KNIX-FM

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Coordinates: 33°19′59″N 112°03′54″W / 33.333°N 112.065°W / 33.333; -112.065
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
KNIX-FM
iHeartMedia, Inc.
  • (iHM Licenses, LLC)
    • KESZ, KFYI, KGME, KMXP, KOY, KYOT, KZZP
    History
    First air date
    		December 25, 1961
    Former call signs
    		KNIX (1961-1976)
    Call sign meaning
    		Its city of license of Phoenix
    Technical information
    Facility ID7698
    ClassC
    ERP100,000 watts
    HAAT494 meters (1,621 ft)
    506 meters (1,660 ft) (CP)
    Transmitter coordinates
    		33°19′59″N 112°03′54″W / 33.333°N 112.065°W / 33.333; -112.065
    Links
    WebcastListen Live
    Listen Live (HD2)
    WebsiteKNIXcountry.iheart.com

    KNIX-FM (102.5

    iHeartMedia, Inc. The station airs a country music radio format
    .

    The studios and offices are located on East Van Buren Street in Phoenix near Sky Harbor Airport.[1] The transmitter is in South Mountain Park, off Road B, amid other towers for Phoenix-area FM and TV stations.[2]

    History

    Early years

    The station originally

    signed on the air on December 25, 1961.[3] Because there was no associated AM station, the call sign
    was simply KNIX. It has kept the call letters KNIX or KNIX-FM throughout its history. KNIX previously transmitted with 3,100 watts, a fraction of its current output, only heard in Phoenix and its adjacent suburbs.

    KNIX aired a beautiful music format. The license was held by Aztec Radio, Inc., with owners John and Donna Karshner also serving as on-air staff and programmers. Their son, John P. Karshner II, became one of the youngest DJs in America at age 16.

    Buck Owens Ownership

    In May 1968, country singer

    AM 1580 in Tempe from a different owner. The year before, Owens had purchased an AM and FM station in Bakersfield, California, KUZZ
    -AM-FM, which had been a profitable move.

    Under Owens' ownership, the AM station in Phoenix became country music KTUF 1580, while 102.5 KNIX changed to progressive rock in August 1968. In early March 1969, KNIX-FM switched to country and the power was dramatically boosted to 100,000 watts. KTUF and KNIX-FM began simulcasting the country format, allowing listeners with FM radios to hear it in stereo, while the AM signal could be received on all other radios.

    Station bumper stickers proclaimed "K-TUF/KNIX, We Stamped Out 3-Letter Radio." The bumper sticker referred to

    AM 550, the leading radio station in Phoenix at the time, and the only one with a three-letter call sign. In 1976, the AM call letters switched to KNIX, while the FM station added the -FM suffix, creating KNIX-AM-FM. The AM station began programming classic country music, becoming the flagship station for a network called "Real Country
    ." Meanwhile, KNIX-FM concentrated on contemporary and recent country hits. AM 1580 KNIX ended its association with the Real Country Network in 1985 and the AM-FM simulcast was restored.

    KNIX-FM not only led the Phoenix radio market, but was considered one of the premier country radio stations in the United States. Under the leadership of Buck Owens' son, General Manager Michael Owens, and Programming/Operations Manager Larry Daniels, KNIX-FM was consistently number one in Phoenix. It topped the market in all but one ratings period between 1980 and 1990.[5]

    Clear Channel Acquisition

    In 1998

    Clear Channel Communications acquired the FM station from Owens, while the AM station was sold to The Walt Disney Company. KNIX-FM was sold for $84 million.[6] The Disney Company used the AM station for its Radio Disney children's radio
    format, while KNIX-FM kept its successful country format.

    On September 16, 2014, Clear Channel renamed itself

    iHeartMedia, Inc., to bring its corporate name in line with its iHeartRadio internet platform.[7]

    Awards

    KNIX-FM has won many prestigious awards in the country music and radio industry. They include honors from the Country Music Association, the Academy of Country Music, Billboard magazine, and the Marconi Award for excellence in broadcasting. The CMA honored KNIX-FM as its "Major Market Station of the Year" in 2019, its sixth time receiving the award.[8]

    HD Radio

    KNIX-FM broadcasts in the

    Total Traffic Network (TTN), a data only service broadcasting real-time traffic streaming to GPS devices with HD Radio receivers, providing accident, traffic flow, and road construction information. Devices capable of receiving traffic data are available from manufactures such as Garmin
    and Cydle.

    Former staff

    References

    1. ^ KNIXcountry.iheart.com/contact
    2. ^ Radio-Locator.com/KNIX-FM
    3. ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1963 page B-10
    4. ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1969 page B-10
    5. ^ Towne, Douglas (January 2019). "Boot-Scootin' Station". Phoenix Magazine.
    6. ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2000 page D-23
    7. ^ Sisario, Ben (September 16, 2014). "Clear Channel Renames Itself iHeartMedia, in an Embrace of the Digital". NYTimes.com. Retrieved August 13, 2017. CC Media Holdings, for example, the overall corporation, will be renamed iHeartMedia Inc., and Clear Channel Communications, its major subsidiary, will become iHeartCommunications.
    8. ^ Nicholson, Jessica (February 28, 2019). "ACM Reveals Radio Awards Winners For 2019". MusicRow. Retrieved February 28, 2019.

    External links

    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=KNIX-FM&oldid=1206067022"