 | |
| Broadcast area | Phoenix metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 860kHz |
| Branding | La Campesina 101.9 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Regional Mexican |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Chavez Radio Group |
| History | |
First air date | 1949 (as KIFN) |
Former call signs |
|
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 1326 |
| Class | B |
| Power |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 33°25′15.8″N112°7′39.8″W / 33.421056°N 112.127722°W /33.421056; -112.127722 |
| Translator(s) | |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | campesina.net/phoenix/ |
KNAI (860kHz; "La Campesina 101.9") is aregional Mexican-formattedAMradio station inPhoenix, Arizona. KNAI is owned by the Chavez Radio Group.[2] Its studios are located in Phoenix near Piestewa Peak and its transmitter is in South Phoenix near Broadway and 27th Avenue.
KNAI operates by day with 940 watts non-directional and at 1,000 watts at night with adirectional antenna. Its programming is also heard on twotranslator stations, K270BZ (101.9FM) and K270CV (101.9 FM).
860 AM is a Canadianclear-channel frequency, on whichCJBC inToronto is the dominantClass A station.
On June 8, 1949, the Western Broadcasting Company received the construction permit to build a new radio station in Phoenix on 860 kHz. Construction work on KIFN's facilities in Riverside Park began in September,[3] and an accelerated schedule allowed Arizona's first full-time Spanish-language radio station,[4] KIFN signed on at midnight on Tuesday, November 22.[5] KIFN initially broadcast with 250 watts but benefitted from an increase to 1,000 watts in 1952. From the time it signed on until the early 1980s, KIFN operated as a daytime-only station. (860 is a Canadianclear channel frequency, limiting the coverage of American stations operating at 860.)
The partners in Western sold their interests to H. Walker Harrison in 1959. Harrison sold KIFN in 1966[6] to the Tichenor family, which owned a group of Spanish-language stations that ultimately became theHispanic Broadcasting Corporation. Mauricio Méndez, operating as Hispanic Communications Corporation, acquired KIFN in 1979.
Citing the difficulty of getting authorization to go to 24-hour operation on 860 and facing competition from 24-hour stationKPHX, Méndez sold KIFN in 1982 to Beta Communications, bringing it under common ownership with Apache Junction'sKSTM-FM.[7] Beta relaunched the station as KVVA ("Viva"), retaining its Spanish-language format. In 1987, Beta changed KSTM-FM, a rock station known as "The Storm", toKVVA-FM, a more contemporary Spanish-language station, to pair with KVVA AM; it was the first Spanish-language FM station for Phoenix since 99.9KNNN had been sold in 1984 and flipped formats.[8] Among the programs aired in this era was a simulcast of Channel 10KTSP-TV's 10 p.m. news, which began in 1988.[9]
In 1996, KVVA-AM-FM went bankrupt, and the two stations found different buyers at auction. All of the Spanish-language programming moved to KVVA-FM, which was bought by Z-Spanish Network, a predecessor toEntravision Communications Corporation. The AM frequency, however, was purchased byPulitzer Broadcasting Company, which acquired it with intentions on moving play-by-play sports contracts from 620KTAR (then anews/talk outlet) to 860. Pulitzer beat out MAC America Communications, owners ofKTVK-TV andKESZ, for the frequency.[10] On December 12, 1996, KVVA left AM, ending 47 straight years of Spanish-language radio on 860.[11] Pulitzer relaunched the station with new call letters KMVP (for "most valuable player"). Eventually, fans and team owners found the KMVP nighttime signal too weak to cover the entire Phoenix metropolitan area for play-by-play coverage, and thePhoenix Suns andArizona Diamondbacks moved back to KTAR with KMVP retaining broadcasts of thePhoenix Mercury andArizona Rattlers games. Over time, KMVP added more nationalsports talk (includingESPN Radio) and less local programs.
Along with KTAR, ownership passed from Pulitzer toHearst-Argyle, thenEmmis Communications, and thenBonneville International,[12] asubsidiary ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
When KTAR became a full-time sports station in 2007, itsimulcast the programs of KMVP. The simulcast of KTAR and KMVP ended on April 14, 2007. On August 27, KMVP converted toSpanish languagereligious programming from Radio Vida Abundante. It later[when?] became a gospel music station, under atime brokerage agreement.
KMVP continued to air some sports programs. When Bonneville's two Phoenix sports stations, 98.7KMVP-FM and 620 KTAR, were already committed to running other sporting events, KMVP aired the "overflow" games, such asPhoenix Coyotes play-by-play andArizona State Sun Devils basketball. In 2016, Bonneville reassumed control of KMVP, and started simulcasting sister sports station KMVP-FM.
On March 9, 2017, Bonneville announced that it would sell KMVP to César Chávez Foundation’s Farmworker Educational Radio Network, Inc. for $800,000; the foundation already ownedKNAI (88.3 FM) in Phoenix.[13] The sale was completed on May 15, 2017;[14] concurrently, the call letters changed to KNAI[15] while 88.3 became KNAI-FM.
On May 15, 2017, 860 AM dropped the KMVP-FM simulcast and began simulcasting KNAI-FM's Regional Mexican format, including programming after KNAI-FM's handover toKPHF at 7:30 pm each night. In August, after remediating interference concerns, newly bought translator K270BZ, which prior to going dark had been relayingKKFR from South Mountain, re-emerged to be fed by KNAI. In October 2017, the "La Campesina" programming moved exclusively to 860 AM and 101.9 FM; 88.3 FM, which changed its call letters toKCCF-FM, then began carrying a loop directing listeners to KNAI.[16] KCCF-FM was sold toVCY America in 2018.[17]
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K270BZ | 101.9 FM | Phoenix, Arizona | 152717 | 250 | D | 33°20′5.0″N112°3′42.0″W / 33.334722°N 112.061667°W /33.334722; -112.061667 (K270BZ) | LMS |
| K270CV | 101.9 FM | Santan, Arizona | 146671 | 250 | D | 33°14′15.2″N111°31′51.5″W / 33.237556°N 111.530972°W /33.237556; -111.530972 (K270CV) | LMS |
| K270CW | 101.9 FM | Buckeye, Arizona | 202759 | 250 | D | 33°34′2.1″N112°33′28.6″W / 33.567250°N 112.557944°W /33.567250; -112.557944 (K270CW) | LMS |