Arizona Public Media Explained

Arizona Public Media (AZPM) is the public broadcasting service of the University of Arizona, providing radio and television service and regional news coverage in southern and southeastern Arizona from its studios in Tucson. AZPM encompasses two primary radio services aligned with NPR, with KUAZ and KUAZ-FM in Tucson airing news and talk programming and KUAT-FM airing classical music, and KUAT-TV "PBS 6", the PBS station for the region. AZPM is housed in the Modern Languages Building on the UA campus.

History

Early broadcasting activities and radio-television bureau

While the UA did not begin its current television and radio services until 1959 and 1968, respectively, the first broadcasting activities from the university predate both by several decades. In the fall of 1922, it began offering a radio course, with a university radio station on the way;[1] previously, tests had been made from March to May of that year.[2] A license was granted on December 9, 1922, for a 250-watt station on 360 meters (833 kHz) with the call sign KFDH; power was later reduced to 150 watts. By March 1923, KFDH was broadcasting on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.[3] [4] However, the equipment was quickly made outmoded by advances in radio technology, and in late 1925, it was reported that nearly $30,000 ($ in dollars) would be needed to rebuild KFDH.[5] The license was renewed but allowed to lapse in November 1925.

After it opted not to build its own station, the university got involved with radio program production for air on radio station KVOA. In 1939, a radio bureau was established.[6] By 1951, UA radio offerings—each of them on a different Tucson station—included the Arizona Farm and Ranch Hour, a weekly agricultural news program; the discussion program University of Arizona Forum; University of Arizona Concert, broadcasts of the UA's choral groups; and University Sketchbook, a biography program.[7] After beginning to produce spot news film for use by KPHO-TV in Phoenix that same year, the radio bureau became a radio-television bureau in 1953, and its output rapidly increased as more television stations started.[8] Its expanding activities as well as an increasing offering of courses to students led to the renovation of the 1903 Herring Hall, once the UA gymnasium, into a facility with radio and television studios.[9]

Becoming a station owner

As a result of these new facilities, when the UA applied to start a television station in 1958, most of the costs and construction related to erecting a tower and transmitter facility for the new KUAT. A 250feet mast was installed behind Herring Hall to hold the antenna for the channel 6 station,[10] which began regular programming on March 8, 1959.[11] Initially broadcasting to the immediate Tucson area, regional coverage became a reality on October 1, 1968, with the activation of a transmitter atop Mount Bigelow. The university was also expanding in radio with the launch of KUAT (1550 AM) in 1968 and KUAT-FM 90.5 in 1975. Concomitant with this expansion, the status of the radio-television bureau at the university was elevated to a department in 1971,[12] and it began offering its own degree programs the next year.[13]

By 1991, before the 1992 launch of a second FM service on KUAZ-FM 89.1, the broadcasting operation was known as the KUAT Communications Group.[14] The umbrella name Arizona Public Media was adopted in 2008 to better reflect the services' connection to the university and changes in the media business.[15]

In 2021, the UA announced it was exploring the construction of a new $45 million complex for AZPM south of the campus at The Bridges, home to a UA tech park, having already raised 75 percent of the projected cost without launching a public campaign.[16] he university released renderings of the proposed facility, the Paul and Alice Baker Center for Public Media, in September 2023.[17]

Structure

As a division of the UA, Arizona Public Media has its own executive structure and CEO, Jack Gibson. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, 14 percent of AZPM's operating and non-operating revenues came in the form of appropriations or donated support from the UA. Individual giving constituted the largest source of revenues at 26 percent, with major giving and capital gifts at 20 percent. 15 percent consisted of grants from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.[18]

Radio

See main article: KUAT-FM and KUAZ. The UA operates two primary radio services: a classical service based at KUAT-FM and a news/talk service based at KUAZ and KUAZ-FM. Both services have translators outside of the Tucson area, expanding coverage to such cities as Nogales, Sierra Vista, Bisbee, and Safford.

In 1966, John Walton donated the facility of daytime-only radio station KFIF (1550 kHz) to the university so he could purchase KTAN (580 AM), with its superior facility and signal.[19] KFIF went off the air in May 1967 to move its programming to KTAN's frequency,[20] and it reemerged as KUAT on September 30, 1968.[21] KUAT radio was a charter member of NPR when it began broadcasting All Things Considered in 1971.[22]

The UA applied at the start of 1974 to build an FM radio station that would primarily broadcast classical music; at the time, KUAT AM primarily broadcast classical and jazz music.[23] [24] Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval came at year's end, delayed by issues with a treaty between the United States and Mexico,[25] and when KUAT-FM began on May 19, 1975, the classical and news/jazz services split.[26]

To augment and supplement the daytime-only AM station, the university successfully applied for a construction permit for 89.1 MHz in 1989.[27] The station began broadcasting April 27, 1992, as KUAZ.[28] The AM began simulcasting it while it was on the air,[29] though its call sign was not changed to KUAZ until 2000.[30] With increasing listenership to public radio's talk programming, speech programs came to supplant jazz music on KUAZ.[31]

In addition to their analog services, the FM stations broadcast in HD Radio. KUAZ-FM carries subchannels of jazz music and the BBC World Service.[32]

Television

See main article: KUAT-TV.

In 1959, the University of Arizona built KUAT-TV, the first public television station in Arizona. The original transmitter was behind Herring Hall; it remained on campus until relocating to Mount Bigelow in 1968. At that time, color programming began from the new Modern Languages Building studios. KUAT programming is today broadcast from two high-power transmitters for the Tucson area (one on Mount Bigelow with regional coverage and another on Tumamoc Hill serving parts of northwest Tucson shaded by terrain). The station produces several regular local series, including the newsmagazine Arizona Illustrated, which began production in 1980.[33]

Notes and References

  1. News: University Now Offers Course in Study of Radio. October 14, 1922. 9. Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712174059/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105342379/university-now-offers-course-in-study/. live.
  2. Book: Frost, Jr., S.E.. Education's Own Stations: The History of Broadcast Licenses Issued to Educational Institutions. University of Chicago Press. 1937. 18–20. July 12, 2022. September 29, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210929132558/https://worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/History/Education%27s-Own-Stations-Frost-1937-HOB.pdf. live.
  3. News: Radio To Be Used To Advertise Fine Climate In Tucson. March 9, 1923. 8. Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712174100/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105343745/radio-to-be-used-to-advertise-fine/. live.
  4. News: Broadcasting Station at University Giving Better Results Than Expected. May 6, 1923. 14. Paul. Cloke. Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712174100/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105342952/broadcasting-station-at-university/. live.
  5. News: Radiocasting Station at University Is Asked to Help Tucson Advertising. November 23, 1925. 2. Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712174100/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105344195/radiocasting-station-at-university-is/. live.
  6. News: KUAT deals with cuts, focuses on content. April 5, 2009. E6–7. Gerald M.. Gay. Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712072930/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105451353/kuat-deals-with-cuts-focuses-on-content/. live.
  7. News: University Fall, Winter Broadcasts Pack Variety. October 17, 1951. 20. Ralph. Mahoney. Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712174100/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105467395/university-fall-winter-broadcasts-pack/. live.
  8. News: UA Radio, Television Bureau Widens Scope. October 8, 1953. 1B. Ellsworth. Moe. Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712174101/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105467813/ua-radio-television-bureau-widens-scope/. live.
  9. News: UA Radio Bureau Gets New Home. December 13, 1956. 45. Bill. Kimmey. Tucson Citizen. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712174102/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105467942/ua-radio-bureau-gets-new-home/. live.
  10. News: New Landmark Rises: Video Antenna Is Installed On Campus. November 20, 1958. 1B. Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712072826/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105344529/new-landmark-rises-video-antenna-is/. live.
  11. News: KUAT TV Takes Air Sunday: Regular Programs Starting Monday. March 5, 1959. 1B. Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 11, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712072828/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105344706/kuat-tv-takes-air-sunday-regular/. live.
  12. News: UA's Harvill Announces Faculty, Staff Promotions. June 27, 1971. 10B. Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 16, 2022.
  13. News: At university: Radio-TV classes attract students. March 16, 1973. 50. Tucson Daily Citizen. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 16, 2022.
  14. News: KUAT Advisory Board meeting scheduled Nov. 20. November 7, 1991. 5C. Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712174103/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105468793/kuat-advisory-board-meeting-scheduled/. live.
  15. Web site: Celebrating Sixty Years of Service. Arizona Public Media. April 14, 2019. April 14, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190414124528/https://www.azpm.org/sixtyyears/. live.
  16. News: UA looks to build $45 million facility for Arizona Public Media. Arizona Daily Star. September 9, 2021. Kathryn. Palmer. July 12, 2022. September 13, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210913140647/https://tucson.com/news/local/ua-looks-to-build-45-million-facility-for-arizona-public-media/article_64d618da-1182-11ec-830b-3bdfb71adff6.html. live.
  17. AZPM Unveils Cutting-Edge Public Media Facility. September 8, 2023. Arizona Public Media. September 26, 2023.
  18. Web site: Arizona Public Media. December 14, 2021. 2020–2021 Report to the Community.
  19. News: University Offered Station: Regents To Study Acquiring KFIF. November 26, 1966. 1B. Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712174103/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105452015/university-offered-station-regents-to/. live.
  20. News: KTAN Will Sign Off For Good: KFIF Takes Over Starting May 15. April 29, 1967. 1B. Tom. Turner. Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 12, 2022. June 25, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220625065635/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/28651315/ktan-will-sign-off-for-good/. live.
  21. News: Color Broadcast Slated At University Station: First Offering Planned Oct. 1. September 20, 1968. 13B. Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712072831/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105377916/color-broadcast-slated-at-university/. live.
  22. News: Rusty's fans will be there. April 28, 1971. 38. Phil. Strassberg. Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712174103/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105452108/rustys-fans-will-be-there/. live.
  23. News: KUAT criticized, claims it's pleasing to most: Static detected in city's classical radio. June 14, 1973. 19, 25. Lawrence W.. Cheek. Tucson Daily Citizen. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712174103/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105452098/kuat-criticized-claims-its-pleasing/. live.
  24. News: UA radio applies for FM stations. January 4, 1974. 19. Tucson Daily Citizen. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712174103/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105452144/ua-radio-applies-for-fm-stations/. live.
  25. News: UA Gets Approval From FCC To Begin FM Radio Operation. January 1, 1975. 7D. Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712174119/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33380346/ua-gets-approval-from-fcc-to-begin-fm/. live.
  26. News: University FM Station To Alter AM Program. May 17, 1975. 11D. Paul. Wolfe. Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712174120/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105452169/university-fm-station-to-alter-am/. live.
  27. News: KUAT has inside track on 2nd FM frequency. May 18, 1989. 1B, 4B. Dan. Sorenson. Tucson Citizen. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712174119/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105342659/kuat-has-inside-track-on-2nd-fm/. live.
  28. News: KUAZ89 debuts on air after a month's delay. April 27, 1992. 7B. Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712174120/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105452261/kuaz89-debuts-on-air-after-a-months/. live.
  29. News: The art of public radio. July 23, 1999. 1C, 3C. Ken. Keuffel. Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712174120/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105452193/the-art-of-public-radio/. live.
  30. News: KUAT-AM now KUAZ-AM. August 22, 2000. 5C. Tucson Citizen. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712174120/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105452278/kuat-am-now-kuaz-am/. live.
  31. News: KUAZ drops weekday jazz: Radio station adding 'intelligent talk', news. April 3, 2003. 1D, 5D. Mary. Vandeveire. Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712174121/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105452292/kuaz-drops-weekday-jazz-radio-station/. live.
  32. Web site: AZPM TV & Radio Antenna Coverage Maps. Arizona Public Media. July 12, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712073002/https://about.azpm.org/coverage-maps/. live.
  33. News: KUAT to finally 'illustrate' what's going on in Arizona. August 29, 1980. 8C. Sherry. Stern. Arizona Daily Star. Tucson, Arizona. Newspapers.com. July 11, 2022. July 12, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220712072931/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/105419570/kuat-to-finally-illustrate-whats/. live.

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