KSUN
| Broadcast area | Phoenix metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1400 kHz |
| Branding | La Mejor 106.5 FM / 1400 AM |
| Programming | |
| Format | Regional Mexican |
| Affiliations | MVS Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | August 28, 1954 |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | Valley of the Sun (a common nickname for the Phoenix area) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 21430 |
| Class | C |
| Power | 1,000 watts unlimited |
Transmitter coordinates | 33°23′23″N 111°59′52″W / 33.38972°N 111.99778°W |
| Translator(s) | 106.5 K293CO (Phoenix) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen (requires RealPlayer or Winamp) |
| Website | www |
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 KSUN ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- FCC History Cards for KSUN