KHEP
| City | Tempe, Arizona |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Phoenix metropolitan area |
| Branding | 1580 The Fanatic |
| Slogan | Arizona's New Home for Sports |
| Frequency | 1580 kHz |
| Translator(s) | 99.1 K256CY (Tempe) 99.3 K257CD (Phoenix) |
| First air date | June 1, 1960 (as KYND) |
| Format | Sports |
| Power | 50,000 watts day 95 watts night |
| Class | D |
| Facility ID | 7701 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 33°29′32.00″N 112°8′28.00″W / 33.4922222°N 112.1411111°W |
| Callsign meaning | Q FaNatic |
| Former callsigns | KYND (1960-1967) KTUF (1967-1973) KNIX (1973-December 31, 1989) KCWW (January 1, 1990-1998) KMIK (1998-2015) KHEP (2015-2017) |
| Affiliations |
CBS Sports Radio SB Nation Radio |
| Operator | CRC Broadcasting Company (full acquisition pending) |
| Owner | Jacob Barker (Gabrielle Broadcasting Licensee I, LLC) |
| Sister stations | KFNN |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 1580thefanatic.com |
KQFN (1580 AM) is a radio station licensed to Tempe, Arizona. It is owned by Jacob Barker, through licensee Gabrielle Broadcasting Licensee I, LLC, and went silent pending a format change after previous owner Radio Disney shut down the station on October 15, 2015. It returned to the air on February 13, 2017 with a sports format branded as "The Fanatic".
The station first began broadcasting on June 1, 1960, with the callsign KYND. The station's license was assigned by the FCC on July 25, 1960. KYND was originally owned by Dick Gilbert, a singer, music editor, and disc jockey. During the period the station was KYND, it broadcast middle of the road music, and was branded as "The Kind Station".
The station originally broadcast only during daytime hours, with a power of 10,000 watts. In the mid 1960s the station's power was increased 50,000 watts during the day, with a power of 10,000 watts during critical hours. In 1966, the station's owner, Dick Gilbert sold the station to Rene Cote for $341,250, which included $148,250 for station equipment and a noncompetition agreement, and $193,000 for a 10-year consultation contract.
In 1967, the station was purchased by Buck Owens for $350,000. Owens had the station's callsign changed to KTUF, and changed its format to country music. In April 1969, KTUF's programming began to be simulcast on KNIX-FM during daytime hours when KTUF was on the air. KNIX-FM had been purchased by Buck Owens the previous year.
During the period the station was KTUF, the station was branded as "All American Radio" and "All American Country Radio".
In 1973 the station's callsign was changed to KNIX, matching the callsign of its FM sister station. In 1980, the station began broadcasting 24 hours a day. In 1985, the station began simulcasting the programming of its sister station KNIX-FM.
On January 1, 1990, the station became an affiliate of Satellite Music Network's "Real Country" network and the callsign was changed to KCWW. While its full callsign was given during station identifications, the station's primary branding and over the air identification was "KCW". During this period, KCWW served as the flagship station of the "Real Country" network, which station owner Buck Owens was co-owner of at the time.
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