 | |
| Broadcast area | NorthwestPhoenix metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 96.3MHz |
| Branding | Real Country 96.3 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic Country |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Barna Broadcasting LLC |
| History | |
First air date | 1992 |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 11216 |
| Class | C3 |
| ERP | 6,400watts |
| HAAT | 197.0 meters (646.3 ft) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 963RealCountry.com |
KSWG (96.3MHz) is a commercialFMradio stationlicensed toWickenburg, Arizona. It is owned by Barna Broadcasting Company and airs aclassic countryradio format, using the moniker "Real Country 96.3." The station is considered arimshot broadcaster because itstransmitter is more than 50 miles from downtownPhoenix, Arizona. KSWG's signal is primarily heard in northwest suburbs of the Phoenixmarket.
The studios and offices are on West Wickenburg Way in Wickenburg.[2] The transmitter is off South Vulture Mine Road, also in Wickenburg.[3]
Today's KSWG began life in September 1992 on 93.7 MHz asmodern rock stationKFMA. The station was owned by Harold Shumway alongside KTIM 1250 AM, and as KFMA, it was run by former KUPD/KUKQ general manager Lloyd Melton. However, whenKEDJ-FM was born months later, it pushed KFMA, with its partial-market signal, out of the format. Early in 1993 KFMA becameKMEO, an easy listening music station using call letters made famous in Phoenix by KMEO-AM-FM (nowKIDR andKMXP); Melton sued Shumway inMaricopa County Superior Court.[4]On March 24, 1995, KMEO flipped to new age music asKBSZ "The Breeze".Geoff Stirling, a new age enthusiast and Canadian-American media mogul, had an unspecified stake in the station.[5] KBSZ also made moves to increase its coverage; it picked up use of a translator from KEDJ at 96.3 MHz, improving its signal in metro Phoenix.[6] It also moved its main signal to 94.1 with increased power in March 1996; theKBSZ call letters also turned up on the AM station on March 1, 1996, where they remain today (even though the station has moved across the Valley toApache Junction). However, low audience turnout for the last concert the station sponsored and low ad sales prompted Circle S to move in a new direction.
In July 1996, KBSZ-FM becameKSWG "94 Country" with aclassic country asKSWG. It was one of two new country stations in the Phoenix market that month, alongsideKXLL/KBUQ "Young Buck Country".[7]
In 2006, KSWG relocated from 94.1 to 96.3. The station was sold to Barna Broadcasting in 2012.
In 2017, an interference dispute lodged by KSWG againstKXEG translator K241CS (96.1) prompted a counter-filing alleging that the facility on which KSWG was operating was not the one it was licensed for; it was directional toward Phoenix, and the tower was 57 feet (17 m) higher than authorized.[8]
33°55′34″N112°47′42″W / 33.926°N 112.795°W /33.926; -112.795