Archives: Stations

KVNF (90.9 FM) is KVNF Community Radio, the Paonia-based public radio station that serves the mountains of western Colorado. If you’ve ever tuned in out in the North Fork Valley, you know it: a station built by neighbors with a used 10-watt transmitter and a lot of volunteer energy.

How it started

It all goes back to 1977, when founder Campbell Stanton and a handful of volunteers asked people around the North Fork Valley whether they wanted a community station of their own. The answer was yes, donations started coming in, and on January 27, 1978 the group made it official as North Fork Valley Public Radio, Inc. Stanton’s garage northeast of Paonia was turned into the first studio, outfitted with a used 10-watt transmitter. Once the FCC gave its approval, KVNF put its first program on the air on October 5, 1979.

Growing up

From that humble 10-watt start the signal climbed to 500 watts and later 3,000, and repeaters and translators carried it across the Western Slope. Talks with NPR helped bring about an auxiliary membership level that small, rural stations could afford. If the music is what you tune in for, you can thank the more than 80 community volunteers who have helped shape it. In 2006 the station stepped up its local news and settled into a renovated, 6,000-square-foot “green” building in Paonia, and by 2019 it was building Studio M in Montrose.

The signal

• Frequency: 90.9 MHz FM
• Licensed to: Paonia, Colorado
• Service: Community public radio
• Licensee: North Fork Valley Public Radio, Inc.
• FCC facility ID: 49221
• Power: 2,600 watts ERP
• Other full-power signal: KVMT, 89.1 FM, Montrose (8,000 watts)
• Main transmitter site: Wakefield Mesa, outside Paonia

Timeline

• January 27, 1978: North Fork Valley Public Radio, Inc. incorporated.
• October 5, 1979: First broadcast.
• 2006: Moves into the new Paonia building and expands local news.
• 2019: Construction begins on Studio M in Montrose.

Colorado Broadcasters Association awards

2024

• Awards of Excellence: Best Public Affairs Program, “Colorado Medical Providers Discuss Medical Missions in Ukraine, Gaza” (Laura Palmisano); Best Regularly Scheduled Newscast, “KVNF’s Regional Newscast: September 24, 2024” (Lisa Young).
• Certificates of Merit: Best Public Affairs Program, “Billy Goat Hop Farm” (Lisa Young); Best News Coverage of a Single Event, “Musicians gather in Lake City to keep a tradition alive” (Laura Palmisano).

2023

• Award of Excellence: Best Public Affairs Program, “Local Motion: Latiné stories by KVNF” (Cassie Knust and Laura Palmisano).
• Certificate of Merit: Best Public Affairs Program, “Local Motion: Meet a Male Midwife” (Laura Palmisano).

If you’ve volunteered or worked at KVNF, we’d love to hear from you.

Ownership history

• 1977 to 1978: Campbell Stanton and local volunteers surveyed the North Fork Valley and organized the station
• January 27, 1978: North Fork Valley Public Radio, Inc. incorporated
• Today: North Fork Valley Public Radio, Inc. remains the licensee

Where the studios have been

• Founder Campbell Stanton’s garage northeast of Paonia (first studio, 1979)
• A renovated 6,000-square-foot “green” building in Paonia (from 2006)
• Studio M, Montrose (construction began 2019)

Sources

• KVNF: station history
• KVNF: About
• KVNF: contact and Paonia location
• Colorado Gives Foundation: KVNF community service profile
• FCC public inspection file: KVNF
• Colorado Broadcasters Association: 2024 results
• Colorado Broadcasters Association: 2023 results

KPRU (103.3 FM) is the Delta, Colorado station that carries Colorado Public Radio’s classical music service across the Western Slope. If you’re around Delta, Montrose or Grand Junction and want classical music on the radio, this is a signal that brings CPR Classical to you.

What it carries

KPRU relays CPR Classical, produced by Colorado Public Radio. It’s one of the transmitters in CPR’s statewide network, providing a local signal in Delta and the surrounding region.

The signal

• Frequency: 103.3 MHz FM
• Licensed to: Delta, Colorado
• Programming: CPR Classical
• Licensee: Public Broadcasting of Colorado, Inc.
• FCC facility ID: 84439
• Class and power: Class C2, 12 kW ERP
• Antenna height: 301 metres above average terrain

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

Ownership history

• Today: Public Broadcasting of Colorado, 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 KPRU yet. If you know them, we’d love to hear from you.

Sources

• Colorado Public Radio: CPR Classical
• RadioLineup: KPRU
• RadioStation.info: KPRU facility record
• FCC public inspection file: KPRU

KPRH (88.3 FM) is the Montrose public radio station, part of Colorado Public Radio’s statewide network on the Western Slope. If you live in the Montrose area and listen to public radio, this is the signal that brings it to you.

The story

Colorado Public Radio added a series of signals in the 1990s that expanded public radio service to communities including Montrose, and KPRH is the Montrose facility in that expansion. The call sign, service and place in CPR’s network are established, but the exact first-broadcast date and a full technical history aren’t documented yet.

The signal

• Frequency: 88.3 MHz FM
• Licensed to: Montrose, Colorado
• Network: Colorado Public Radio

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

Ownership history

• Today: Public Broadcasting of Colorado, Inc., which holds the Colorado Public Radio licenses
• Earlier: founders and earlier owners haven’t been identified here yet

Where the studios have been

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

Sources

• Colorado Public Radio: network history
• FCC public inspection file: KPRH
• FCC filing index: Public Broadcasting of Colorado, Inc.