City | Phoenix, Arizona |
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Broadcast area | Phoenix, Arizona |
Branding | Arizona Sports 98.7 FM |
Frequency | 98.7 MHz (also on HD Radio) |
First air date | July 1960 (as KTAR-FM) |
Format | Sports Talk |
ERP | 100,000 watts |
HAAT | 545 meters (1,788 ft) |
Class | C |
Facility ID | 52514 |
Callsign meaning | K Most Valuable Player |
Former callsigns | KTAR-FM (1960-1974) KBBC (1974-1982) KKLT (1982-2005) KPKX (2005-2014) |
Affiliations | ESPN Radio |
Owner |
Bonneville International (Bonneville International Corporation) |
Webcast | Listen Live |
Website | arizonasports.com |
KMVP-FM (98.7 FM) is the callsign for a radio station in Phoenix, Arizona branded as "Arizona Sports 98.7 FM". It airs programming from ESPN Radio, in addition to Arizona Sports-acquired broadcast rights for local teams. Arizona Sports is owned by Bonneville International Corporation. Its studios are located in Phoenix near Piestewa Peak and its transmitter is in South Mountain Park.
Arizona Sports is the flagship station of the National Basketball Association's Phoenix Suns, the National Football League's Arizona Cardinals, the Arizona State University Sun Devils' football games, the National Hockey League's Arizona Coyotes and Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks. Arizona Sports owns all of the major sports team rights in the Phoenix market.
98.7 FM signed on in July 1960 as KTAR-FM, co-owned with KTAR and KTAR-TV (now KPNX). In the mid-1970s, the station became KBBC broadcasting easy listening music programming. KBBC became one of the nation's pioneers in a format that became known as "Soft Rock" under the programming direction of J.D. Freeman who moved over from KNIX-FM afternoon drive.
In 1982, the format evolved into a soft adult contemporary music format branded as "K-Lite" along with a change of call letters to KKLT. The staff included program director Marc McCoy and sales manager Ken Hoag.