KFYI is an American news/talk radio station

Radio station

Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...

 broadcasting in Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...

. KFYI is owned by Clear Channel Communications

Clear Channel Communications

Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...

. KFYI transmits in both analog

Analog signal

An analog or analogue signal is any continuous signal for which the time varying feature of the signal is a representation of some other time varying quantity, i.e., analogous to another time varying signal. It differs from a digital signal in terms of small fluctuations in the signal which are...

 AM

AM broadcasting

AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...

 and digital

Digital

A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...

 HD Radio

HD Radio

HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...

.

The digital signal is also rebroadcast on KNIX-FM's HD2 channel.

Programming

KFYI's weekday lineup is approximately an even mix of local and syndicated programming. Local personalities heard on KFYI include Barry Young, Former Mr Universe Lance Dreher

Lance Dreher

Lance Dreher is a two time Mr. Universe and former Mr. America. Dreher was born in Chicago, Illinois on June 27, 1955. Dreher has placed in the top 3 of 10 professional body building championships. One of Lance's greatest body building features is his 21-inch biceps. After his last competition...

, and former Congressman J. D. Hayworth

J. D. Hayworth

John David Hayworth, Jr. , usually known as J. D. Hayworth, is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2007 from Arizona's 5th congressional district...

 who resigned to run for senate against Senator John McCain

John McCain

John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....

. Hayworth lost.

The syndicated programming is similar to the standard Clear Channel news talk lineup and includes Rush Limbaugh

Rush Limbaugh

Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...

, Sean Hannity

Sean Hannity

Sean Hannity is an American radio and television host, author, and conservative political commentator. He is the host of The Sean Hannity Show, a nationally syndicated talk radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks. Hannity also hosts a cable news show, Hannity,...

, Michael Savage

Michael Savage (commentator)

Michael Savage is a conservative American radio host, author, and political commentator. He is the host of The Savage Nation, a nationally syndicated talk show that airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network...

 and Coast to Coast AM

Coast to Coast AM

Coast to Coast AM is a North American late-night syndicated radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics, but most frequently ones that relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was created by Art Bell and is distributed by Premiere Radio Networks. The program currently...

 with George Noory

George Noory

George Ralph Noory is a Lebanese-American radio talk show host.As of 2010, he is the weekday host of the late-night radio talk show Coast to Coast AM. He is heard across the United States and Canada on many AM and FM stations as well as on XM Satellite Radio. His show is one of the most listened...

. Because of Arizona's time zone irregularities (the state does not participate in daylight saving time

Daylight saving time

Daylight saving time —also summer time in several countries including in British English and European official terminology —is the practice of temporarily advancing clocks during the summertime so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less...

), the syndicated programs air on a tape delay during the spring and summer months.

History

For decades AM 550 was the home of KOY

KOY

KOY in Phoenix is the oldest radio station in the state of Arizona. It is owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications.-KOY:KOY was the first radio station in the state of Arizona, signing on in 1921 as Amateur Radio station 6BBH on 360 meters . Earl Neilsen was the holder of the 6BBH...

. The station aired network programs in the pre-television era, then top 40 and from the 1980s, adult standards

Adult standards

Adult standards is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations.Adult standards is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly those persons over 50 years of age, but it is mostly targeted for senior citizens...

 music. It was owned by Edens Broadcasting in the 1980s as the sister station to KOY-FM

KYOT

KYOT-FM is a commercial rhythmic oldies music radio station located in Phoenix, Arizona, broadcasting on 95.5 FMDespite the station's branding, there is no affiliation of any kind with the Phoenix Coyotes, the local National Hockey League team...

 (Y95).

KFYI originated in 1985 on AM910, which had been the signal of KPHO

KPHO-TV

KPHO-TV, channel 5, is a CBS-affiliate television station located in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. KPHO-TV is owned by the Meredith Corporation, and has its studios located on Black Canyon Highway in the Alhambra Village section of Phoenix, with its transmitter located on South Mountain in Phoenix...

 radio (co-owned with channel 5, still called KPHO today as a CBS

CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

 affiliate.) All-sports station KGME

KGME

KGME, branded XTRA Sports 910, is a sports radio station located in Phoenix, Arizona and serving the Phoenix metropolitan area. KGME is owned by Clear Channel Communications, the former owners of Mexican station XETRA in Southern California, where the XTRA name came from.The station's weekday...

 occupies AM910 today. The frequency switch took place in 2003. The call letters KFYI had been previously used by a station in Oakland, California

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

, now KMKY.

KFYI signed on at 5:30am on July 10, 1985 with Morning Host Charlie Van Dyke

Charlie Van Dyke

Charlie Van Dyke is a former radio disc jockey who is best known for the voice work he has done for numerous radio and television stations....

, newsman Brad Messr and sports anchor Jim Jeffrey .

KFYI Host Barry Young served as the station's program director from 1988 until 1998. Joe Adams (news) and Mark Jeffrey (traffic) have been with the station since the beginning.

Controversy

On March 8, 2006 KFYI made news when fill-in host Brian James suggested that the United States National Guard

United States National Guard

The National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States. Militia members are citizen soldiers, meaning they work part time for the National...

 and Border Patrol should shoot to kill people illegally crossing the US-Mexican border. He also stated on the air that he would be "happy to sit there with my high-powered rifle and my night scope" and kill people as they cross the border. Those remarks prompted Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard

Terry Goddard

Samuel Pearson "Terry" Goddard III was the Attorney General of Arizona, from 2003 to 2011, who also served as Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona from 1984 to 1990....

 and U.S. Attorney

United States Attorney

United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...

 Paul Charlton to complain to the Federal Communications Commission

Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...

(FCC), calling the remarks "irresponsible and dangerous".