KXXT

KXXT (1010 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Christian talk and instructional format. Licensed to Tolleson, Arizona, USA, the station serves the Phoenix area. KXXT uses the slogan "Family Values Radio" and is owned by Salem Media Group (under the licensee Common Ground Broadcasting, Inc.),^[1]

KXXT is co-owned with Talk radio KKNT 960 AM Phoenix and KPXQ 1360 AM in Glendale, which also broadcasts a Christian radio format. KXXT operates with 15,000 watts by day, and can be heard as far south as Tucson and as far north as Cottonwood. But, because 1010 kHz is a Canadian and Cuban clear channel frequency, KXXT must reduce its power to 250 watts at night to not interfere with other radio stations also operating on 1010 kHz. (AM radio waves travel farther at night.) After sunset, it may be hard to hear KXXT much beyond Phoenix and its close-in suburbs due to its reduced power.

History

KCAC

The station went on the air in 1961 as daytime-only KCAC, Phoenix's first radio station aimed at an African-American audience. In the mid-'60s, KCAC switched to a Spanish-language format for a few years then became an "underground" free-form station. KCAC's owners declared bankruptcy in October 1970 and switched formats to religious, as KHCS, the following year.

KHCS/KXEG

KHCS became KXEG in 1978, after an ownership change, and was given 24-hour operational authority the same year, with a city of license move to the nearby agricultural community of Tolleson. ^[2]

Later history

KXEG became news-talk KXEM on July 11, 2001 (on the same day, sister station KTKP retained the Christian format and KXEG call letters). On September 7, 2004, the station changed its call sign to the current KXXT, which was accompanied by a format change to Air America progressive talk radio under the name 1010 Talk. In October 2005, owner James Crystal Enterprises sold three stations, including KXXT and KXEG, to Communicom, which mostly owned stations with religious formats.^[3] The format change occurred on February 1, 2006;^[4] Air America programs would move to KPHX 1480 AM by the end of March.

In January 2011, after the attempted assassination of Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords (see 2011 Tucson shooting ), KXXT National Talk Show Host Steve Sanchez of The Steve Sanchez Show offered 30 minutes of airtime to Westboro Baptist Church in exchange for the Church agreeing not to protest at the funeral of 9 year old Christina Green who was killed during the assassination attempt. ^[5]

In June 2014, Salem Communications, a national radio broadcaster focusing on Christian and conservative values programming, purchased KXXT in a bankruptcy auction for $575,000. ^[6] Salem took full control of the station on October 1. ^[7]

References

External links

• Query the FCC's AM station database for KXXT
• Radio-Locator Information on KXXT
• Query Nielsen Audio's AM station database for KXXT