KRGS was Rifle’s AM station for 55 years, from its 1967 sign-on as KWSR to a transmitter failure in 2022. It went on the air June 9, 1967, at 810 kHz, managed by Jimmy Seany, a former Denver TV promoter.
In the mid-1970s the station nearly lost its license. Management was accused of rigging a “Turkey Shoot” contest by picking the winners in advance, one of them an advertiser. An FCC judge first denied renewal, but after the community spoke up for the station it got a one-year license and a $200 fine.
Owners came and went: Susan and Stephen Hughes in 1985, Servant Communications in 1987 (which made it KWWS), Steven Humphries’ companies by 1988, and Western Slope Communications, which bought it for $30,000 in 1994. It became KRGS on April 21, 1994, and moved to 690 kHz in 1995. The format went from country (1994) to oldies (1997) to ESPN sports radio. KRGS went silent in July 2022 when its transmitter failed, and the FCC cancelled the license on July 24, 2024.
Station information
- Frequency: 690 kHz (810 kHz until 1995).
- City of license: Rifle.
- On the air: June 9, 1967 – July 2022 (license cancelled July 24, 2024).
- Call history: KWSR (1967–1985), KDBL (1985–1987), KWWS (1987–1989), KKGD (1989–1994), KRGS (1994–2022).
- Last owner: Western Slope Communications, LLC.
- FCC facility ID: 71960.
References
STATION FILE
FROM THE TIMELINE
Moments in KRGS-AM History
KWSR signs on in Rifle
June 9, 1967 — Rifle got its own radio station when KWSR signed on at 810 kHz, managed by former Denver TV promoter Jimmy Seany. The station later became KRGS.
Rigged “Turkey Shoot” puts Rifle’s KWSR license at risk
1974–1976 — Rifle's KWSR (later KRGS) faced losing its license after claims that management rigged a “Turkey Shoot” contest by picking winners ahead of time, including an advertiser. An FCC judge first denied renewal, but after the community protested, the station got a one-year license and a $200 fine.
KRGS goes silent after transmitter failure
July 2022 — Rifle's KRGS 690, by then an ESPN Radio affiliate, went off the air when its transmitter failed. It never came back, and the FCC cancelled the license on July 24, 2024, ending 55 years of AM radio from Rifle.
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