with Lumberyard 1440?

 

[wahookah]

AH YES!! The only radio station in Southern Arizona to have an actual working studio in an actual bomb shelter. At that time, 580 KIKX (The Great 58) (sorry caveman97! I know how much you hate the word "Great") was the designated EBS station for all of southern Arizona in the event of an actual emergency. The transmitter used (also used when it was KJMM) was an RCA 5Kw ampli-phase for daytime operation, & an RCA 1Kw ampli-phase with a Gates phasor antenna system. This was the last studio I worked at that had a Gates Dualux broadcast console (remember the A & B channels ?) and it was red. And in the Prod Rm., it had a Gates "Yard" console with 2 Ampex 440-B full track reel machinnes. Oh, and russco turntables in both studios. Ahh, . . . what memories! .....and what a view!! Especially at night!! : ;D

 

[nino]

...The only radio station in Southern Arizona to have an actual working studio in an actual bomb shelter. At that time, 580 KIKX (The Great 58)...was the designated EBS station for all of southern Arizona in the event of an actual emergency. The transmitter used (also used when it was KJMM) was an RCA 5Kw ampli-phase for daytime operation, & an RCA 1Kw ampli-phase with a Gates phasor antenna system. This was the last studio I worked at that had a Gates Dualux broadcast console (remember the A & B channels ?) and it was red. And in the Prod Rm., it had a Gates "Yard" console with 2 Ampex 440-B full track reel machinnes. Oh, and russco turntables in both studios. Ahh, . . . what memories! .....and what a view!! Especially at night!! : ;D

...snakes between my truck and the buildings...gila monsters outside of the "office"...scorpions in the bathroom, and the hallway near the transmitter...and tarantulas that would crawl up my leg while I had the mic open...

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Oh, and russco turntables in both studios.

IIRC, they had QRKs--three in the air studio and two in the prod. room--
at the original KIKX studio site (Sands Motel, I-10 & Congress).

Plus four (originally three, plus a Mack) tempermental Gates (Criterion?)
cart machines in the air studio. The jocks sometimes had trouble getting
them to start, and you could often hear the "ca-ching" of the start relay
when they did.

I don't suppose the Russco 'tables meant they had any less cue burn. ;D

 

[thirdtickket]

And...to really go down memory lane with the Great KIKX-58. The original call letters at the original studios at the Sands Hotel off I-10 were < KTAN. > Trying to remember if John Walton owned the station when it was KTAN? Last time I looked I believe those calls were now in Sierra Vista...!!?

Ah, and as a former Tucsonan, I remember the top 40 rivalry between KTKT, the mighty 99 against KIKX-58 !!!! It was a similar rivalry to the good ole KRUX- KRIZ days in Phoenix !!!!

I also remember daytimer KFIF in Tucson....damn, I'm showin my age !!! ;D

 

[oldiesfan6479]

...memory lane with the Great KIKX-58. The original call letters at the original studios at the Sands Hotel off I-10 were < KTAN. > Trying to remember if John Walton owned the station when it was KTAN?...(snip)...I also remember daytimer KFIF in Tucson...

The original calls on 580 were KCNA, it having moved from 1340 in 1951
coinciding with putting up the three towers on Swan Road.

KCNA had been at 1511 E. 16th St. with one 250-watt stick and
the studio may have remained there until the Sands Hotel site came
about--guessing late '50s. Also guessing the studio move happened
with the call change to KTAN. Unsure of how ownership changes may
have paralled any of this.

The crummy (by the '70s) little building on 16th St. (and Cherry) was
later used by KTUC during the Tom "what, spend money?" Maples days.
If zumahansnews94 is still around (and his visa reinstated ), he has
voluminous stories about Kay-Tuck and its skinflint manager in that era.

John Walton never owned KTAN, per se, other than buying it to take it
off the air in prep for flipping it to KIKX. He donated daytimer KFIF 1550
to the U of A in order to get the 24-hour license on 580 (KIKX, with
5 kw-D, 500 w-N, DA-N).

Then there was the kidnapping stunt. Crazeeeeee! ;D

 

[Cygnus]

KTAN....wow.

1420 KTAN in Sierra Vista was my first radio gig. "Kickin' Country"!!

I grew up with my parents listening to it every Saturday morning as they did the weekend chore thing. At 17, the new owner/GM at the time, Gordon Stafford hired me for weekends. I hated country music but loved the job. Talk about a "radio ranch"...I think the building had been one at one time.

It was the only station (AM) for many years until the FM giant 92.1 KZMK....which later became 92.3 KZMK....which went chapter 11, sold and became 92.3 KWCD FM. I think the KZMK calls went to K101. I'm getting dizzy now.

KTAN has been in SV for at least 30+ years.

RIP to Carlos Ibarra, John Cowles(sp) and, by now, Gordon Stafford. Ed Lang deserves a nod too.

Thanks for the flashback!

 

[bilco]

Interesting thread. I was the engineer who built the single stick system out in Marana when t80 came back on the air. Dick Haskey (RIP) did the tower construction and I built the transmitter and limited studios over on Grant. I'm still owed money on that one. When Phylis passed away, here husband Bill never had much interest in ckeeping the station.

 

[bilco]

Sorry must have hit the wrong key. I was also a consulting engineer donw in Sierra Vista for several years under the onwership preveious to Behan. Sam ????? forgot his lase name, then later worked there ful time forfor Behan a couple of years after the stations I was at for 15 years in TUcson were on the way to becoming part of the Clear channel mess. I left Behan with Dennis behan's blessing when I got a very good offer for some interesting work here in Las Vegas with Lotus. He knew I was bored in SV. A year later Dennis was dead. He was perhaps the finest man I've ever worked for in 40+ years inthe business. Lotus Las Vegas is geat however and Tony Bonicci and Howard Kalmunsen are great to work for as well. I've been gone fro Southern AZ for 11 years now but still miss it some.
Bill Croghan

 

[The Beave]

Hey Bill I remember you.. always kept a tight ship, and sounding good.

Feel free to PM me sometime...

 

[thirdtickket]

Geez. I remember the "kidnapping fiasco" at KIKX-58.....believe it was in 1974 when new morning man Gary Craig was promo'ed as being the new morning man....and he was "on his way" from back east.....! Along the way the station staged a fake "kidnapping".....and even made the mistake of mentioning it in legitimate newscasts....on the air !!!!

I believe thats what really got the station in hot water with the FCC. Lost their license and were "dark" for years after that !!!!

Never worked at KIKX but competed with them when I was on the air at KCUB when KIKX went country.....

 

[Kent]

When did KIKX flip from top-40 to country?

 

[thirdtickket]

If memory serves me I believe KIKX-58 flipped to country sometime in 1977 or 78? I was at KCUB at the time and we owned the country shares in Tucson in the 70's...!!!! Other competitor country -KHOS-940 became KMGX and an AC format about the same time that KIKX went country !

KCUB was even Billboard Magazine station of the year in 1976, any format !!!

Don't remember how long KIKX stayed country before going dark & losing that license cuz of the kidnap hoax...!??

 

[landtuna]

Ah, and as a former Tucsonan, I remember the top 40 rivalry between KTKT, the mighty 99 against KIKX-58 !!!! It was a similar rivalry to the good ole KRUX- KRIZ days in Phoenix !!!!

I moved away from Tucson in 1960 but remember KTKT's rivalry being KAIR. I don't remember KIKX at all before moving but it was already country (to the best of my knowledge) when I returned in 1968.