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KVVA-FM (107.1 MHz, "La Suavecita 107.1") is a commercial radio station licensed to Sun Lakes, Arizona, serving the Phoenix metropolitan area. The station is owned by Entravision Communications, with studios near Sky Harbor Airport.

KVVA-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 2,850 watts as a Class C2 station. The transmitter is located in South Mountain Park.

History

KSTM and KVVA-FM

The station signed on the air on July 1, 1973; 51 years ago (July 1, 1973). Its call sign was KSTM. It was built by engineer Harold Harkins who also served as its first general manager and it had a variety format. Harkings sold KSTM to Beta Communications in 1980. Under Beta, it broadcast an album rock format known as "The Storm".

Two years after buying KSTM, Beta acquired KIFN 860 AM, Phoenix's heritage Spanish-language station, and relaunched it as KVVA. Five years later, Beta opted to jettison the rock format for Spanish-language adult contemporary as KVVA-FM 107.1. It was the first Spanish-language FM station in Phoenix since 99.9 KNNN had exited the format in 1984.

Romántica, Estrella, Jose, Suavecita

Beta went bankrupt in 1996, and the AM and FM stations were auctioned separately. KVVA-FM was sold to Z-Spanish Radio Network. Four years later, Entravision acquired KVVA-FM and KMJK (now KDVA) and combined the two into a simulcast for its "Radio Romántica" format. In 2005, the stations were changed to "Super Estrella," as part of the Super Estrella Network programmed by Edgar Pineda from Los Angeles. In September 2008, the simulcast switched to "Jose FM," a Spanish adult hits format. The current "La Suavecita" format was instituted in 2018.

In July 2020, after years of filings involving a nearby FM allotment to Aguila, Entravision was approved to move KVVA-FM's city of license from Apache Junction to Sun Lakes, in order to relocate the transmitter from Apache Junction to South Mountain and become a market-wide signal. Its simulcast partner, 106.9 KDVA, moved to 106.7 MHz in late October of 2023. The transmitter move was completed in June 2024, which included the introduction of a simulcast of KFUE 106.7 on its HD2 subchannel.

References

1. "Facility Technical Data for KVVA-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
2. Radio-Locator.com/KVVA
3. Broadcasting Yearbook 1975 page C-8, Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
4. "History Cards for KVVA-FM". Federal Communications Commission. (Guide to reading History Cards)
5. Wilkinson, Bud. "FM rock station raises KDKB's ire". The Arizona Republic. p. B12. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
6. Wilkinson, Bud (15 June 1987). "Rock outlet KSTM replaced with bilingual KVVA-FM". The Arizona Republic. p. B12. Retrieved 4 May 2019.
7. Van Dyke, Charlie (August 10, 1996). "'Class' morning guys lose jobs as KNIX sends in a new team". Arizona Republic. Retrieved July 16, 2019.

External links

• Facility details for Facility ID 1331 (KVVA-FM) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• KVVA-FM in Nielsen Audio's FM station database

• HD Radio stations
• Radio stations in Phoenix, Arizona
• Spanish-language radio stations in Arizona
• Entravision Communications stations
• Regional Mexican radio stations in the United States
• Adult hits radio stations in the United States
• Radio stations established in 1973
• 1973 establishments in Arizona