PRESERVING RADIO HISTORY ACROSS COLORADO

Archives: Stations

  • KYGO-FM

    KYGO (98.5 FM) is Denver’s “98.5 KYGO,” a country station owned by Bonneville International. If you grew up in the Denver area listening to country, this is the one that’s been on your dial for decades, and it holds a spot in local history as the market’s first FM country station.

    How it got here

    The 98.5 signal signed on December 1, 1953, as KFML-FM, paired with KFML 1390 AM. It later used the KIMN-FM call letters and aired a softer album-rock format. The KYGO identity arrived in 1979.

    The big moment came on July 7, 1980. Under program director Bob Call, the station flipped to country, becoming Denver’s first FM country station. If you were tuned in, the first song out of the gate was Charlie Daniels’ “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” In 1988, the station became KYGO-FM, when 950 AM also took the KYGO calls and carried classic country.

    The signal

    • Frequency: 98.5 MHz FM
    • Power: 100,000 watts
    • Licensed to: Denver; studios in Greenwood Village, transmitter on Mestaa’ėhehe Mountain near Morrison
    • FCC facility ID: 30829
    • Format: Country
    • Website: kygo.com

    Ownership history

    • 1953–1974: Ownership as KFML-FM and KIMN-FM is not well documented.
    • 1974–2006: Jefferson-Pilot Communications.
    • 2006–2015: Lincoln Financial Media, which took over Jefferson-Pilot’s broadcasting division.
    • 2015 to today: Bonneville International. Entercom, which had bought Lincoln Financial Media, ran the station for a short stretch before the transfer to Bonneville closed in November 2015.

    Where the studios have been

    • Today: 7800 E. Orchard Road, Suite 400, Greenwood Village, in Bonneville’s Denver radio headquarters (listed as KYGO 98.5 FM on Google Maps)

    Locations for the KFML-FM and early KYGO days haven’t been pinned down yet.

    If you worked at KYGO, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources

  • KHOW-AM

    KHOW (630 AM) is Denver’s “Talk Radio 630,” a commercial talk station owned by iHeartMedia. If you’ve ever listened to a local host argue with a caller about politics or traffic on a weekday, there’s a good chance it was on this signal, and it’s one of the oldest call histories in the state.

    A long history

    The roots go back to September 2, 1925, when the station was licensed as KFXF to Pikes Peak Broadcasting Company in Colorado Springs, led by principal owner William Duncan Pyle. Denver became its home in 1927. In July 1934 the calls changed to KVOD (“Voice of Denver”), and on July 27, 1958, they changed again, this time to KHOW.

    By the late 1970s, KHOW was known for personality-led talk. If you were listening in 1978, that’s when Alan Berg’s on-air show began. The station grew from there into the mix of local and syndicated talk you hear today.

    The signal

    • Frequency: 630 kHz AM
    • Power: 5,000 watts, day and night
    • Licensed to: Denver; transmitter in Thornton
    • FCC facility ID: 48962
    • Website: khow.iheart.com

    Ownership history

    • 1925: Pikes Peak Broadcasting Company, led by principal owner William Duncan Pyle, put KFXF on the air in Colorado Springs.
    • 1964: Trigg-Vaughn of Dallas.
    • 1981: Metromedia paid $15 million for KHOW.
    • 1992: Noble Broadcast Group.
    • 1996–1999: Jacor Communications.
    • 1999–2014: Clear Channel Communications.
    • 2014 to today: iHeartMedia, after Clear Channel’s rebrand.

    Where the studios have been

    The Denver station shared a building on Lawrence Street with KOA and KOAQ before iHeart moved its Denver cluster. Today KHOW works out of iHeartMedia’s Denver studios in the south metro area.

    If you worked at 630 over the years, we’d love to hear your stories.

    Sources

  • KWOF-FM

    KWOF (92.5 FM) was “92.5 The Wolf,” the country station you could find on 92.5 in the Denver area from 2009 until September 2018. If you were a country fan in the 2010s, this is probably one of the spots on your dial you remember. The station was licensed to Broomfield, and in 2015 it became part of the Kroenke Sports & Entertainment radio group.

    The story

    The call letters changed from KWLI (“Willie 92.5,” then “92-5 The Wolf”) to KWOF on March 6, 2009, and the Wolf brand took over. If you were tuned in on January 31, 2014, you might have caught a one-day switch: the station briefly became “92.5 The Bronco” while the Denver Broncos played in Super Bowl XLVIII, then went back to being The Wolf.

    In October 2015, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment announced it was buying Wilks Broadcasting’s Denver stations, KWOF included. Then on September 17, 2018, the Wolf format ended. The 92.5 signal picked up the Altitude Sports format that had been on AM 950 and took the KKSE-FM call letters.

    The signal

    • Frequency: 92.5 MHz FM
    • Licensed to: Broomfield, Colorado, serving Denver and Northern Colorado
    • Call sign era: 2009–2018
    • Before: KWLI
    • After: KKSE-FM, Altitude Sports 92.5

    Call sign timeline

    • March 6, 2009: KWLI becomes KWOF.
    • January 31, 2014: Briefly “92.5 The Bronco” for Super Bowl XLVIII.
    • October 2015: Kroenke Sports & Entertainment announces its purchase of the Wilks Denver stations.
    • September 17, 2018: Wolf format ends; Altitude Sports and KKSE-FM take over.

    KWOF is the 2009–2018 chapter of the same 92.5 FM signal, not a separate station. This is a short page built from current station records. If you worked at The Wolf, we’d love to hear from you.

    Ownership history

    • 2009 to 2015: Wilks Broadcasting
    • 2015 to 2018: Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which bought Wilks’ Denver stations

    Where the studios have been

    • Through 2010 (as KWLI): 1560 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, CO 80202, shared with KXKL, KIMN and KDJM (supplied by the archive)
    • 2010 until the move to Yosemite: 720 S. Colorado Blvd., Suite 1200N, Denver, CO 80246, with KXKL and KIMN (supplied by the archive)
    • Later: the group’s new location on S. Yosemite Street (see the KIMN page)

    Sources

  • KADX-FM

    KADX-FM (92.1 FM) was the jazz-era call sign of the Castle Rock 92.1 signal serving Denver in the mid-to-late 1980s. If you listened to jazz on the Denver FM dial in the 80s, this may have been your station.

    The signal

    • Frequency: 92.1 FM
    • City of license: Castle Rock
    • KADX calls: 1984 to 1988
    • Format: jazz (a November 1988 listing still shows “KADX-92.1” as jazz)
    • Before: KRKY
    • After: KZRZ-FM

    The same facility is today KJMN. This is a short page built from call-sign records. If you worked at KADX, we’d love to hear from you.

    Ownership history

    We haven’t identified who owned the 92.1 signal during the KADX years yet. The facility was first built in 1979 by Morey DaVolt. If you know more, we’d love to hear from you.

    Where the studios have been

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

    Sources

  • KLMO-FM

    KLMO-FM (104.3 FM) was the Longmont FM station that began in the 1960s and grew into a chain of Denver-area stations on the same frequency. If you remember “104.3 Kiss FM” in the 80s, this is where that signal began.

    How it started

    Pinning down day one for this FM is tricky. One chronology has Bill and Lila Jean Stewart adding KLMO-FM in 1969 as the FM sister of KLMO-AM (then on 1050 kHz), but Wikipedia says it signed on in September 1964, five years earlier, so the real start is still an open question. Either way, if you lived in Longmont, Boulder or the towns north of Denver, that’s who could hear it: the early FM ran on 104.3 with 28,000 watts from a low antenna, which kept the signal fairly close to home.

    Becoming Kiss FM

    The change many listeners remember came in December 1986. The station was sold, its transmitter was relocated, power went up, and it turned adult contemporary as KQKS, “104.3 Kiss FM.” Then in November 1996 Jefferson-Pilot bought it for $15 million. Early the following year the KQKS name and format shifted to 107.5, and 104.3 went a different direction, becoming classic country on January 18, 1997. In 2008 the signal turned into KKFN-FM, Denver Sports 104.3 The Fan.

    Call sign timeline

    • KLMO-FM (1969 per Broadcast Pioneers of Colorado; September 1964 per Wikipedia)
    • KQKS (December 1986 to 1997)
    • Classic country and later calls (including KJCD) from 1997 to 2008
    • KKFN-FM (March 12, 2008)

    Ownership history

    • 1960s to 1986: Bill and Lila Jean Stewart, owners of KLMO in Longmont
    • 1986: The Stewarts sold the FM to Lincoln Broadcasting for $5.5 million, according to Broadcast Pioneers of Colorado (Wikipedia names Western Cities Broadcasting as the buyer, in December 1986)
    • November 1996: Western Cities sold KS104 to Jefferson-Pilot for $15 million
    • Later: owners of the 104.3 signal after Lincoln haven’t been identified here yet

    Where the studios have been

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

    Sources

  • KYOU-AM

    KYOU (1450 AM) was Greeley’s 1450 AM station from 1948 to 1984. If your family goes back to postwar Greeley, this was part of the town’s early radio service, and some Colorado broadcasters got their start here.

    The station

    Broadcasting listings place KYOU in Greeley at 1450 kHz and record a 1948 FCC permit modification covering transmitter, antenna and studio-location approvals. The report doesn’t give the approved street addresses. Colorado radio histories mention broadcasters whose careers began at KYOU.

    Swapping calls

    In May 1984, trade notices recorded the call letters KYOU and KGRE being exchanged between Greeley’s AM and FM stations. The AM station’s later identity is recorded under KGRE.

    The signal

    • Frequency: 1450 AM
    • City of license: Greeley
    • KYOU calls: 1948 to 1984
    • Later AM call sign: KGRE

    Where it is today: Greeley’s 1450 AM is KGRE, “El Tigre.”

    Ownership history

    We haven’t identified KYOU’s founders or later owners yet. If you know them, we’d love to hear from you.

    Where the studios have been

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

    Sources

  • KLOV-FM

    KLOV-FM (102.5 FM) was the Loveland FM station that later became KTRR. If you’re from Loveland, this is the older call-sign chapter of that 102.5 signal.

    The signal

    • Frequency: 102.5 FM
    • City of license: Loveland
    • Later calls: KTRR
    • AM sister: KLOV (AM)
    • Began operating: 1966

    FCC filings document the Loveland facility and its use of the KLOV-FM calls. The full sequence of owners, formats and staff is still to be filled in. If you worked at KLOV, we’d love to hear from you.

    From KLOV-FM to KTRR

    According to Wikipedia, 102.5 signed on February 2, 1966, as KLOV-FM, the FM companion to KLOV (AM), now KXJJ, and it started out simulcasting the AM. It later went to an automated easy listening sound, then in the 1980s a blend of easy listening and soft adult contemporary that leaned heavily on vocals. At some point before the 2000s the calls became KTRR, and the station spent decades as adult contemporary or soft AC, with a short hot AC fling as “TRI 102” in the early 2000s. In 2015 it moved to a more current-based hot AC sound, then flipped to classic hits on September 9, 2016, and became “Retro 102.5” on March 22, 2019. Wikipedia doesn’t give the date of the KLOV-FM to KTRR call change, so that part is still open.

    Ownership history

    We haven’t identified KLOV-FM’s founders or later owners yet. If you know them, we’d love to hear from you.

    Where the studios have been

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

    Sources

  • KFMF-FM

    KFMF (93.3 FM) was a Fort Collins FM station that grew into what’s now KTCL. If you grew up in Fort Collins when FM was still new, this is where the 93.3 signal got its start.

    How it started

    Broadcast directories list KFMF starting in September 1965 on 93.3 FM with 25,000 watts, and the 1969 directory lists it among Fort Collins stations. Through later call-letter changes the same facility became KIIX-FM and then KTCL. So the KFMF name marks the formative years of a northern Colorado FM station, before KTCL came to be tied to the wider Denver market.

    Call sign timeline

    • KFMF (1965)
    • KIIX-FM
    • KTCL

    This is a short page built from directory listings and FCC call-sign history. If you worked at KFMF, we’d love to hear from you.

    Ownership history

    We haven’t identified KFMF’s founders or later owners yet. If you know them, we’d love to hear from you.

    Where the studios have been

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

    Sources

  • KHHT-FM

    KHHT (107.5 FM) was “K-Hits 107.5,” a Top 40 station in Denver that survived only a few months. Spinning the Denver dial in late 1996? You might have landed on it just before it disappeared.

    The short run

    Before all this, 107.5 was KWMX-FM, “Mix 107.5.” The switch came on August 30, 1996, when it turned into KHHT and went mainstream Top 40 as K-Hits 107.5. It didn’t last. Jefferson-Pilot had bought KQKS, and on January 8, 1997 it carried KQKS’s calls and its rhythmic sound over from 104.3 FM to 107.5 FM, which pushed KHHT off the air. From then on the station went by KS107.5.

    The signal

    • Frequency: 107.5 FM
    • Market: Denver
    • KHHT calls: August 30, 1996 to January 1997
    • Brand: K-Hits 107.5
    • Format: mainstream Top 40
    • Before: KWMX-FM
    • After: KQKS / KS107.5

    KHHT is a short-lived chapter of the station now known as KQKS, not a separate current service.

    Ownership history

    • 1996 to 1997: owner of the K-Hits run hasn’t been identified here yet
    • January 1997: Jefferson-Pilot, fresh off buying KQKS, shifted that station’s format and calls to 107.5

    Where the studios have been

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

    Sources

  • KNRX-FM

    KNRX-FM (92.1 FM) was “92-X,” Denver’s short-lived modern-rock station. If you were a grunge and alternative fan in Denver in the mid-90s, you may remember 92-X.

    The signal

    • Frequency: 92.1 FM
    • City of license: Castle Rock
    • KNRX calls: 1995 to 1996
    • On-air identity: 92-X, modern rock
    • Before: KYBG-FM
    • After: KJMN (JAM’N 92.1)

    The 92-X story

    The “X” modern-rock format was in place by April 1995, after the March 29, 1995 flip from country and talk. On February 29, 1996, the facility became KJMN, “JAM’N 92.1.” Newspaper coverage at the time called the grunge-rock station the latest casualty of the Denver radio wars.

    The FCC call-sign history shows one Castle Rock 92.1 license under successive call signs, not separate frequencies or transmitters.

    Ownership history

    We haven’t identified who owned 92-X yet. The 92.1 facility was first built in 1979 by Morey DaVolt. If you know more, we’d love to hear from you.

    Where the studios have been

    We haven’t found studio addresses for 92-X yet. If you know them, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources