KFFN

History

The broadcast frequency 1490AM in Tucson Arizona began in 1949 as KTKT, owned and operated by Thomas J. Wallace Sr, Tom Breneman Sr. and Art Linkletter (the two “T’s” were for the two Toms). Having departed from NBC’s Chicago radio studios for Los Angeles and the newly blooming television industry, they formed a limited partnership in this sideline investment.

Mr. Brenemen was to be the station manager leaving Mr. Wallace and Mr. Linkletter as silent investors. After Mr. Brenemens’ untimely death Mr. Wallace moved to Tucson from Los Angeles to run the station.

Mr. Wallace was born and raised in Bisbee Arizona and graduated from the University of Arizona in Tucson. At the close of World War two Mr. Wallace’s sons joined him in operating the station.

Tom Wallace Sr. started his radio career with NBC in Chicago where he was Uncle Walter in the 1940s radio classic 'Uncle Walter's Dog House". He went on to produce other classic radio shows including ‘Blind Date’ with Arlene Francis, ‘Kukla, Fran, and Ollie” with Fran Allison, and The Red Skelton Show.

In December 1949, Tucson heard its fifth station, KTKT (at AM 1490). Because all the existing networks were taken, KTKT became an independent, and its programming was mostly music. For a short time they were an affiliate of the short-lived Liberty Broadcasting System formed around the play-by-play sportscasts of "The Old Scotsman" Gordon McLendon.

With the advent of TV a few years later KTKT was positioned to provide the growing music and news service which still characterizes radio. Wallace built his station on Elm, just west of Miracle Mile, in two war surplus military buildings which were moved onto the site.

In the early 1950s Chuck Blore (spelled Blower then) became one of Tucson's most popular personalities on KTKT, with his six-hour afternoon program called, "Let's Play Records." Blore was a very creative radio personality, and went on to become one of radio's top programmers, starting Los Angeles' first "Top 40" station, the legendary KFWB in 1958. He later owned one of the top commercial production companies in Hollywood.

KTKT was doing well, but by the mid-1950s Tom Wallace Sr. thought they could do better and, like KCNA, reach more Southern Arizona listeners. They filed to move to 990 on the AM dial, with 10,000 watts of power and a directional antenna system, operating only from sunrise to sunset. Engineers Nat Talpis and Tom Wallace Jr. supervised construction of two towers, located off West Grant Road where the present KTKT/KLPX studios are located.

By 1956 the Wallace family had moved KTKT to 990 AM where it was nicknamed "Color Channel 99". [color TV was the rage in the early 1960s]. KTKT was a family run station at that time. Tom Sr was the boss, Tom Jr. handled all of the engineering challenges, and George did everything else. Both Tom Sr. and Tom Jr. had daily radio shows in the beginning.

Soon the Wallace’s added Tucson's first FM station, KTKT-FM (at 99.5 FM) Tom Wallace Sr. put the station on the air because classical music was not being heard in Tucson, and he hired Jack Frakes, the Rincon High School drama teacher as his first announcer and classical music programmer.

In 1959 KTKT AM and FM (which changed to KFMM -"FM on the Mountain" - in 1958, to commemorate a move to Mt. Bigelow that was never made), combined on Sundays to demonstrate something new; stereophonic sound.

Before multiplex stereo as we know it today the only way radio could transmit two simultaneous channels of sound was to put one channel on the AM station and the other channel simultaneously on the FM, which resulted in the audience having to have two radios to hear it. The first stereo program in Tucson was on KTKT and KTKT-FM from 2 to 3 PM Sundays, played from the FM studio.

In an effort to build ratings and listenership, Wallace hired a young disc jockey from a small El Paso radio station to do on air work and the programming. A legend was born. The energetic Frank Kalil programmed the new "rock and roll" "Color Radio" "Top 40" style music and news format which quickly moved daytime-only KTKT into Tucson's number one spot where it remained into the early 1980s.

The Color Channel 99 bumper sticker was notorious, 'Don't honk, listening to KTKT Color Channel 99'

After hiring on air talent Frankie Kalil in 1956, KTKT was by far the number one radio station in Tucson and Southern Arizona. From 1956 to 1966 Frankie Kalil was the voice of Tucson Radio.

Kalil, using his moniker “The Old Arab” never ceased to amaze Tucson audiences with his antics including the acquisition of a camel. He also masterminded Tucson’s first Rock concert at Catalina High School.

In 1960 the Wallace’s sold KTKT to the Leland Bisbee group, and a new manager, Phil Richardson, took over and led the station to full-time operation with l,000 watts at night, and financially the station began to prosper. The FM was purchased by KTUC's owner, Lee Little.

In 1956 within minutes after KTKT signed off 1490, KAIR signed on and continued playing the music/news programming which the audience was used to hearing.

Hal Peary, known to network radio audiences as the "Great Gildersleeve" was one of the first KAIR owners, and he taped voice tracks for a daily program in Hollywood which was mailed to Tucson for broadcast (voice tracking isn't a new idea!).

In 1955 Thomas J. Wallace Jr. left KTKT and Tucson, moving to Los Angeles County to sell radio broadcasting equipment for Gates Electronics.

He managed a few Radio Stations in California including KNEZ in Lompoc where he hired on air talent Tom Breneman Jr, the son of KTKT ownership partner Tom Brenemen Sr.

By 1959 KAIR ownership changed hands to Freddie and Josephine Mays. The station was struggling with a contemporary format and many business issues.

With the air time sales staff spending the majority of their time in a local bar, it was difficult at best to pay the bills and keep the station on the air. Mid way through 1961 the crew and management walked out in what they perceived as a labor dispute.

Thomas J. Wallace Jr. returned to Tucson to manage KAIR 1490 AM, the very frequency where KTKT got its start. Following in his fathers shoes he served as Station Manager, Salesman, Engineer, and on air talent. Reducing the staff to minimum levels the station survived its brush with non existence and began to recoup an audience.

The new slogan was; 'KAIR, in the air, over Tucson. The on air tag line was “I pledge prayer for KAIR, daily”. The very up scale studios were located on the second floor above the business offices at the Ramada Inn.

From 1961 to 1966 the programming was a Christian format that included the teaching of Donald Grey Barnhouse, J Vernon McGee, A.A. Alan, Dr. Clyde M. Narramore, Dr. Dennis Dehan, and many others.

In 1965 Tucson's first audience participation radio talk show, 'A Joyful Noise’ was heard on KAIR. Moderated by station manager Thomas J. Wallace Jr. it was also broadcast on local television Channel 11, on Sunday afternoons. The show was public opinion from a Biblical point of view and Christian education.

By the end of 1965, with no lasting appreciable growth in listenership or programming development over the four years the new format had been in effect, the station began to struggle. The owners, Freddie and Josephine Mays, were forced to cut their losses and sell the station.

By August 1966 KAIR was sold to Frankie Kalil at Kalil & Co. Once again Frankie Kalil worked his radio magic and rolled out an easy listening winner for the next fifteen years.

KAIR in the late 1960s had a beautiful music format 'Drive with KAIR, Everywhere' was the new slogan, and it was top-rated in the Tucson market until FM listening became more common.

In 1985, the format was dropped and the calls became KJYK AM to match the FM's calls for a station owned by the same company at the time. The station became a Top 40/CHR format under the name "Joy 1490".

In 1991, KJYK flipped to a Crossover format a first for the Tucson market under their brand new name "Power 1490". Despite being on AM, the station was highly ranked amongst teens. However, the station had poor advertising revenue.

On June 12, 1995, at 5 PM, after playing "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" by Boyz II Men, the station began stunting with a loop of "Push th' Little Daisies" by Ween. 24 hours later, the station flipped to a alternative rock format using the calls KNND and the new name "1490 The End". One year later, the station flipped to the current format, adopted the KFFN call letters, the "Fan" moniker, and became an ESPN Radio affiliate.

On March 17, 2011, KFFN began simulcasting on FM translator K285DL (104.9 FM).

KFFN is also an affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Journal Communications and The E.W. Scripps Company announced on July 30, 2014 that the two companies would merge to create a new broadcast company under the E.W. Scripps Company name that will own the two companies' broadcast properties, including KFFN. The transaction is slated to be completed in 2015, pending shareholder and regulatory approvals.