KWFM

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In the United States, KWFM refers to the call sign for a commercial broadcast radio station in Tucson, Arizona that began broadcasting in April of 1970. There are many reasons why KWFM was unique. KWFM was one of only a few US radio stations at the forefront of a broader movement that led to the development of a radio format known as Album Oriented Rock, and with respect to radio broadcasting, the station itself was a reflection of the cultural and technological changes that occured in the US between the late 1960s and 1970s.

KWFM was one of the first few radio stations in the US to utilize the newly allocated FM band. Prior to the early 1970s, all radio broadcasting was done within a spectrum ranging from around 500 kilohertz (khz) to 1500 khz, and the bandwith of those stations was narrow, resulting in a sound quality not much better than a telephone. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the US allocated a broad range of frequencies ranging from around 80 megahertz (mhz) to 108 mhz for new radio stations that would be permitted to take advantage of a larger bandwith and a different method of transmitting called Frequency Modulation (FM), with the result being that stations could broadcast in a higher fidelity and in stereo. For the listener, the impact of FM stereo radio broadcasting meant that music could be heard in a sound quality that was comparable to, or even better than, that which could be achieved by playing audio recordings on one's own home turntable and audio discs.

At the beginning of this era in broadcasting, most radio station owners ignored the opportunity to apply for licenses in the new FM spectrum because most radio listeners owned AM radio receivers and consequently advertisers spent their money on those stations. KWFM was one of the first few FM radio stations to begin broadcasting in a small to medium sized US city. As a result of the fact that station owners viewed FM stations as largely 'experimental', the pressure on DJs and program directors to play only the most popular music was diminished. At its beginning, KWFM had no 'format'. DJs played music that seemed to reflect the culture of the time

Arguably, what made KWFM unique was the fact that it was not located in a large US metropolis like Los Angeles or New York, yet its impact on the culture and lifestyle of the then small Southwestern city of Tucson, Arizona was profound during a time of social change.