KOSI-FM

KOSI (101.1 FM) is a commercial adult contemporary radio station licensed to Denver, Colorado. It is owned by Bonneville International and serves the Denver metropolitan area. KOSI broadcasts at an effective radiated power of 100,000 watts with beam tilt from Mount Morrison. Its studios are in Greenwood Village. The station’s current website is kosi101.com.

History

KOSI-FM signed on March 3, 1968, with a beautiful music format and the slogan “The World’s Most Beautiful Music.” Its launch was delayed by construction of a 5,400-square-foot studio in northwestern Aurora, a facility reported to cost more than $367,000 and designed to house KOSI-AM as well. The station initially broadcast from 6 a.m. to midnight. After listeners requested overnight service, it began 24-hour programming on March 2, 1970, simulcasting instrumental music with KOSI-AM during the overnight hours. The original owner, William L. Armstrong, later served in the U.S. House and Senate.

KOSI-FM moved from easy listening to soft adult contemporary music in 1990 and gradually broadened into mainstream adult contemporary. Armstrong sold the AM and FM stations to Westinghouse Broadcasting in 1981. Westinghouse sold them to D&D Broadcasting in 1988, and Shepard Communications acquired them in 1989. Tribune Broadcasting bought KOSI and KEZW in January 1993; Entercom acquired the stations in December 2002. Bonneville International took ownership of KOSI-FM in November 2015 as part of an exchange related to Entercom’s acquisition of Lincoln Financial Media. Bonneville continues to own the station.

Ownership

• 1968–1981: William L. Armstrong and associates.
• 1981–1988: Westinghouse Broadcasting.
• 1988–1989: D&D Broadcasting.
• 1989–1993: Shepard Communications.
• 1993–2002: Tribune Broadcasting.
• 2002–November 24, 2015: Entercom Communications.
• November 24, 2015–present: Bonneville International.

Technical information

• Frequency: 101.1 MHz.
• Effective radiated power: 100,000 watts with beam tilt.
• Height above average terrain: 341 metres.
• Facility ID: 67844.
• Current format: Adult contemporary.
• Current station website: KOSI 101.1.

Studio locations

• Original studio complex: a new facility in northwestern Aurora was completed ahead of KOSI-FM’s 1968 launch; a street address for this location has not been confirmed.
• Current station office: 7800 East Orchard Road, Suite 400, Greenwood Village, Colorado 80111 (Bonneville International’s Denver studios).

Sources: Wikipedia, “KOSI”; KOSI 101.1, official contact page; FCC public file mirror, Facility 67844.

2024 CBA Awards: Award of Excellence: Best Public Service Announcement, “Mammogram Monday.” Certificate of Merit: Best Sales Event or Live Remote Broadcast, “Teddy Bear Patrol Collection Day at Smashburger.” Official CBA 2024 results.

2023 CBA Awards: Award of Excellence: Best Midday Show, “Middays with Melissa Moore” (Melissa Moore). Awards also included Best Sales Event, “KOSI 101.1 Yappy Hour at Smashburger,” and a Certificate of Merit for Best Evening Show, “Evenings with Murphy Huston.” Official CBA 2023 results.

Sources

• Wikipedia, “KOSI” — station history, ownership and technical information, with references to contemporary newspapers and trade publications.
• The Aurora Advocate, May 17, 1967 — planned KOSI studio construction in Aurora.
• The Aurora Advocate, March 6, 1968 — KOSI-FM’s sign-on and original programming schedule.
• The Aurora Advocate, February 25, 1970 — the start of overnight broadcasting.
• Broadcast Pioneers of Colorado, “Denver Radio” — Denver broadcast chronology.
• KOSI 101.1, official website.