ɚɹˈaʊnd nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti wˈʌn, ðə stˈeɪʃən ˈædᵻd ɐ sˈɪməlkˌæst ˌɔn nˈaɪnti sˈɛvən.nˈaɪn kˈʌpdˌɛfˈɛm, wˌɪtʃ ɹᵻmˈeɪnd tˈɑːp fˈoːɹɾi ʌntˈɪl ɐbˌaʊt nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti ˈeɪt wɛn ðɪ ˌɛfˈɛm stˈeɪʃən swˈɪtʃt tʊ ˈælbəm ɹˈɑːk ænd bɪkˌeɪm ɐ dˈɑːmɪnənt pɹˈɛzəns ɪnðə fˈiːnɪks ɹˈeɪdɪˌoʊ mˈɑːɹkɪt.
Around 1971, the station added a simulcast on 97.9 KUPD-FM, which remained Top 40 until about 1978 when the FM station switched to album rock and became a dominant presence in the Phoenix radio market.