MESA, ARIZ. — A Class C3 radio station owned by the East Valley Institute of Technology serving the SanTan Valley cities of Chandler, Tempe, Gilbert, Mesa and Queen Creek — the southeastern portion of the ever-expanding Phoenix metropolitan area, acquired in March 2015, has just named an Arizona broadcast media veteran as its General Manager.
Taking the reins at noncomm KVIT-FM “88.7 The Pulse,” licensed to Chandler and using a broadcast tower just east of Harrah’s Ak-Chin casino, is Michael Mallace.
Considered one of the premiere high school stations in the U.S., KVIT is community-supported. Now, it will be led by an individual who is the former manager of Phoenix radio stations KAJM-FM and KNRJ-FM and is a past chairman of the Arizona Broadcasters Association.
From the start of 2020 through July 2022, Mallace was a partner in Desert Explorer Communications, which owns and developed KPGX-FM in Navajo Mountain, Utah and FM translator K252ER, licensed to Chinle, Ariz. The two properties serve Southern Utah and the Northern Arizona city of Page.
For 17 years before that, through July 2019, he ran Sierra H Broadcasting’s KAJM & KNRJ, known locally as “Mega 104.3” and “101.1 The Beat.”
From 1994-1998, Mallace was Sales Manager for KFYI-AM in Phoenix. From 1985-1989 he was in a similar role at KOOL-FM in Phoenix. And, from 1980-1984 he was Research Director under then-owner Buck Owens at Country KNIX.
On LinkedIn, where Mallace shared his new job, he said he was “very excited about the direction the radio station is going. Our students do an outstanding job on-air, and play by play sports, selecting the music, producing underwriting messages and more.”
