KAJM (104.3
FM) is a commercial
rhythmic oldies
Rhythmic oldies is a radio format that concentrates on the rhythmic, R&B, disco, or dance genres of music. Playlists can span from the 1960s through the 2000s and, depending on market conditions, may be designed for African-American or Hispanic a ...
-formatted
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...
in
Camp Verde, Arizona
Camp Verde ( yuf-x-yav, ʼMatthi:wa; Western Apache: Gambúdih) is a town in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town is 10,873.
The town hosts an annual corn festival in July, sponsored and orga ...
, broadcasting to
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the o ...
. Its studios are located on Indian School Road in Phoenix, and its transmitter is in
Crown King
Crown King is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Yavapai County, Arizona, Yavapai County, Arizona, United States, located at an elevation of 5,771 feet (1,759 m). Crown King has a ZIP Code of 86343; in 2000, the populat ...
.
History
The station began in the summer of 1984 as KKJJ 103.9, a Class A station licensed to
Payson, and would remain until 1987, when they got the approval and completed the move to 104.3. The original format was country.
Callsigns since then included first KAFM then KRIM then KBZG which were in use during part of the KBZR simulcast. The KRIM calls once dropped for KBZG were picked up later when KRIM-LP took them.
Previous formats include country, an
AOR/
Modern Rock
Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music.
Radio format
Mod ...
/
CHR format called "The Blaze", a simulcast of CHR/Rhythmic
KBZR-Coolidge (later
KPTY-Gilbert), a return of the "Blaze" format (under the new name "CD Rock"), Traditional Oldies as "K-Best", and a 60’s-90’s Rhythmic Oldies format, under the name "Arizona Jamz", featuring sweepers with "
Beavis and Butthead
''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American adult animated series created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, lack of intelligence, lowbrow humor, ...
" sound bytes.
Carey Edwards, an established Phoenix air talent who had most recently been programming
Rhythmic Oldies
Rhythmic oldies is a radio format that concentrates on the rhythmic, R&B, disco, or dance genres of music. Playlists can span from the 1960s through the 2000s and, depending on market conditions, may be designed for African-American or Hispanic a ...
KGMG "Mega 106.3" in
Tucson
, "(at the) base of the black ill
, nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town"
, image_map =
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, was brought to the station. Soon after his arrival, allaccess.com reported that KAJM would be "relaunched" soon. On April 20, 2001, at 5:00 pm, as Edwards applied the formula from KGMG — KAJM became "Mega 104.3 & 99.3". Since then, the station has shifted towards a gold-based Urban Adult Contemporary direction in part due to having a sister station in
KNRJ, whose playlist and direction features an Urban Contemporary direction with a heavy emphasis on Classic Hip-Hop. As of June 2011, KAJM has picked up competition from
Gold-based Rhythmic AC KYOT-FM
Kyot the Provençal is claimed by Wolfram von Eschenbach to have been a Provençal poet who supplied him with the source for his Arthurian romance ''Parzival''. Wolfram may have been referring to the northern French poet Guiot de Provins, but thi ...
, a move that prompted KAJM to rechristen its slogan to "Arizona's #1 Old School Station" to counter KYOT-FM's library of R&B/Pop/Dance classics (KYOT-FM has since flipped to
adult hits).
"First Listen: Phoenix's Jammin' Oldies Battle"
from Radio-Info.com (June 7, 2011)
Move
In June 2007, KAJM moved its signal at 104.3 MHz from a location north of Payson, to Wildflower Mountain near Crown King
Crown King is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Yavapai County, Arizona, Yavapai County, Arizona, United States, located at an elevation of 5,771 feet (1,759 m). Crown King has a ZIP Code of 86343; in 2000, the populat ...
, and changed its city of license
In American, Canadian, and Mexican broadcasting, a city of license or community of license is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator.
In North American b ...
to Camp Verde. Despite a power reduction, this location gives the station a little better coverage in the Phoenix metropolitan area, mainly in the western suburbs. The 99.3 translator would become part of KNRJ
References
External links
*
Audio : "Arizona JamZ" becomes "Mega"
{{coord, 34.22975, N, 112.351528, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title
Radio stations in Phoenix, Arizona, AJM
Rhythmic oldies radio stations in the United States
Radio stations established in 1984
1984 establishments in Arizona