"We are so gratified by the support we have received over the years from the business community, local chambers of commerce, and first and foremost, our listeners," said Sanford Cohen. "It's been a dream come true to build that first radio station and continue to enjoy what we do to this day."

The celebration concludes their annual "106 Days of Summer" contest on Saturday, September 13th at the station headquarters in Prescott, featuring prize giveaways and a live performance by the Dirty Halos.

Early Innovation

The station's early days mirrored Prescott Valley's growth. When the town had just 3,200 people, the Cohens knew nearly everyone while selling advertising door-to-door. Faced with limited coverage from their original telephone pole tower, they acquired land from the Arizona State Land Department and built what became the first solar-powered FM radio station in the USA in June 1986.

This innovation earned them recognition as Innovative Advocates of the Year from the Small Business Administration in 1987, plus special acknowledgment from the U.S. Secretary of Energy. The solar site proved crucial during the 1988 Western Power Grid failure, keeping KPPV as the only station on air during the outage.

Community Impact

The National Association of Broadcasters honored KPPV with its Crystal Award in 1991 for outstanding community service. Both Cohens served leadership roles with the Prescott Valley Chamber, and Sanford later became Prescott Chamber Board Chairman and Downtown Prescott Association President.

Growing Empire

From that first station, the Cohens expanded to 11 stations across Northern and Western Arizona, including KQNA, KDDL "Cattle Country," stations in Parker, and the Grand Canyon's Travel Radio KUGO.

"I really never wanted to do anything else, so retirement doesn't appear to be in the foreseeable future," says Sanford Cohen. Terry adds, "We started with modest expectations, and as long as we enjoy what we're doing, why think about stopping?"

After four decades broadcasting everything from the Challenger catastrophe to the Diamondbacks' World Series win, KPPV 106.9 continues as the heart of Arizona's Hometown Radio Group.