With Rhythmic Oldies KYOT/Phoenix on the verge of revealing a new name, here’s a look back at another change that occurred on this frequency, almost exactly 18 years ago:

—-

At Noon on September 2, 1993, following a sale from Edens Broadcasting to Sundance Broadcasting, CHR “Y95″ ceased to exist on KOY 95.5 FM in Phoenix.

For the next 24 hours, a stunt known as “American Radio Museum” would air on the frequency. According to Wikipedia, the stunt featured “loops of quotes from famous people and figures from American pop culture and history.”  This aircheck contains two sweepers from that stunt, along with one of the “special Arizona exhibits”.

On September 3, 1993, “95.5 the Coyote” debuted with a format known as “Rhythm and Rock”.  This aircheck also contains a promo that aired during the early days of “The Coyote”, featuring feedback from the station’s listeners.  (Six months later, the format switched to Smooth Jazz, with “The Coyote” name remaining intact.)

At the end of the aircheck is a promo that begin airing on Rhythmic CHR KKFR “Power 92″ on the afternoon of September 2, 1993, inviting displaced Y95 listeners over to 92.3 FM.  The promo claimed that Power 92 “won’t sell out” — yet that’s pretty much what happened 3 1/2 months later, as their successful Rhythmic CHR format (and almost all hip-hop and R&B songs) was replaced with a considerably less successful Modern Rock-oriented Mainstream CHR format.

EDIT: More detailed info on this stunt, and the launch/history of the “Rhythm and Rock” format, can be found here.

The final days of Y95 (although not THE final day) can be heard towards the end of this aircheck.

Five years ago today, KKFR tended its 20+ year run on 92.3 FM in the Valley of the Sun.  The station’s  intellectual property moved to a rimshot signal on 98.3 FM, located in Mayer, AZ (which is about 75 miles north of Phoenix).  The station (which is now known as Power 98.3) continues to program an R&B/hip-hop-oriented Rhythmic CHR format, and performs about as well as can be expected given its coverage limitations.

This aircheck is a flashback to the station’s days as a 100,000 watt powerhouse originating from South Mountain.   Following an ill-fated attempt at a Modern Rock oriented Mainstream CHR format during the first half of 1994, Power 92 began making a gradual transition back to Rhythmic CHR.  By the Spring of 1995, as demonstrated on this montage, Dance and R&B-oriented titles dominated the playlist.

Today’s Hottest Music is on Power 92″. This aircheck, recorded in the middle of the night between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in 1995, represents the sound of KKFR (92.3) Glendale/Phoenix that led the station to an al-time high 7.0 Arbitron share (12+). At this time, Power 92 offered superb all-around music, air talent, and production values. It’s somewhat surreal to listen to this aircheck and realize that a live jock (Brian Simpson) was on the air during this holiday time period, reading a live legal ID — both of those elements are virtually unheard-of today.

Included is a shaky-voiced call-in from yours truly, requesting a version of a song that I had never (and still have never) heard on any other station.

Recorded 17 years ago today (Cinco de Mayo 1995) – this is a sample of the Valley’s only CHR in the early to mid-90′s.

In late 1993, despite enjoying great success as a Rhythmic CHR, Power 92 flipped to Modern Rock-heavy Mainstream CHR.  Ratings declined, and the station began to move back towards Rhythmic CHR by the Fall of 1994.  When this aircheck was recorded, the station used a Dance-heavy approach; the sound evolved to one more based on R&B (but remained Dance-friendly) by the Fall of 1995, which led to the station achieving an all-time high 7.0 Arbitron share (12+).

Featuring entertaining sweepers voiced by Marc Driscoll, Power 92 was just a fun station to listen in this era.  Especially now, I appreciate that they always had live legal IDs at this time.  Also, I’ve left intact a couple of commercials that were done by the station’s various personalities.

During the mid-1990′s, under the direction of Program Director Don Parker, KKFR (Power 92) in Phoenix was at its peak, registering an all-time high 7.1 share (12+) in the Winter 1996 Arbitron survey. The station offered a broad Rhythmic CHR mix that focused primarily on dance and R&B music.

In the Spring of 1996, KBZR (103.9 FM) in rural Coolidge, AZ began a six-month stunt focused on “old school” music that eventually led to a hip-hop/old school-friendly Rhythmic CHR format. At the end of October 1996, the station officially signed on as “The New 103.9, Arizona’s Party Station.” In its first full book (Winter 1997), KBZR (eventually KPTY) achieved a 2.9 share 12+ … which was absolutely remarkable considering that it was operating with a signal possibly as weak as 1,100 watts located some 50 miles outside of the Phoenix metro.

In the same survey, KKFR fell to a 4.7 share 12+. The station began to emulate KPTY in some ways, such as offering contests in which listeners were rewarded for having a Power 92 bumper sticker, airing more mixshow programming and more old school music in general.  This aircheck was recorded in the midst of these changes – it features samples of the “9:26 Quick Mix”, the “Drive at Five”, and the “Power 500″ classic dance/old school countdown from Memorial Day Weekend 1997.

On June 13, 1997, KKFR began focusing exclusively on hip-hop and R&B music, and adopted the tagline “Where Hip-Hop Lives”.

From 16 years ago this weekend, this is an extended sample of the “Labor Day Dance Party” on KKFR (Power 92) in Phoenix.  It was presented in a “Top 250″ format. Regrettably, I did not record the entire countdown uninterrupted from start to finish, but this montage still represents what was originally over 8 hours of material spread across six cassettes.  Several of the station’s air personalties are heard on this aircheck; they are listed in the Tags section (below).

At the time, crosstown KBZR (103.9 FM) was in the midst of a 6-month stunt (more details at the Format Change Archive.) playing many of the songs heard on this countdown. At the time, rumors ran rampant that the station eventually sign on with some sort of dance-oriented format — and so it’s possible that Power 92 offered this programming in response to that possibility.

“Today’s Hottest Music is on Power 92″.  This aircheck, recorded on the night before Thanksgiving 1995, represents the sound of KKFR (92.3) Glendale/Phoenix that led the station to an all-time high 7.0 Arbitron share (12+).  At this time, Power 92 offered superb all-around music, air talent, and production values.  Hosted by Roxanne Steele (who later spent over a decade at Chicago’s B96).

“92 might be leaving your calendar, but it will never leave your radio…” — One of the sweepers featured in these snippets of Power 92′s countdown at the end of 1992. Includes Kid Corona (one of at least three personalities heard on this aircheck) mentioning (via information from a listener) that the #1 song on the station from 20 years prior (1972) was “Theme from Shaft”.  (Does anyone know what format resided on 92.3 FM at that time?)

I loved the high-energy, laser-sound-effect-dominated presentation style used by KKFR (and its clones) during this period.  I wish that stations focusing on this type of music today would take it a step further and employ the production values from that era.

An additional composite of Kid Corona can be heard at this page on our sister site, Airchexx.com.

During the mid-1990′s, under the direction of Program Director Don Parker, KKFR (Power 92) in Phoenix was at its peak, registering an all-time high 7.1 share (12+) in the Winter 1996 Arbitron survey. The station offered a broad Rhythmic CHR mix that focused primarily on dance and R&B music.

This extended length aircheck, recorded 17 years ago today, is hosted by Supersnake. He is one of the most recognized personalities in Phoenix radio, being heard at not only KKFR, but also KPTY (“Arizona’s Party Station“) and KZZP (“104.7 Kiss-FM”). And just last week, he concluded a multi-year run at KZON “101.5 Jamz”.

Featured on this montage are references to Game 3 of the 1996 NBA Playoff series between the Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs, along with a commercial for the infamous “J.J., The King of Beepers”, whose advertising was heard throughout multiple Southwestern markets at this time.

Due to the length of the original recording (5 hours and 38 minutes!), we are splitting this aircheck up into two parts – the conclusion will be posted tomorrow.

During the mid-1990′s, under the direction of Program Director Don Parker, KKFR (Power 92) in Phoenix was at its peak, registering an all-time high 7.1 share (12+) in the Winter 1996 Arbitron survey. The station offered a broad Rhythmic CHR mix that focused primarily on dance and R&B music.

This extended length aircheck, recorded 17 years ago yesterday, is hosted by Brian Douglas, followed by Roxanne Steele (at the very end). Brian Douglas eventually moved onto KYSR “Star 98.7″ in Los  Angeles, while Roxanne Steele landed at WBBM-FM “B96″ in Chicago – a station she ended up calling home for over a decade.

Due to the length of the original recording (5 hours and 38 minutes!), we are splitting this aircheck up into two parts – Part 1 was posted yesterday, at this link.

Composite of Power 92 (KKFR 92.3 Glendale/Phoenix) from 1989.

Since June of 1997, KKFR — both at its former home on 92.3 FM, and at its current home on 98.3 FM — has made hip-hop and R&B the primary (if not exclusive) focus of its Rhythmic CHR format. However, certain specialty programs would return the station to its more moderate, dance/pop-oriented roots.  Recorded 15 years ago this month, this is a sample of the Rhythmic Oldies-formatted “Flashback Friday” which aired at the end of the station’s morning show, hosted by Krazy Kid and Ruben S.

Probably not too long before this aircheck was recorded, Power 92 modified its slogan from “Where Hip Hop Lives” to the presumably more mainstream (and advertiser-friendly) “Today’s Hottest Music”.  The station had already employed this positioning statement two previous times during the 1990′s. Around the same time, the voice of the station transitioned from Geoff St. John to Eric Edwards (who was also utilized by KKFR in the early 90′s.)

In the late 80′s, and the very early 90′s, Phoenix was one of the best markets for fans of the CHR format.  Nationwide Communications’ heritage KZZP found itself in a heated battle with Edens Broadcasting’s Y95 (KOY-FM) and  The Broadcast Group’s Power 92 (KKFR).

KZZP dominated for most of the 80′s.  But with changes in management, personalities, and pop music tastes — ratings dropped significantly in the early 90′s, leading to a format and name change in April 1991.

Y95, capitalizing on the changes and later demise of KZZP, enjoyed ratings success at the start of the decade. But in late 1992, the station moved in a different direction, bringing in new personalities and tinkering with its Rhythmic-leaning playlist. Specifically – the station began using a dayparted approach, leaning towards Hot AC during the day, and emphasizing less mainstream modern rock/hip-hop/dance music during nighttime hours. A few months later, the station somewhat reverted to its previous sound, but the end result was an unfocused mess, low ratings, and ultimately a format change (preceded by stunting) in early September 1993.

This left KKFR and its hip-hop/R&B focused Rhythmic CHR format without any direct competition. Despite its impressive ratings, the station elected to move towards a Modern Rock-based Mainstream CHR format — heard here is the first day of their new approach.

Somewhat amusingly, at least three different positioning statements were heard throughout the day:

• “Today’s Hottest Music” (the previous slogan which was in the process of being phased out)
• “Hot Hits” (this didn’t last long presumably due to trademark enfringement issues)
• “We Play The Hits”

Please note: This montage was compiled from one of my own personal “mix tapes” – not professional unscoped airchecks. As a result, many of the songs heard are the (Rhythmic) ones that I chose to record — in reality, the station was playing more Modern Rock than what is heard here.

Recorded 19 years ago today (Cinco de Mayo 1995) – this is a sample of the only CHR serving the Valley of the Sun in the early to mid-90′s.

In late 1993, despite enjoying great success as a Rhythmic CHR, Power 92 flipped to Modern Rock-heavy Mainstream CHR.  Ratings declined, and the station began to move back towards Rhythmic CHR by the Fall of 1994.  When this aircheck was recorded, the station used a Dance-heavy approach; the sound evolved to one more based on R&B (but remained Dance-friendly) by the Fall of 1995, which led to the station achieving an all-time high 7.0 Arbitron share (12+).

Featuring entertaining sweepers voiced by Marc Driscoll, Power 92 was just a fun station to listen in this era.  Especially now, I appreciate that they always had live legal IDs at this time.  Also, I’ve left intact a couple of commercials that were done by the station’s various personalities.

 In the late 80′s, and the very early 90′s, Phoenix was one of the best markets for fans of the CHR format.  Nationwide Communications’ heritage KZZP found itself in a heated battle with Edens Broadcasting’s Y95 (KOY-FM) and  The Broadcast Group’s Power 92 (KKFR).

But with changes in management, personalities, and pop music tastes as a whole – the CHR scene was very different by the Fall of 1993. By that time, only KKFR and its hip-hop/R&B focused Rhythmic CHR format remained, without any direct competition. Despite its impressive ratings, the station elected to move towards a Modern Rock-based Mainstream CHR format by the end of that year.

This is a sample of KKFR from the following summer, when it offered an “All Request 4th of July Weekend”. Featured is a cameo appearance from yours truly. Not being a fan of the station’s regular format, I intentionally requested a song (SWV – “I’m So Into You”) that was a staple of its previous format, and almost surely had not been played since the aforementioned change.

Also featured are snippets of the syndicated “Open House Party” program carried by Power 92 on Saturday nights that year.

“100,000 watts of music power…”

Recorded 23 years ago this week, below is a detailed sample of the dominant CHR station in Phoenix for most of the 1990’s, at the start of that decade.

Specifically, this is a montage of the “Power Morning Zoo”. The star of the show was Dave Ryan, who had joined Power 92 recently, after being at Adult CHR KZZP through its final days. Ryan departed KKFR in March 1993 and landed at legendary Mainstream CHR KDWB/Minneapolis – and as of September 2014, he remains their morning show host.

During Ryan’s final days at KZZP, one of the morning show hosts at Power 92 (the main host?) was Danny Bonaduce. However, following an incident involving a prostitute, Bonaduce found himself first on administrative leave and eventually, no longer employed at the station. This is presumably when Ryan took his place.

One segment of the aircheck mentions that “The Partridge Family” TV show had premiered (in 1970) on the same date as that day’s show. There is laughter among the hosts, surely because of Danny Bonaduce’s association with that program. A later mention of “Van Buren” (a street in Phoenix infamous for being frequented by prostitutes) also generates a similar “inside joke” style reaction, for the same reason.

Also left intact is a promotional commercial for a newscast on KTVK “TV3″.

In the late 80′s, and the very early 90′s, Phoenix was one of the best markets for fans of the CHR format.  Nationwide Communications’ heritage KZZP found itself in a heated battle with Edens Broadcasting’s Y95 (KOY-FM) and  The Broadcast Group’s Power 92 (KKFR).

Since June of 1997, KKFR — both at its former home on 92.3 FM, and at its current home on 98.3 FM — has made hip-hop and R&B the primary (if not exclusive) focus of its Rhythmic CHR format.  However, in the early 2000’s, it would offer a return to its dance-oriented roots for a brief period each Sunday night.  A portion of the “Lowrider Oldies Show” (also known as the “Sunday Night Old School Show”) was known as the “Aquanet Set”.  This program — whose name refers to the hairspray-laden members of freestyle acts in the 1980’s — originated (?) and was made famous by KKFR’s former sister station, KPWR (Power 106) in Los Angeles.

Note: This montage represents broadcasts from two different nights. The first one (hosted by The Manic Hispanic) is most likely from 11/19/00 as indicated in the title of this posting; the second segment (hosted by Charlie Huero) is most likely from a different, unknown date.

Since June of 1997, KKFR — both at its former home on 92.3 FM, and at its current home on 98.3 FM — has made hip-hop and R&B the primary focus of its Rhythmic CHR format.  However, around January 1999, the station began incorporating elements reminiscent of its days as a more traditional Rhythmic CHR in the early and mid-90’s.

• Heard here are the first two editions of “The Power Workout at Noon” mixshow (recorded 16 years ago yesterday/today), which featured more Dance music than the station had played in quite some time.
• As shown above, the slogan had transitioned from “Where Hip-Hop Lives” to one that Power 92 had used twice before — the presumably more advertiser-friendly “Today’s Hottest Music”.

• Eric Edwards joined Geoff St. John as the voice of the station.  Edwards was the primary voice on Power 92 in the early 90’s.

• Selected Dance and Pop selections returned to the regular-programming playlist. Eiffel 65’s “Blue” and *NSYNC’s “(God Must Have Spent) A Little More Time On You” are the first two that come to mind.

Since June of 1997, KKFR — both at its former home on 92.3 FM, and at its current home on 98.3 FM — has made hip-hop and R&B the primary (if not exclusive) focus of its Rhythmic CHR format.  However, in the early 2000’s, it would offer a return to its dance-oriented roots for a brief period each Sunday night.  A portion of the “Lowrider Oldies Show” (also known as the “Sunday Night Old School Show”) was known as the “Aquanet Set”.  This program — whose name refers to the hairspray-laden members of freestyle acts in the 1980’s — originated (?) and was made famous by KKFR’s former sister station, KPWR (Power 106) in Los Angeles.