KXCI

In the late 1970s, Tucson residents Paul Bear, Frank Milan, and Roger Greer began preliminary work on the idea of a new, non-commercial radio station with a community-centric focus.[1] They gained a construction permit in November 1982 after a frequency search and FCC filings were complete.

The original plan for callsigns was to run a contest to determine one, and then see if it was available. However, upon receiving a letter from the FCC regarding the need to select a callsign, a volunteer came up with the 'KXCI' idea, and that was the top choice out of five submitted to the FCC. Those calls were available and were assigned.[2]

One year later, on November 19, 1983, at 7 p.m., the station went live on the air for the first time. It began with a stunt format, playing reggae for two days to promote a station benefit concert featuring Eek-A-Mouse. The station then ran a three-week promotion called the "Big Broadcast of 1983", a historical journey from the earliest music to contemporary; it included almost every genre of music, and ended on December 5 with a live concert at the studio.

Rumors of final formats were rampant. This included one that the station was going to take an urban contemporary format 24/7, causing KHYT 1330 to bill itself as "Tucson's First Rock and Soul Station". KHYT's promotion abruptly died once the true format was known: A 'music mix' during the day, and over 29 musical styles and genres during nights and weekends.[3] The station still airs many genres and styles not generally found on other stations in the Tucson market.[4]

The station was originally located at 91.7 FM. In the early 1990s, the station moved to its present 91.3 frequency to permit the station formerly known as KFMA 92.1 to raise its power and cover more of the Tucson area.

KXCI plays an eclectic mix of musical genres, spinning both independent artists along with bands/musicians on major labels.

The styles of music vary wildly, and range from (and are by no means limited to) alternative to country and Americana to blues, jazz, cumbia, rock & roll, punk rock and folk.[5] In addition, there are many specialty shows (mostly on weeknights and weekends) which focus on particular genres:[4] Its Monday night show, Locals Only!, broadcasting since May 1998,[6] features Tucson's musicians. Locals Only! includes interviews with and live performance by the bands. KXCI is also a local carrier for Democracy Now!.[7]

In 1995, Michael Metzger quoted the station's then board president Shirley Shade in a Tucson Weekly article that illustrates the station's diversity of musical offerings: "If you don't like something that you're hearing at this moment, just wait a minute and something different will be on," says Shirley Shade, president of the Foundation for Creative Broadcasting's board of directors. (The foundation is a non-profit corporation holding KXCI's broadcast license and overseeing the station's operation.) "It's a learning experience, it exposes you to different types of music that you might not normally listen to."[8]

KXCI is a non-profit organization that operates under the corporation name The Foundation for Creative Broadcasting, Inc. and is designated as a cultural entity, according to the Arizona Corporation Commission website.[9]

Per its non-profit status, and due to FCC and grant regulations, KXCI doesn't air traditional radio commercials. Instead, KXCI's disc jockeys read underwriters' spots that highlight the underwriters' businesses/events.[10] The disc jockeys also share public service announcements that feature Tucson's local non-profits and their initiatives/events.[11]

According to its website, "membership is the largest form of support at KXCI". Memberships range from one-time gifts in any amount to monthly sustaining members in any amount.[12]

In September 2015, the City of Tucson awarded KXCI, Brink Media and Wavelab Studios a "contract to operate Tucson's new Community Media Center, officially replacing the now-defunct Access Tucson and City Channel," according to the Arizona Daily Star, which also wrote: "The partners will oversee public-access television broadcasting and local content designed to grow the economy, and provide training in media arts."[13]

KXCI also collaborates with Tucson Weekly and Arizona Public Media's Jim Nintzel by airing the political journalist's show, Zona Politics on Sundays from 5 p.m.-5:30 p.m.[14]

KXCI has won, or been a runner-up, in Tucson Weekly's "Best of Tucson" awards for over two decades.[15][16]

• List of radio stations in Arizona
• List of community radio stations in the United States

• KXCI Website
• KXCI in the FCC FM station database
• KXCI on Radio-Locator
• KXCI in Nielsen Audio's FM station database