Worst AM Signal In Phoenix

[Bill Drake]

Thanks for the many replies. Back to the worst signals, I know they've already been nominated but 1580 nights is one of my "favorites," 1310? I live East of 1-17 and unless there's a good wind blowing, I don't get them at night (not that I think there's much to miss).

Also, how about 1010 nights..... why???? 250 watts stuck in Tolleson????

And then there's Radio Fiesta or whatever; 1400. Do they even have a stick or merely some copper wire strung between two trees?

1360 doesn't do too well either at nights. I think their signal actually is worse given that they doubled their nighttime power from 500 to 1000 watts. Again, no loss. But I recall when it was KRUX and pound for pound, their nighttime signal gain was a 0.

Conversely, I always was impressed with 1230, which for a Class IV (I know that really dates me!) has one of the best signals in its classification. I think that dated back to when it was KRIZ....

 

[DrAkbar]

Conversely, I always was impressed with 1230, which for a Class IV (I know that really dates me!) has one of the best signals in its classification. I think that dated back to when it was KRIZ....

For a IV, they sure have a tall stick. The Nurse and I don't know if it's a half or 5/8 wave...in fact we don't even know what the hell that means, but perhaps the Old Gringo will chime in. And to think, 12~Thirty used to be 250w at night!

 

[oak999]

Not to be a nitpicking pain, oldiesfan, but it seems so many people, particularly in the production department, aren't aware that Phoenix means nothing if you're not licensed to it. All these stations act as if Phoenix is a ncessary appendage... KTAR Glendale/Phoenix, etc, etc. I understand identifying with the big city has benefits, but in reality, you're NOT a Phoenix station. You're a Glendale station that just so happens to be next to Phoenix and cover it. But the FCC doesn't care; your obligation is to Glendale.

KTAR does cover its COL Glendale with a city grade signal and also IDs it at the top of the hour. If the station does not ever want to talk about issues in Glendale correct me if I am wrong under the law they can do that. There is no "obligation" but to the market as a whole which is why the FCC is more lax over the years on COL.

 

[landtuna]

104.7 hasn't been based in Mesa since they were KTYL-FM in the '50s.

Huh? An FM station in Mesa in the 1950's??? Was that a typo? The first FM station I heard in the Western states was in the S.F. Bay Area in the early 60's.

It should be "Mesa-Phoenix," but they've ID'ed this way since they moved out of Mesa (changing their call letters from KVAR to KTAR-TV in the process) in 1959.

KTAR - 1959? I have an original 78 RPM recording of a late-1944 interview KTAR did with my father from a hospital in Hawaii and broadcast in the Phoenix area shortly after that. My dad was wounded in the Leyte invasion and was married to my mother, a resident of the very small town of Tempe where everyone knew everyone.

 

[davideduardo]

104.7 hasn't been based in Mesa since they were KTYL-FM in the '50s.

Huh? An FM station in Mesa in the 1950's??? Was that a typo? The first FM station I heard in the Western states was in the S.F. Bay Area in the early 60's.

By 1950, there were over 1000 FMs on the air. Many markets, like LA and SF, had a half dozen on the air within a year or two of the end of hostilities.

 

[KeithE4]

104.7 hasn't been based in Mesa since they were KTYL-FM in the '50s.

Huh? An FM station in Mesa in the 1950's??? Was that a typo? The first FM station I heard in the Western states was in the S.F. Bay Area in the early 60's.

By 1950, there were over 1000 FMs on the air. Many markets, like LA and SF, had a half dozen on the air within a year or two of the end of hostilities.

David's right. Here is a list of FM stations from the 1950 Broadcasting Yearbook, courtesy of Jeff Miller's (relocated) site. LA & suburbs had close to 20 stations on or authorized. The Bay Area had about a dozen.

Arizona had 2 non-comm CPs listed: One in Phoenix on 88.5 that eventually became KFCA/KMCR/KJZZ 91.5, and one in Thatcher (KGIA 88.1) - I don't know if it was ever built. Neither of the actual "first two" stations, KTYL-FM 104.7 Mesa & KWJB-FM 100.3 Globe, were listed. They must have been granted their CPs after this book was published.

Of course, by the end of the 1950s, many of those stations were gone except for the ones in the largest markets. Arizona only had 5 FMs in 1958 - 3 in metro Phoenix (2 commercial - I believe the listing for KELE should read 95.5, not 98.5), one in Globe, and one in Tucson.

 

[landtuna]

By 1950, there were over 1000 FMs on the air. Many markets, like LA and SF, had a half dozen on the air within a year or two of the end of hostilities.

But I thought we were talking about Mesa, AZ.

 

[The Beave]

The worst used to be KFNN - back in the early 1990's when they had that tower in Mesa (1kw ND-D 100w ND-N) Then something miraculous happened they got on the directional and diplexed off of KOOL-AM With a power boost.

 

[MW_FM_DT_DXer]

KFNN's power from the Mesa tower was 10 kW, ND, daytime and critical hours. They did not broadcast at night then.
http://www.recnet.com/cdbs/fmq.php?facid=&call=KFNN&ccode=1&arch=Y&latd=&lond=&city=&state=&country=US&zip=&party=&party_type=LICEN&jaws=0

 

[davideduardo]

By 1950, there were over 1000 FMs on the air. Many markets, like LA and SF, had a half dozen on the air within a year or two of the end of hostilities.

But I thought we were talking about Mesa, AZ.

Phoenix had multiple FM licenses prior to 1950.

 

[davideduardo]

Of course, by the end of the 1950s, many of those stations were gone except for the ones in the largest markets. Arizona only had 5 FMs in 1958 - 3 in metro Phoenix (2 commercial - I believe the listing for KELE should read 95.5, not 98.5), one in Globe, and one in Tucson.

Total FMs, licensed or on air, in 1959 was almost half of the 1959 figure. There were many unbuilt CPs, including Mesa, apparently, during the 1946-1959 period.

 

[KeithE4]

Phoenix had multiple FM licenses prior to 1950.

What stations were they, other than KFCA and KTYL-FM? Those were the only two I've ever heard of prior to the mid or late '50s when KELE came on the air (Bob Dreste would know this)? Or were there several CPs in that era that were never built?

If Mesa had any FM stations licensed to it other than 93.3 (beginning in 1967 or '68) and 104.7 (since 1950), I'm not aware of them. Neither station has ever gone dark AFAIK.

 

[davideduardo]

What stations were they, other than KFCA and KTYL-FM?

In 1948, the only list I have with me, so to speak, there were none on the air. There was quite a bit of activity in '49 and '50, and as you suspected, many were CPs that never got built.

There is a list of what was on the air in 1948 at http://www.davidgleason.com/Whites Spring 1948.pdf

AZ had no operating FM then.

 

[landtuna]

KOOL! er....I mean, COOL!!!!! I saw KCNA on the list. The station I grew up with as a very young lad. They had a singer on there named Nitta Lynn who called me on my 8th birthday. Highlight of my young life!

 

[The Beave]

KFNN's power from the Mesa tower was 10 kW, ND, daytime and critical hours. They did not broadcast at night then.
http://www.recnet.com/cdbs/fmq.php?facid=&call=KFNN&ccode=1&arch=Y&latd=&lond=&city=&state=&country=US&zip=&party=&party_type=LICEN&jaws=0

I stand corrected - I couldn't remember what it was. But Ron kept it off at night because it only could be heard for about a mile after sunset. That was back when it was a 6 person operation.

It went to 11 until they went voice tracked. Last I checked, they were still live on the weekends and mornings.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

I saw KCNA on the list. The station I grew up with as a very young lad.

Originally a 250-watter on 1340, KCNA Tucson moved to 580 in 1951.
I'm not sure if their 5000/500 DA-N power occurred with the move,
but it was in place as such by the late 1950s, if not before.

KCNA...KTAN...KIKX...dark...KJMM...dark...KSAZ Marana, meaning the
Giant 580 owes its lineage to KCNA, though somehow I think KCNA
never had Colon Blow Saturday : although they probably did run
shows similar in nature to Dancin' Danny Babich.

 

[DrAkbar]

Slight correction there, Oldies Fan. KSAZ rolls with 390 watts out of three sticks at night. Nurse Jeff and I've picked 'em up after dark on I-10 south of the San Tan Freeway...but then again we have an exceptional car radio!

btw...what ever became of their plans to move the COL to Apache Junction (or was it Queen Creek) and bump up the power at the Marana xmttr site? We hear there's a strong demand for Colon Blow in the East Valley! :

 

[MW_FM_DT_DXer]

The KSAZ application is to change the COL to Queen Creek, and to change to a daytime-only station with 7 kW, directional, with four towers, from their current transmission site. No action has been taken on the application yet.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

KSAZ rolls with 390 watts out of three sticks at night.

You are correct, sir...or Doc, in terms of the present. IIRC, when
KSAZ first added night authorization (they did begin as a daytimer)
it was with 320 watteroos.

The previous XMTR site for 580, when licensed to Tucson, was the
three sticks (still standing at last report) at 4701 N. Swan Rd. in the
Catalina Foothills. Just try and put up sticks in that hoity-toity area
today. But this was 1951...and you can sue her! (An indirect tip of
the Doc's fez there to the late Harvey "Hedley" Korman. )

Anyway, the Swan Road site ran with 5000/500 DA-N, for those of
you keeping score.

 

[DrAkbar]

The previous XMTR site for 580, when licensed to Tucson, was the
three sticks (still standing at last report) at 4701 N. Swan Rd. in the
Catalina Foothills. Just try and put up sticks in that hoity-toity area
today. But this was 1951...and you can sue her! (An indirect tip of
the Doc's fez there to the late Harvey "Hedley" Korman. )

A Google map search reveals those sticks still stand (click on street view and check 'em out). The Nurse and I wonder what would keep Dancin' Dan from raising the Jolly Roger and takin' the station back to Tucson? A tip of the fez to Oldiesfan...in the immortal words of Hedley Lamarr "now go do that voodoo that you do so well!"