KTAR’s 100 Days of Giving Back awarding lucky listeners $100 each weekday
Mar 14, 2022, 4:45 AM | Updated: 2:18 pm
PHOENIX — In honor of broadcasting radio in the Valley for 100 years, KTAR News 92.3 FM is giving lucky listeners and their favorite charity $100 each weekday through the middle of June.
The 100 Days of Giving Back promotion begins Monday and runs through June 21.
Listeners can enter the contest by texting “100” to 411923 to receive a link to the online entry form. They will then be asked to provide their preferred charity.
People can also enter by visiting the contest page at KTAR.com.
A winner will be randomly selected daily, with their name and charity being announced on Arizona’s Morning News, The Mike Broomhead Show and Gaydos and Chad.
KTAR first hit the airwaves on June 21, 1922.
The radio station’s original call letters were KFAD, which was short for Kan’t Fool A Dodge. That’s because the station was founded by Charles and Warren McArthur, who at the time owned the largest automobile dealership in the southwestern United States.
The McArthur brothers used the station to promote tourism in Arizona and their dealership, even handing out free radios to farmers so they could get weather reports.
The station’s call letters changed to KREP when the stock market forced the sale of the station to The Arizona Republic in 1929.
The problem was KREP was being mispronounced, so that’s when the station finally became known as KTAR (Keep Taking Arizona Republic).
KTAR became the first affiliate of NBC in 1930, simultaneously moving to the top of the Heard Building and rising more than 100 feet above Central Avenue with the antenna.
The station in 1940 moved to the corner of 36th Street and Thomas Road, becoming a 5,000-watt station and giving it ample room to grow. KTAR’s new location had two antennas, one that was 300 feet tall and the other 400. This made KTAR the first directional broadcast station in Arizona.
KTAR was sold again in 1943, along with several other stations, to John J. Louis. He used KTAR’s NBC affiliation and his newly-purchased radio network to broadcast NBC content statewide.
As the station continued to grow, KTAR moved to 1101 N. Central Ave. in the 1950s.
The station got new owners in 1968 following Louis’ death, with Karl Eller and his associates taking over the reins. They owned several broadcast stations in Yuma, along with an extensive outdoor advertising company.
KTAR’s studios were remodeled and expanded in 1973 to make room for “Action News,” an all-news service. That was also the same year KTAR began broadcasting 24 hours a day.
Ownership was transferred six years later to Pulitzer Publishing Company, along with its sister FM station KBBC. That’s also the same year KTAR was moved to a new studio at 301 W. Osborn Road.
The station changed ownership several more times in the early 2000s before ending up in the possession of its current owner, Bonneville Media International.
News 620 KTAR transformed into Sports 620 KTAR in 2007, with news and talk switching over to 92.3 FM KTAR.
Sports then joined news and talk on the FM dial in 2014, becoming KMVP Arizona Sports 98.7 FM and taking over for an adult hits station known as “The Peak.”
Meanwhile, 620 AM remained under Bonneville control and serves as an extension of Arizona Sports.
Now in 2022, KTAR News 92.3 FM and Arizona Sports 98.7 FM celebrate a century of being the news, talk and sports voices in the Valley.
We thank all our listeners and readers over the years, as well as the staff who worked to bring information to them and made this possible.
Do you have a past memory of KTAR News that you would like to share? Email it to the KTAR 100 team here.
