KSOM (Arizona)
| |
| Frequency | 92.1 MHz |
|---|---|
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | March 12, 1962 |
Last air date | February 15, 1966 (license renewal dismissed) |
Call sign meaning | "Sound of Music" |
| Technical information | |
| ERP | 3,000 watts |
KSOM was an FM radio station at 92.1 MHz in Tucson, Arizona, operating between 1962 and 1965. The station was known as the "Sound of Music" with a classical music format.
History
After filing for its construction permit on July 17, 1961,[1] KSOM went on the air March 12, 1962,[2] from studios and transmitter at 2126 S. Alvernon Way in Tucson, broadcasting 12 hours a day.[3] It broadcast classical music; the licensee was Prell Enterprises, owned by Stan Prell and his father, Isador.[4] KSOM claimed the distinction of being the first stereo FM station in southern Arizona.[2] The station also formed a pact with KEPI in Phoenix to form the "Arizona FM Stereo Network", with combined news programming.[5]
On the night of May 4, 1963, David Paladin, the station's program director, was anchoring a late newscast at about 11:45 p.m. when he noticed a "big blanket of smoke" drift into the studio. After asking listeners to call the fire department, he signed the station off and fled the building; he was later treated for smoke inhalation. While the fire did not damage the studios, the transmitter exhaust system took in smoke and damaged the equipment, causing an estimated $35,000 in damage and taking KSOM off the air.[4] After the fire, KSOM rebuilt its studios in the Mayer-Alameda building at 110 E. Alameda. The new studio was furnished with Schafer automation equipment, the second such installation in Arizona, which was put into service on July 22, 1963.[6]
While the transmitter remained at the former Alvernon studio site, KSOM sought to improve its coverage. In November 1964, the FCC granted a construction permit to move to 92.9 FM and change station classes from A to C, with 38,000 watts of effective radiated power;[7] these facilities were never built. KSOM operated through most of 1965, though it suffered two thefts at its Alvernon Way transmitter facility, with tape recorders stolen in May and September.[8][9] In a separate May incident, a fire destroyed $3,500 of equipment in KSOM's transmitter room.[10]
On February 15, 1966, the Federal Communications Commission dismissed KSOM's license renewal application for failure to prosecute.[11]
References
- ^ "Notice". Arizona Daily Star. August 1, 1961. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- ^ a b "FM-Stereo Station Will Begin Operating Monday". Arizona Daily Star. March 11, 1962. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- ^ "Radio comes of age with FM... KSOM". Arizona Daily Star. March 1, 1962. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- ^ a b "$35,000 Blaze To Put Radio Station Off Air". Arizona Daily Star. May 6, 1963. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- ^ "Tucson And Phoenix FM Stations Unite". Arizona Daily Star. September 9, 1962. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- ^ "Fully Automated FM Radio Station To Open In City". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. November 16, 1964. p. 142. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- ^ "Burglars Strike KSOM, Store". Arizona Daily Star. May 8, 1965. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- ^ "Burglars Loot Radio Station". Tucson Daily Citizen. September 9, 1966. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- ^ "Radio Station Antiques Hit In 2 Fires". Tucson Daily Citizen. May 29, 1965. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
- ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 28, 1966. p. 88.