In 1973, KHEP-FM moved from the AM radio tower to a new facility on South Mountain, increasing its effective radiated power from 26 to 100 kilowatts.
On March 31, 1986, the station abandoned classical music for satellite-delivered soft rock as KAMJ ("Magic 101"), using the Transtar Radio Networks' 'Format 41' service, with a local morning show anchored by Mike Del Rosso.
[11] During its brief run, it attempted to appeal toward young adult men, as CBS Radio had high hopes that this format would do well in Phoenix, using a promotional campaign that came along with it.
On January 3, 2007, KZON reduced the music content and began to add more talk shows to the weekend lineup, and a taped Tom Leykis episode airing overnights, all in an attempt to attract more listeners.
In response to KZON's debut and full-powered signal range, KKFR's then-programming director Bruce St. James stated he wasn't worried, telling the Arizona Republic, "What are they going to do?
Really, I think we'll be OK."[19] St. James would end up joining KZON as its new PD in January 2010,[20] but after almost three months on the job, he resigned on March 30, 2010, to pursue other opportunities.
As of 2010, KZON has expanded its focus to include Dance and Pop tracks, overtaking KZZP and KKFR in the Arbitron PPMs.
On September 6, the station rebranded as "Live 101-5", and shifted its playlist to more mainstream material, but would later scale back on Pop/Rock product and focus more on Rhythmic Pop/Dance hits.