KSTY 104.5 Star Country is a locally operated country station licensed to Cañon City and serving Fremont County, the Arkansas Valley, Pueblo and surrounding Southern Colorado communities.
The station signed on June 1, 1975 at 103.9 FM as KRLN-FM, sister to KRLN 1400 AM. It initially simulcast the AM station. On August 30, 1976, it became KSTX. The KRLN-FM calls returned on May 31, 1982, and by the early 1990s the station was established in country music.
On December 30, 1994, KRLN-FM became KSTY, creating the Star Country identity. In 1999, KSTY moved from 103.9 to 104.5 MHz as part of a frequency exchange with Pueblo station KYZX, which moved from 104.5 to 103.9.
Ownership changes
Later in 1999, Warner Enterprises sold KSTY and KRLN as part of a larger transaction involving its Nebraska stations. The Warner family’s Royal Gorge Broadcasting bought KSTY and KRLN back in 2000 for a reported $715,000, restoring local ownership of the Cañon City pair.
The KKCS-FM chapter
On December 8, 2005, the Cañon City 104.5 facility took the KKCS-FM calls and inherited the country programming that had been heard on 101.9 in Colorado Springs. Bustos Media took control of the 101.9 facility and replaced its country programming, while the KCS country service moved to 104.5. The arrangement proved short-lived. In 2007, the 104.5 facility returned to the KSTY calls and Star Country identity.
2025 shutdown and revival
On December 23, 2024, Royal Gorge Broadcasting announced that KSTY and longtime sister KRLN would close effective January 1, 2025. The shutdown temporarily silenced Star Country.
Former KSTY station manager Megan Stanley moved to bring the FM back. Through Frontier Frequencies LLC, Stanley and business partner Lyle Kenitzer acquired KSTY. The FCC granted assignment of the 104.5 license, Facility ID 35551, from Royal Gorge Broadcasting to Frontier Frequencies on July 2, 2025.
Star Country 104.5 returned to the air August 1, 2025 under the new local ownership. The revived station broadcasts from studios at the Copper River venue in Pueblo West and programs classic, contemporary and Red Dirt/Texas country. Its current operation emphasizes local involvement, remotes, requests and community information.
Unlike KSTY, KRLN 1400 did not return; the new owners chose to concentrate their resources on the FM operation.
Technical and identity history
Call-sign lineage: KRLN-FM → KSTX → KRLN-FM → KSTY → KKCS-FM → KSTY.
Frequency history: 103.9 MHz (1975–1999) → 104.5 MHz (1999–present).
Current owner/operator: Frontier Frequencies LLC.
FCC facility: Facility ID 35551; Class C3.
Sources: FCC history cards and Licensing and Management System records; Broadcasting Yearbook; M Street Journal; Broadcasting & Cable; R&R Country Daily, Dec. 6, 2005; RadioInsight, Dec. 23, 2024 and Apr. 25, 2025; FCC assignment notice, July 2, 2025; Star Country 104.5 official history/FAQ; Country Insider, Aug. 2025.
STATION FILE
FROM THE TIMELINE
Moments in KSTY-FM History
KRLN-FM signs on in Cañon City
The FM sister to KRLN 1400 signed on June 1, 1975 as KRLN-FM at 103.9 MHz. The station initially simulcast the AM operation and became the facility that would later evolve into Star Country KSTY.
KRLN-FM becomes KSTY and Star Country
KRLN-FM changed call letters to KSTY on December 30, 1994, establishing the Star Country identity that became associated with the Cañon City FM facility.
KSTY moves from 103.9 to 104.5 FM
KSTY moved from 103.9 to 104.5 MHz in 1999 as part of a frequency exchange with Pueblo station KYZX, which moved from 104.5 to 103.9.
KSTY facility becomes KKCS-FM
On December 8, 2005, the 104.5 Cañon City facility took the KKCS-FM calls and the KCS country programming formerly heard on 101.9 in Colorado Springs. The arrangement lasted until 2007, when 104.5 returned to the KSTY calls and Star Country identity.
KKCS country programming begins simulcasting on 104.5
As Superior prepared to sell the 101.9 facility to Bustos Media in late 2005, KKCS country programming began simulcasting on KSTY 104.5 in Cañon City. The simulcast provided a transition path for the KCS identity before 101.9 changed formats.
Bustos replaces KCS on 101.9 with La Gran D
Bustos Media assumed control of the original KKCS-FM 101.9 facility on December 2, 2005 and replaced the country format with Regional Mexican La Gran D. KCS country programming remained on the former KSTY 104.5 facility.
KKCS-FM calls move to 104.5 as 101.9 becomes KGDQ
On December 8, 2005, the KKCS-FM calls and KCS country identity moved to the Cañon City 104.5 facility. The original 101.9 facility became KGDQ and began its transition out of the Colorado Springs market.
KAFA agrees to move from 104.3 after KKCS interference dispute
After KKCS moved from 101.9 to the Cañon City 104.5 facility, reception problems emerged on the north side of Colorado Springs. In January 2006, Air Force Academy station KAFA agreed to seek another frequency after KKCS reported interference from adjacent 104.3.
KKCS 104.5 local staff disperses
During 2006, KKCS 104.5 eliminated its former local personality lineup. Contemporary Colorado Springs reporting documented former KCS staff moving to other stations and markets, including Cody Carlson to KCCY and morning team Sam and Craig Morrison to Fort Wayne. The station continued without the former local KCS staff before eventually going dark.
Star Country and KSTY return to 104.5
In 2007, the 104.5 Cañon City facility returned to the KSTY call letters and Star Country identity after the short-lived KKCS-FM chapter ended.
KKCS ends on 104.5 and KSTY returns
The relocated KKCS country operation ended in 2007. The Cañon City 104.5 facility returned to the KSTY calls and Star Country identity, closing the final chapter of the KCS FM brand in Southern Colorado.
Royal Gorge announces KSTY and KRLN shutdown
Royal Gorge Broadcasting announced on December 23, 2024 that KSTY 104.5 and KRLN 1400 would close at the beginning of 2025. Station manager Megan Stanley said the owners were retiring and that the operation had struggled with changing digital demands and local-radio economics.
KSTY and KRLN close under Royal Gorge Broadcasting
KSTY 104.5 and sister KRLN 1400 ended regular broadcasting at the start of 2025 after Royal Gorge Broadcasting announced the closure of the longtime Cañon City pair in December 2024.
FCC approves KSTY sale to Frontier Frequencies
The FCC granted assignment of KSTY Facility ID 35551 from Royal Gorge Broadcasting to Frontier Frequencies LLC on July 2, 2025. Former KSTY manager Megan Stanley and business partner Lyle Kenitzer led the new local ownership group.
Star Country 104.5 KSTY returns to the air
KSTY returned to the air August 1, 2025 as Star Country 104.5 under Frontier Frequencies. The revived locally owned station began operating from the Copper River venue in Pueblo West with a mix of classic, contemporary and Red Dirt/Texas country.
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John Wheeler bull riding
John Wheeler competing in the bull riding event at a Houston rodeo in 1974.
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