PRESERVING RADIO HISTORY ACROSS COLORADO

Archives: Stations

  • KRZA-FM

    KRZA (88.7 FM) is community radio based in Alamosa, covering the Upper Rio Grande across southern Colorado and northern New Mexico. Did you grow up in the San Luis Valley wishing for a station that sounded like your neighbors? That is the very idea this one was built around.

    How it started

    The seed was planted in the mid-1970s by a group of women from the San Luis Valley who hoped to give the area’s Hispanic community a voice on the air. Getting there took about ten years of chasing funding, a license and technical know-how. For the first studio, the Colorado Migrant Council loaned out space on the second floor at Ninth Street and State Avenue.

    KRZA’s first broadcast came on October 27, 1985, but transmitter trouble cut it off after close to two hours. Come the end of November, it was running steadily.

    Programming and reach

    Early on, you would have heard Spanish and English programming. Over time the lineup grew to include Radio Bilingüe, Native Voice 1, Pacifica, NPR and other regional services. A swapped-in transmitter in 2002, plus two translators in 2005, pushed the signal toward the western end of the San Luis Valley.

    The station says its mission is to bring cultures together along the Upper Rio Grande, through programming on community information, social justice, the environment and intercultural exchange.

    The signal

    • Licensed to Alamosa, Colorado
    • 88.7 MHz

    Ownership history

    • Mid-1970s to 1985: A collective of women in the San Luis Valley, who spent about ten years finding funding, a license and technical help
    • Today: a community radio station; the licensee’s name hasn’t been confirmed here yet

    Where the studios have been

    • A second-floor space at Ninth Street and State Avenue, Alamosa, lent by the Colorado Migrant Council (first studio, 1985)

    We haven’t found later studio locations yet. If you know them, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources

  • KTPS-FM

    KTPS (89.7 FM) is The Light in Pagosa Springs. If you listen to contemporary Christian worship and praise music around Pagosa, this is the signal that carries it.

    What you hear

    KTPS relays the KTLF Radio Network’s Christian music and teaching service to Pagosa Springs and nearby communities. It’s one of several full-power stations and translators that make up The Light network across Colorado.

    The signal

    • Licensed to Pagosa Springs, Colorado, noncommercial
    • 89.7 MHz, 380 watts, Class A
    • Format: contemporary Christian

    Ownership history

    • Today: Educational Communications of Colorado Springs, Inc., the licensee
    • Earlier: founders and earlier owners haven’t been identified here yet

    Where the studios have been

    We haven’t found studio addresses for KTPS yet. If you know them, we’d love to hear from you.

    This is a short page built from current station records. If you worked at KTPS, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources

  • KPGS-FM

    KPGS (88.1 FM) brings Four Corners Public Radio to Pagosa Springs. If you tune in for NPR news and a blend of local music in the Pagosa area, this is the signal that delivers it.

    What you hear

    KPGS carries Four Corners Public Radio: NPR and other public-radio programs, local reporting, and the network’s music blend. It’s a separate licensed station from KSUT’s main 91.3 signal in Ignacio and from KUTE 90.1.

    The signal

    • Licensed to Pagosa Springs, Colorado, noncommercial
    • 88.1 MHz, 1,000 watts, Class C3
    • Format: public radio, with news and adult alternative music

    Ownership history

    • Today: KUTE, Inc. / KSUT Public Radio
    • Earlier: founders and earlier owners haven’t been identified here yet

    Where the studios have been

    We haven’t found studio addresses for KPGS yet. If you know them, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources

  • KWUF-AM

    KWUF (1400 AM) is The Wolf’s country side in Pagosa Springs. If you start the day with country music and local Pagosa news and community info, this is the AM signal that brings it.

    What you hear

    KWUF mixes country music with local news, community information and regional programming, with Westwood One as its network affiliation. Its FM sister, KWUF-FM 106.1, carries a separate music service.

    The signal

    • Licensed to Pagosa Springs, Colorado
    • 1400 kHz, 1,000 watts, full time, Class C
    • Format: country

    Ownership history

    • Today: Wolf Creek Broadcasting, LLC
    • Earlier: founders and earlier owners haven’t been identified here yet

    Where the studios have been

    We haven’t found studio addresses for KWUF yet. If you know them, we’d love to hear from you.

    This is a short page built from current station records. If you worked at KWUF, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources

  • KWUF-FM

    KWUF-FM (106.1 FM) is The Wolf, the adult-hits station in Pagosa Springs. If you remember Pagosa Springs radio on the 106 end of the dial, this is the one, and it’s been there since the mid-80s.

    History

    The station signed on in 1986 at 106.3 MHz. The FCC first assigned the call sign KRQS in 1984, and it became KWUF-FM in 1997. In December 2013 it moved from 106.3 to 106.1 MHz.

    Call sign and dial timeline

    • KRQS: 1984 to 1997, signed on in 1986 at 106.3 MHz
    • KWUF-FM: 1997 to today
    • 106.1 MHz: since December 2013

    What you hear

    The Wolf’s FM side plays adult hits and sits alongside the group’s country-formatted KWUF 1400 AM. The two are licensed separately, with different frequencies and identities.

    The signal

    • Licensed to Pagosa Springs, Colorado
    • 106.1 MHz, 500 watts, Class C3

    Ownership history

    • Today: Wolf Creek Broadcasting, LLC
    • 1984 to 1997: owners during the KRQS years haven’t been identified here yet

    Where the studios have been

    We haven’t found studio addresses for KWUF-FM yet. If you know them, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources

  • KDGO-AM

    KDGO (1240 AM) is Durango’s news and talk station, also heard at 98.3 FM. If you start your day in Durango with local information and national news on the radio, this is the signal that has been doing it since the late 1950s.

    History

    KDGO signed on in May 1958. The station later added an FM translator that carries its programming at 98.3 MHz around Durango. It’s part of Hutton Broadcasting’s Durango group, alongside KKDG and KPTE.

    What you hear

    The news and talk schedule mixes local and regional information with programming from Fox News Radio, Premiere Networks and Westwood One.

    The signal

    • Licensed to Durango, Colorado
    • 1240 kHz, 1,000 watts, full time, Class C
    • FM translator at 98.3 MHz
    • Brand: KDGO 98.3 FM / AM 1240

    Ownership history

    • Today: Hutton Broadcasting, LLC, which also owns KKDG and KPTE
    • 1958 on: the founder and earlier owners haven’t been identified here yet

    Where the studios have been

    We haven’t found studio addresses for KDGO yet. If you know them, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources

  • KLLV-AM

    KLLV (550 AM) is a Christian station licensed to Breen, serving the Four Corners as “The Love Country.” If you’ve scanned the AM dial in southwest Colorado for religious programming, this is one you may have landed on.

    History

    Those KLLV call letters date back to May 2, 1983, when the FCC handed them out. If you’re listening on 550 kHz, keep in mind it’s a daytime-only license, so don’t expect it after dark.

    The signal

    • Licensed to Breen, Colorado
    • 550 kHz, 1,800 watts, daytime only
    • FCC Class D
    • Format: Christian

    Ownership history

    • Today: Daystar Radio, Ltd.
    • Earlier: founders and earlier owners haven’t been identified here yet

    Where the studios have been

    We haven’t found studio addresses for KLLV yet. If you know them, we’d love to hear from you.

    This is a short page built from current station records. If you worked at KLLV, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources

  • KLJH-FM

    KLJH (107.1 FM) is Super Station 107.1 FM, a Christian station licensed to Bayfield. If you tune in for uplifting, inspirational music while driving around the Four Corners, this is one of the signals that delivers it.

    What you hear

    KLJH plays a contemporary inspirational format, with some syndicated programming from Salem Communications. It’s part of a regional network with sister stations KPCL and KTGW.

    The signal

    • Licensed to Bayfield, Colorado
    • 107.1 MHz at 100 kW, Class C
    • Format: contemporary inspirational

    Ownership history

    • Today: Native American Christian Voice, Inc.
    • Earlier: founders and earlier owners haven’t been identified here yet

    Where the studios have been

    We haven’t found studio addresses for KLJH yet. If you know them, we’d love to hear from you.

    This is a short page built from current station records. If you worked at KLJH, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources

  • KXRC-FM

    KXRC (105.3 FM) is X Rock 105.3, classic rock for Durango and the Four Corners. If you’re a rock fan who spends weekends climbing, hiking or biking around Durango, the station name is a nod to your world.

    History

    KXRC began broadcasting in 2013. The name refers to X-Rock, a rock-climbing area north of Durango, tying the region’s outdoor identity to the classic-rock format.

    The signal

    • Licensed to Durango, Colorado
    • 105.3 MHz, Class C3
    • Format: classic rock

    Ownership history

    • Today: KRJ Company
    • 2013: the founder at sign-on hasn’t been identified here yet

    Where the studios have been

    We haven’t found studio addresses for KXRC yet. If you know them, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources

  • KIQX-FM

    KIQX (101.3 FM) is Radio 101 in Durango. If variety is your thing, this Four Corners station serves up hot adult contemporary hits and blends in R&B, classic rock and adult alternative.

    What you hear

    Along with a wide-ranging playlist, Radio 101 carries network news and local shows. Translators push the signal far beyond Durango: into Pagosa Springs and Cortez in Colorado, Farmington in New Mexico, and the Monticello–Blanding area of Utah.

    The signal

    • Licensed to Durango, Colorado
    • 101.3 MHz at 100 kW, Class C
    • Format: hot adult contemporary and variety

    Ownership history

    • Today: Four Corners Broadcasting, LLC
    • Earlier: founders and earlier owners haven’t been identified here yet

    Where the studios have been

    We haven’t found studio addresses for KIQX yet. If you know them, we’d love to hear from you.

    This is a short page built from current station records. If you worked at KIQX, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources