KGME

KGME (910 AM), branded as Fox Sports 910, is a sports radio station located in Phoenix, Arizona, United States and serving the Phoenix metropolitan area. KGME is owned by iHeartMedia, the former owners of Mexican station XETRA in Southern California, where the previous XTRA name came from. Its studios are located in Phoenix near Sky Harbor International Airport and its transmitter is in the city's Deer Valley district.

KGME
CityPhoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Broadcast areaPhoenix metropolitan area
BrandingFox Sports 910
SloganThe Biggest Names in Sports
Frequency910 kHz (HD Radio)
Repeater(s)99.9-2 KESZ-HD2
First air date1940 (1940) (as KPHO at 1230)
FormatSports talk
Power5,000 watts
ClassB
Facility ID65480
Transmitter coordinates33°32′00″N 112°07′18″W
Call sign meaningGaME
Former call signsKPHO (1940–1972)
KJJJ (1972–1985)
KFYI (1985–2000)
Former frequencies1200 kHz (1940–1941)
1230 kHz (1941–1949)
AffiliationsFox Sports Radio
Arizona Coyotes
OwneriHeartMedia
(AMFM Radio Licenses, L.L.C.)
Sister stationsKESZ, KFYI, KMXP, KNIX-FM, KOY, KYOT, KZZP
WebcastListen Live
Websitefoxsports910.iheart.com

The station's weekday lineup includes 14 hours' worth of local personalities when there is no live play-by-play, as well as Fox Sports Radio's Colin Cowherd late mornings. Fox Sports Radio airs in most overnight and weekend timeslots.

In 2019-20, KGME regained its contract as the flagship station of the Arizona Coyotes. KGME also broadcasts play-by-play of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.

Since 2013, Fox Sports 910 has been the Phoenix affiliate for the University of Arizona Wildcats football and men's basketball radio network.[1]

History
KGME's logo under previous "Xtra Sports 910" branding

910 was originally KPHO, operating on 1200; the station moved to 1230 in 1941 (following the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement). On September 21, 1949, at 9:10pm, KPHO relocated from 1230 kHz to 910, a frequency change that brought with it new transmitter facilities and a power increase to 5,000 watts.[2] In 1972, Meredith sold KPHO radio and retained KPHO-TV channel 5 in a sale process that dragged on for more than a year due to concerns over the station dropping its news format (alleviated when KHAT 1480 was sold to an owner who flipped it to all news);[3] the new owners, Dairyland Associates, changed the call letters to KJJJ and operated the station as "Big Country KJ". In 1985, KJJJ became KFYI after being purchased by Fred Weber's Broadcast Group. KFYI implemented a highly successful talk format, and became the home to hosts that would go on to greater success, such as Tom Leykis.

In 1999, Broadcast Group sold to AMFM, formerly Chancellor. On September 25, 2000, after AMFM merged with iHeartMedia (then known as Clear Channel Communications), KFYI moved to AM 550 to obtain a better signal, swapping frequencies with what is now KGME.[4] Clear Channel rebranded KGME as XTRA Sports 910 to match the "XTRA" branding of their other sports-talk properties.

The KGME call letters and sports talk format had been operating on AM 550 under the branding "KGME Sports Radio 550," and had only jumped to 550 a year earlier (April 23, 1999) from AM 1360 in a three-way frequency swap involving heritage station KOY. In KGME's 1,360 days (1994–99), the station was Phoenix's only full-time sports station and branded itself "The Game." Mike Golic was a show host on the station along with Tony Femino in 1994. Other hosts included Bruce Jacobs, Arnie Spanier, Chuck Powell, and Vince Marotta. Some prominent hosts that previously worked at KGME as XTRA Sports 910 include John Gambodoro, Mark Asher, Dan Bickley, and Mike Jurecki. "Bickley and MJ" was named Sports Talk Show of the year in 2007 by Phoenix magazine and Sports Talk Show of the year in 2007 by the Phoenix New Times. KGME was nominated in 2007 and 2008 for the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) Marconi Award for Sports Station of the year.

On June 11, 2013 KGME rebranded as "Fox Sports 910".[5]

References
  1. "Arizona IMG, Fox Sports 910 Announce Partnership". Arizona Athletics. 2013-07-16. Retrieved 2013-07-16.
  2. "KPHO Ups Power Effective Today". Arizona Republic. September 21, 1949. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  3. "Challenge is dropped; KPHO sale goes through" (PDF). Broadcasting. 25 September 1972. p. 32. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  4. "550 KGME Becomes NewsRadio 550 KFYI". Format Change Archive. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
  5. http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/83784/kgme-phoenix-rebrands/
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