San Tan Educational Media has been granted a CP for an LPFM serving Mesa, AZ.
The station, which will serve the eastern portions of the Phoenix market including Chandler, Gilbert and Apache Junction, has applied for KUKQ-LP as its call letters. The KUKQ call letters were once used by 1060 AM during its time as an Alternative station in the early 1990’s.
The new LPFM, to be branded as “Q106.7“, will feature an Alternative format, sharing some programming with 93.9 KWSS-LP Scottsdale including its TMI Morning Show. San Tan Educational Media President Shon White has served as a consultant and DJ for KWSS.
San Tan anticipates having the new station on the air within a month. The station is promoting a “Grand Opening Event” for March 15.
johndavis 
BC 
stelly
Now the question is whether the folks at KUKQ LLC, doing business as kukqphoenix.com have any sort of trademark to make this messy.
Back when the Meltons owned 1060 KUKQ they had a federal trademark on the call letters, but that has since lapsed.
I don’t think so John. If I’m correct, Sandusky radio owned the kukq stream, and they recently sold their radio assets to Hubbard. with kwss on one side, and kukq on the other, I doubt an automated stream is hub bards top priority. Though i must say I find it astonishing there isn’t a full power non com triple a in the market, it has just about everything else but that.
A trademark only relates to the promotion of a brand; a set of call letters can’t be trademarked. Nothing will prevent the FCC from issuing a requested set of calls outside of another station being already licensed with the same callsign.
That being said, kukqphoenix.com appears to only be promoting itself with the “KUKQ, Arizona’s Alternative” brand, while KUKQ-LP will promote itself not as KUKQ, but as “Q106.7” or “KQ.” The mention of KUKQ-LP will likely be relegated to once an hour in the legal ID. There doesn’t seem to be any overlap between the two stations’ brands, other than the fact they’re both “Alternative.”
You bet call letters can be trademarked. KZZP, KPNX-TV, KKBQ, WOMX, and KUKQ all come up as live federally registered trademarks doing a cursory search online.
This is why one of the last things that Rice University did before selling KTRU was trademark the call sign as the station shifted online. Sure, the call letters are available from the FCC, but their lawyers will make your life difficult if you try to utter them on the air.