KUAZ and KUAZ-FM are

public radio Public broadcasting (or public service broadcasting) is radio, television, and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service with a commitment to avoiding political and commercial influence. Public broadcasters receive ...

stations in

Tucson, Arizona Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

, owned by the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

. KUAZ transmits on 1550

kHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base uni ...

on the AM dial, and KUAZ-FM is at 89.1

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...

on the FM dial. The stations

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...

of news and information, as a member of

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

. KUAZ-AM-FM carry such popular NPR shows as ''

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

'', ''

Morning Edition ''Morning Edition'' is an American radio news program produced and distributed by NPR. It airs weekday mornings (Monday through Friday) and runs for two hours, and many stations repeat one or both hours. The show feeds live from 5:00 to 9:00 a ...

'','' '' 1A'' and ''

Fresh Air with Terry Gross ''Fresh Air'' is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States since 1985. It is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show's hosts are Terry Gross and Tonya Mosley. , the s ...

''. KUAZ's transmitter is located in

Marana Marana may refer to: * Maraña, a village in León, Spain * Maraṇa, the Pali/Sanskrit term for death * Marana, Arizona Marana () is a List of municipalities in Arizona, town that mostly lies in Pima County, Arizona, Pima County with a smal ...

, while KUAZ-FM's transmitter is located in Tucson. Programming is also heard on KUAS-FM at 88.9 MHz in Sierra Vista, as well as three low-power FM

translators Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transl ...

that fill in service gaps around Tucson and Southeastern Arizona.

History

As a

construction permit Planning permission or building permit refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. House building permits, for example, are subject to bu ...

, 1550 AM began as KSWC, but changed its

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...

to KFIF before signing on the air on June 25, 1961. It was owned by the Southwest Broadcasting Corporation. In 1967, John B. Walton, who had bought KFIF in 1965, also bought a station at 580 AM, which he would christen KIKX. The station on 580 could operate 24 hours a day. Walton then donated 1550 AM to the University of Arizona. The station became KUAT on October 7, 1968. KUAT initially had a format of

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

. When

KUAT-FM KUAT-FM (90.5 MHz) is a radio station in Tucson, Arizona, United States. One of two radio services operated by the University of Arizona (UA) through its Arizona Public Media arm, it broadcasts a classical format throughout Southern Arizona. Stu ...

went on the air in 1975, the FM played all classical music and the AM went all jazz. The U of A put 89.1 FM on the air in Sierra Vista on April 27, 1992. It took the call sign KUAZ-FM, so as to distinguish itself from KUAT-FM. The AM station adopted the KUAZ calls on August 11, 2000.

Repeaters

On October 11, 2018, after an 11-year process, KUAS-FM 88.9 came to air for the first time, broadcasting to Sierra Vista, Bisbee, Benson, Huachuca City, and Douglas. Previously, Sierra Vista received KUAZ via translator K217GI (91.3 MHz). A second translator, K283DC at 104.5 MHz, fills service gaps in the Catalina and Saddlebrooke areas to the north of Tucson and began operating in 2019.

References

External links

KUAZ official website
* * * * * {{Daytime-only radio stations in Arizona NPR member stations UAZ Radio stations established in 1961 1961 establishments in Arizona UAZ University of Arizona UAZ