KOA-AM

KOA is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Denver, Colorado, broadcasting on 850 kHz. It carries news, talk and sports programming under the KOA NewsRadio identity. The station broadcasts at 50,000 watts, the maximum power for a U.S. AM station, and is owned by iHeartMedia. Its current website is koanews.iheart.com.

History

KOA began broadcasting on December 15, 1924, as a General Electric station on 930 kHz. It moved among frequencies in the 1920s and increased its power from 5,000 watts at sign-on to 12,500 watts in 1927. NBC began operating the station in 1929 and acquired it in 1941. KOA raised its power to 50,000 watts in 1934 and moved to 850 kHz in 1941. Its high-power signal became a major regional service across the Mountain West.

NBC sold KOA in 1953 to Metropolitan Television Company, whose principal stockholder was Bob Hope. General Electric repurchased the station in 1968 and sold it to A. H. Belo Corporation in 1983. Jacor Communications acquired KOA in 1987; Clear Channel Communications acquired Jacor in 1999. Clear Channel adopted the iHeartMedia name in 2014.

Ownership

• 1924–1941: General Electric; NBC operated the station beginning in 1929.
• 1941–1953: National Broadcasting Company (NBC).
• 1953–1968: Metropolitan Television Company.
• 1968–1983: General Electric.
• 1983–1987: A. H. Belo Corporation.
• 1987–1999: Jacor Communications.
• 1999–present: Clear Channel Communications, renamed iHeartMedia in 2014.

Technical information

• Frequency: 850 kHz AM.
• Power: 50,000 watts.
• Facility ID: 29738.
• Current format: News, talk and sports.
• Current station website: KOA NewsRadio.

Studio locations

• 1625 California Street, Denver: KOA’s studios from 1934 to 1959.
• 1044 Lincoln Street, Denver: shared broadcast facilities from 1959 to 1983.
• 1380 Lawrence Street, Denver: KOA’s next studio location, used from 1984 until the Denver cluster moved in 1999.
• Current station office: 4695 South Monaco Street, Suite 400, Denver, Colorado 80237 (iHeartMedia’s Denver studios).

Sources: Broadcast Pioneers of Colorado, “100 Years of 850 AM KOA Radio”; Radio World, “Clear Channel Denver”; KOA NewsRadio, official contact page.

2024 CBA Awards: Awards of Excellence included Best Regularly Scheduled Newscast, “Colorado’s Morning News Newscast”; Best News Coverage of a Single Event, coverage of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump; Best Station Imaging Campaign, Denver Broncos Radio Network 55th season; Best News/Talk Show Host or Team, “Colorado’s Morning News”; Best Sports Coverage, KOA Colorado Rockies Radio Network; Best Sports Feature, “Denver Broncos Stories with Sideline Reporter Susie Wargin”; and Best Use of Digital/Social Media, KOA 100th Anniversary. Certificates of Merit included “Colorado’s Morning News Newscast” (Marty Lenz, Chad Bower and Cynthia Vail) and KOA 100th Year (Alan Jackson). Official CBA 2024 results.

2023 CBA Awards: Awards of Excellence: Best Regularly Scheduled Newscast, “KOA Newscasts” (Marty Lenz, Jeana Gondek and Brenda Stewart); Best News Coverage of a Single Event, “KOA Tornado in Highlands Ranch Denver” (Kathy Walker, Rob Dawson and KOA Sports); Best News/Talk Show Host or Team, “KOA Colorado’s Morning News” (Marty Lenz, Jeana Gondek and KOA News); and Best Sports Feature, “KOA Denver Broncos Stories with Sideline Reporter Susie Wargin” (Susie Wargin and Alan Jackson). Certificates of Merit included a KOA newscast, “KOA Denver Nuggets World Championship Parade,” and KOA Colorado Rockies MLB (Jack Corrigan, Jerry Schemmel, Jesse Thomas and Doug Niemeyer). Official CBA 2023 results.

Sources

• Wikipedia, “KOA (AM)” — broadcast history, ownership sequence and technical information.
• Broadcast Pioneers of Colorado, “Denver Radio” — local chronology, frequency and studio history.
• KOA, “KOA at War” (1944) — contemporary station publication documenting KOA’s operations and facilities.
• Denver Public Library, Colorado Chronology — dates KOA’s establishment in Denver to December 1924.
• KOA NewsRadio, official website.