KSUN
33°23′23″N 111°59′52″W / 33.38972°N 111.99778°W / 33.38972; -111.99778
- Public file
- LMS
KSUN (1400 AM) is a Spanish-language radio station broadcasting out of Phoenix, Arizona, and serving the Phoenix metropolitan area. It is locally owned by the Marques brothers and operates a regional Mexican music format under the branding "La Mejor". The station simulcasts on translator at K293CO 106.5 FM. The station is also the Spanish-language play-by-play home of Phoenix Suns basketball games and Phoenix Rising FC soccer matches.
History
The station signed on August 28, 1954, as KONI, the ninth radio station in Phoenix;[2] originally KBLR, the station's callsign changed by the time it signed on. KONI became KXIV in 1961. Until 1982, KXIV was programmed with a middle of the road (MOR) music format. The station was co-owned by Ira Lavin and actor Dick Van Dyke (an Arizona resident).[3][4] Disc jockeys included George Scott, Jack Dey, Jim Hutton, Paul B. Mundt, and Jim Spero (who also served as program director).[5]
Van Dyke and Lavin sold KXIV in 1982 to local real estate developer Michael Levin, who relaunched the station with a news/talk format as KSUN, featuring personalities from ABC's TalkRadio Network, NBC's Talknet and audio from CNN2.[6] The call letters had been sold to Levin by the previous KSUN in Bisbee, at the time silent and in receivership.[7] Hourly discount auctions through a segment called "BarterBank" were also heavily advertised. Levin's tenure running KSUN was marred by suspicious vandalism[8] and layoffs.[9] The station fell into bankruptcy and went silent on Memorial Day weekend 1983.[10]
CAZ Broadcasting bought KSUN out of bankruptcy in 1984,[10] and brought the station back the next year as an affiliate of the original Radio AAHS, a radio service developed for children, with adult-oriented music at night.[11] By 1986, KSUN was running jazz full-time with minor league baseball play-by-play of the Phoenix Firebirds, having lost Radio AAHS when Children's Radio Network opted to cease distributing it outside of its owned-and-operated stations.[12] After an abortive attempt to sell the station to TransCom, owners of KLZI 99.9 FM,[13] and going silent again at the end of summer, Fiesta Radio purchased the station in November 1986.[14] Radio Fiesta officially signed on March 23, 1987.[15] The station became a sports play-by-play specialist; it was the long-time home of Spanish broadcasts of the Arizona Diamondbacks (now on KHOV), first carrying all 162 games in 2004,[16] and continues to carry Suns games. In 2021, the station will broadcast Phoenix Rising FC games.[17]
In 2015, the station partnered with Mexican radio company MVS Radio to launch its regional Mexican La Mejor format in Phoenix.
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KSUN". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "9th Valley Radio Station Takes To Air 6 A.M. Today". Arizona Republic. August 28, 1954. p. 10. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ "Ownership changes", Broadcasting. August 23, 1965. p. 84. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
- ^ "Changing Hands", Broadcasting. July 5, 1982. p. 69. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
- ^ "KXIV Radio". Archived from the original on January 21, 2010. Retrieved September 30, 2008.
- ^ Wilkinson, Bud (August 8, 1982). "Owner tones down programming game plan for KSUN". Arizona Republic. p. 99. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ Hatfield, David (June 4, 1982). "Quality picks are NBC, new 'Arizona Illustrated'". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
- ^ "KSUN down: Vandals twice knock radio station off the air". Arizona Republic. February 21, 1983. p. D20. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ Wilkinson, Bud (January 2, 1983). "Stiff competition inspired better programming in 1982". Arizona Republic. p. F12. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ a b Wilkinson, Bud (June 21, 1984). "KSUN sold; new owners plan autumn debut". Arizona Republic. p. F5. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ Wilkinson, Bud (May 17, 1985). "KSUN plans to usher in dawn of children's radio programs". Arizona Republic. p. E15. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ Wilkinson, Bud (April 3, 1986). "Radio station KSUN forced to drop children's format". Arizona Republic. p. E5. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ Wilkinson, Bud (June 25, 1986). "'NewsChannel 3' adds new sportscasters to lineup". Arizona Republic. p. G5. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ Wilkinson, Bud (December 11, 1986). "NBC's '1986' TV news magazine will never see 1987". Arizona Republic. p. F6. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ Wilkinson, Bud (March 23, 1987). "KTVK-TV wins contract to show ASU sports package". Arizona Republic. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ "MLB: Diamondbacks". Arizona Republic. January 30, 2004. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ "Phoenix Rising FC 2021 Broadcast Schedule". Phoenix Rising Communications. November 11, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
External links
- Facility details for Facility ID 21430 (KSUN) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- KSUN in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- FCC History Cards for KSUN
- v
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LPFM | |
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Translators |
frequency
by frequency & subchannel
- 88.3-1
- 88.3-2
- 88.3-3
- 88.3-4
- 89.5-1
- 89.5-2
- 89.5-3
- 90.3-1
- 91.5-1
- 91.5-2
- 92.3-1
- 92.3-2
- 93.3-1
- 93.3-2
- 94.5-1
- 94.5-2
- 95.5-1
- 95.5-2
- 95.5-3
- 96.9-1
- 96.9-2
- 97.9-1
- 98.7-1
- 98.7-2
- 99.9-1
- 99.9-2
- 99.9-3
- 100.7-1
- 100.7-2
- 101.5-1
- 101.5-2
- 101.5-3
- 102.5-1
- 103.9-1
- 103.9-2
- 103.9-3
- 104.7-1
- 105.5-1
- 107.1-1
- 107.1-2
- 107.9-1
- 107.9-2
- K216FO
- K224CJ
- K225CT
- K229DB
- K235CB
- K240DC
- K240EU
- K241BQ
- K241CS
- K247CF
- K257CD
- K270BZ
- K275CP
- K287BX
- K293CO
- K294CW
- K298CK
- KAHM
- KAIZ
- KAJM
- KALV-FM
- KAZG
- KBAQ
- KBMB
- KBSZ
- KCDX
- KDIF-LP
- KDKB
- KDUS
- KDWR-LP
- KEC94
- KEMP
- KESZ
- KFLR-FM
- KFNN
- KFNX
- KFUE
- KFYI
- KGME
- KHOT-FM
- KHOV-FM
- KIDR
- KIHP
- KIKO
- KJZZ
- HD2
- KKFR
- KKMR
- KKNT
- KLNZ
- KLVK
- KMLE
- KMVA
- KMVP-FM
- KMXP
- KNAI
- KNIX-FM
- KNUV
- KOAI
- KOMR
- KOOL-FM
- KOY
- KPHX
- KPXQ
- KQFN
- KQMR
- KRDE
- KRDP
- KRPH
- KSLX-FM
- KSUN
- KSWG
- KTAR
- KTAR-FM
- KUPD
- KVCP
- KVIT
- KVVA-FM
- KWSQ-LP
- KWSS-LP
- KXEG
- KXXT
- KYOT
- KZCE
- KZON
- KZZP
- Nearby regions
- Flagstaff–Prescott
- Laughlin-Needles-Lake Havasu City
- Tucson
- Yuma
- See also
- List of radio stations in Arizona