PRESERVING RADIO HISTORY ACROSS COLORADO

Archives: Stations

  • KRFX-FM

    KRFX (103.5 The Fox) is Denver’s rock station, broadcasting at 100,000 watts from Lookout Mountain near Golden. If you grew up with Q103 on in the car and then moved on to classic rock when the Fox showed up, you’ve lived this station’s whole arc.

    From KOA-FM to Q103

    The 103.5 facility signed on June 1, 1961 as KOA-FM, the FM partner of KOA. The two stations first simulcast a full-service middle-of-the-road format and shared space with KOA-TV at 1044 Lincoln Street. KOA-FM later went to beautiful music, then became KOAQ “Q103” in 1974. Q103 moved into Top 40 and turned into one of Denver’s big hit-music stations.

    The Fox arrives

    General Electric sold KOA and KOAQ to A. H. Belo Corporation in 1983, and Jacor bought the stations in 1987. On January 18, 1989, KOAQ changed its calls to KRFX and flipped to classic rock as “103.5 The Fox.” Clear Channel bought Jacor in 1999 and became iHeartMedia in 2014. In November 2025, KRFX widened its playlist toward mainstream rock but kept the Fox name.

    The signal

    • Frequency: 103.5 FM
    • Power: 100,000 watts, from Lookout Mountain
    • Height above average terrain: 346 meters
    • FCC Facility ID: 29731
    • Format: mainstream rock
    • Website: thefox.iheart.com

    Ownership history

    • 1961 to 1968: Metropolitan Television Company, as KOA-FM
    • 1968 to 1983: General Electric
    • 1983 to 1987: A. H. Belo Corporation
    • 1987 to 1999: Jacor Communications
    • 1999 on: Clear Channel, renamed iHeartMedia in 2014

    Where the studios have been

    • 1044 Lincoln Street, Denver: shared with KOA and KOA-TV until 1984
    • 1380 Lawrence Street, Denver: the shared Denver radio cluster after the 1984 move, until it relocated in 1999
    • Now: iHeartMedia’s Denver studios at 4695 South Monaco Street, Suite 400, in the Denver Tech Center area

    Call sign timeline

    • KOA-FM (1961)
    • KOAQ (1974)
    • KRFX (Jan. 18, 1989)

    Sources

  • KOSI-FM

    KOSI (101.1 FM) is Denver’s long-running adult contemporary station. If you’ve had it on at the office or in the kitchen at any point since the late 60s, you’ve been part of a very large club.

    The beautiful music years

    KOSI-FM signed on March 3, 1968 with a beautiful music format and the slogan “The World’s Most Beautiful Music.” The launch was delayed while a 5,400-square-foot studio went up in northwestern Aurora, a facility reported to cost more than $367,000 and built to house KOSI-AM too. At first the station ran from 6 a.m. to midnight. Listeners asked for overnight music, so it went 24 hours on March 2, 1970, simulcasting instrumental music with KOSI-AM after dark. The original owner, William L. Armstrong, later served in both the U.S. House and Senate.

    Adult contemporary takes over

    KOSI-FM moved from easy listening to soft adult contemporary in 1990 and gradually opened up into mainstream AC. Armstrong sold the AM and FM to Westinghouse Broadcasting in 1981. Westinghouse sold to D&D Broadcasting in 1988, and Shepard Communications bought the pair in 1989. Tribune Broadcasting picked up KOSI and KEZW in January 1993, and Entercom took over in December 2002. Bonneville International became the owner of KOSI-FM in November 2015 as part of an exchange tied to Entercom’s purchase of Lincoln Financial Media.

    The original KOSI

    The KOSI calls first showed up on 1430 AM back in 1954. That AM signal later became KEZW and is KAMP today.

    The signal

    • Frequency: 101.1 FM
    • City of license: Denver
    • Power: 100,000 watts ERP with beam tilt, from Mount Morrison
    • Height above average terrain: 341 meters
    • FCC Facility ID: 67844
    • Format: adult contemporary
    • Website: kosi101.com

    Ownership history

    • 1968 to 1981: William L. Armstrong and associates
    • 1981 to 1988: Westinghouse Broadcasting
    • 1988 to 1989: D&D Broadcasting
    • 1989 to 1993: Shepard Communications
    • 1993 to 2002: Tribune Broadcasting
    • 2002 to Nov. 24, 2015: Entercom Communications
    • Nov. 24, 2015 on: Bonneville International

    Where the studios have been

    • Original complex: a new facility in northwestern Aurora, finished before the 1968 launch
    • Now: Bonneville’s Denver studios at 7800 East Orchard Road, Suite 400, Greenwood Village

    Colorado Broadcasters Association awards

    2024: Award of Excellence for Best Public Service Announcement (“Mammogram Monday”) and a Certificate of Merit for Best Sales Event or Live Remote Broadcast (“Teddy Bear Patrol Collection Day at Smashburger”).

    2023: Award of Excellence for Best Midday Show (“Middays with Melissa Moore”), an award for Best Sales Event (“KOSI 101.1 Yappy Hour at Smashburger”), and a Certificate of Merit for Best Evening Show (“Evenings with Murphy Huston”).

    Sources

  • KOA-AM

    KOA (850 AM) is Denver’s 50,000-watt blowtorch, and if you grew up anywhere in the Mountain West, you probably remember hearing it from a long way off on a clear night. Today it’s news, talk and sports as KOA NewsRadio, owned by iHeartMedia.

    A Denver original

    KOA signed on December 15, 1924 as a General Electric station on 930 kHz with 5,000 watts. It hopped around the dial in the 1920s and went to 12,500 watts in 1927. NBC started operating it in 1929 and bought it in 1941, the same year it landed at 850. It reached 50,000 watts in 1934, the most power a U.S. AM station can run, which is why its signal covered so much of the region.

    Ownership history

    • 1924 to 1941: General Electric (NBC operated it from 1929)
    • 1941 to 1953: NBC
    • 1953 to 1968: Metropolitan Television Company, whose main stockholder was Bob Hope
    • 1968 to 1983: General Electric again
    • 1983 to 1987: A. H. Belo Corporation
    • 1987 to 1999: Jacor Communications
    • 1999 on: Clear Channel Communications, renamed iHeartMedia in 2014

    The signal

    • Frequency: 850 kHz AM (also heard on 94.1 FM)
    • City of license: Denver
    • Power: 50,000 watts
    • FCC Facility ID: 29738
    • Format: news, talk and sports
    • Website: koanews.iheart.com

    Where the studios have been

    • 1625 California Street, Denver: 1934 to 1959
    • 1044 Lincoln Street, Denver: shared facilities, 1959 to 1983
    • 1380 Lawrence Street, Denver: 1984 until the Denver cluster moved in 1999
    • Now: iHeartMedia’s Denver studios at 4695 South Monaco Street, Suite 400

    Colorado Broadcasters Association awards

    2024: Awards of Excellence for Best Regularly Scheduled Newscast (“Colorado’s Morning News Newscast”), Best News Coverage of a Single Event (coverage of the attempted assassination of Donald Trump), Best Station Imaging Campaign (Denver Broncos Radio Network 55th season), Best News/Talk Show Host or Team (“Colorado’s Morning News”), Best Sports Coverage (KOA Colorado Rockies Radio Network), Best Sports Feature (“Denver Broncos Stories with Sideline Reporter Susie Wargin”), and Best Use of Digital/Social Media (KOA 100th Anniversary). Certificates of Merit went to “Colorado’s Morning News Newscast” (Marty Lenz, Chad Bower and Cynthia Vail) and KOA 100th Year (Alan Jackson).

    2023: Awards of Excellence for Best Regularly Scheduled Newscast (“KOA Newscasts,” Marty Lenz, Jeana Gondek and Brenda Stewart), Best News Coverage of a Single Event (“KOA Tornado in Highlands Ranch Denver,” Kathy Walker, Rob Dawson and KOA Sports), Best News/Talk Show Host or Team (“KOA Colorado’s Morning News,” Marty Lenz, Jeana Gondek and KOA News), and Best Sports Feature (“KOA Denver Broncos Stories with Sideline Reporter Susie Wargin,” Susie Wargin and Alan Jackson). Certificates of Merit went to a KOA newscast, “KOA Denver Nuggets World Championship Parade,” and KOA Colorado Rockies MLB (Jack Corrigan, Jerry Schemmel, Jesse Thomas and Doug Niemeyer).

    Sources

  • KXWA-FM

    KXWA (101.9 FM) is the Christian station that WAY-FM runs for the Denver area today. But if you listened to country in Colorado Springs from the late 70s into the 2000s, you know this signal as KCS, and that’s where its story really starts.

    Colorado Springs origins

    The facility signed on January 28, 1967 as KRYT-FM, the FM companion to KRYT on 1530 AM. In December 1976 it became KINX. In 1979 it turned into KKCS-FM and went country.

    KKCS became one of the big country stations in Colorado Springs. Walton Stations bought the FM in 1982, and KCS was a ratings and revenue winner for them. Walton sold it to Superior Broadcasting in 2003 for $18 million.

    2005: the 101.9 signal heads north

    In 2005, Superior sold the 101.9 facility to Bustos Media. That split the physical license from the KCS country identity. Superior kept the KCS name and moved the country programming and the KKCS-FM calls to the Cañon City 104.5 facility, which you can read about on the KSTY page.

    Bustos took over 101.9 in early December 2005 and replaced KCS with Regional Mexican as La Gran D. On December 8, 2005 the calls changed from KKCS-FM to KGDQ. The city of license moved from Colorado Springs to Centennial, and the transmitter moved north toward Monument Hill, which repositioned 101.9 to serve the Denver market. That closed its Colorado Springs chapter.

    The Denver era

    In Denver, 101.9 carried on as KGDQ La Gran D, then became KKHI in 2008. Bustos later sold it to WAY-FM Communications. The KXWA calls arrived in 2011 and it joined the WAY-FM Christian network. It’s licensed to Centennial and serves the Denver metro area.

    Ownership history

    • 1967 to 1982: owners of the KRYT-FM and KINX years haven’t been identified yet
    • 1982 to 2003: Walton Stations
    • 2003 to 2005: Superior Broadcasting, for $18 million
    • 2005 to about 2011: Bustos Media
    • About 2011 to today: WAY-FM Communications

    Where the studios have been

    The Colorado Springs studio addresses are listed on the KKCS-FM page. We haven’t found the Denver-area studio address yet.

    The signal

    • Frequency: 101.9 FM
    • City of license: Centennial (Colorado Springs until 2005)
    • Colorado Springs chapter: 1967 to 2005
    • Denver-market chapter: 2005 to the present

    Call sign timeline

    • KRYT-FM (1967)
    • KINX (1976)
    • KKCS-FM (1979 to 2005)
    • KGDQ (2005 to 2008)
    • KKHI (2008 to 2011)
    • KXWA (2011 on)

    Sources

    • Wikipedia: KXWA
    • FCC history records for the 101.9 facility
    • Broadcasting Yearbook and Duncan’s American Radio (print)
    • Radio & Records, May 2, 2003 and Dec. 6, 2005 (print)
    • Broadcasting & Cable, May 12, 2003 (print)
    • Colorado Springs Gazette, Jan. 21, 2006 (print)

  • KSTY-FM

    KSTY (104.5 FM, Star Country) is the country station for Cañon City, Fremont County and a good chunk of the Arkansas Valley. If you’ve ever had Star Country on in the truck between Pueblo and Royal Gorge, you know the sound, and if you missed it when it went dark in 2025, the good news is it came back.

    The early years

    The station signed on June 1, 1975 at 103.9 FM as KRLN-FM, sister to KRLN on 1400 AM, and at first it simply simulcast the AM. On August 30, 1976 it became KSTX. The KRLN-FM calls came back on May 31, 1982, and by the early 90s it was a country station. On December 30, 1994, the calls changed to KSTY and Star Country was born.

    The move to 104.5

    In 1999, KSTY moved from 103.9 to 104.5 in a frequency swap with Pueblo’s KYZX, which went from 104.5 to 103.9.

    Ownership history

    Later in 1999, Warner Enterprises sold KSTY and KRLN as part of a bigger deal involving its Nebraska stations. The Warner family’s Royal Gorge Broadcasting bought them back in 2000 for a reported $715,000, putting the Cañon City pair back in local hands.

    Where the studios have been

    • 2025 on: the Copper River venue in Pueblo West

    We haven’t found the earlier Cañon City studio addresses yet. If you know them, we’d love to hear from you.

    The KKCS-FM chapter

    On December 8, 2005, the 104.5 facility took the KKCS-FM calls and the country programming that had been heard on 101.9 in Colorado Springs. Bustos Media took over that 101.9 signal (see KXWA) and dropped country, while the KCS service moved to 104.5. It didn’t last. In 2007, 104.5 went back to the KSTY calls and Star Country.

    Dark in 2025, back the same year

    On December 23, 2024, Royal Gorge Broadcasting announced that KSTY and longtime sister KRLN would shut down effective January 1, 2025, and Star Country went quiet.

    Former KSTY station manager Megan Stanley pushed to bring the FM back. Through Frontier Frequencies LLC, Stanley and business partner Lyle Kenitzer bought KSTY. The FCC granted the assignment of the 104.5 license from Royal Gorge Broadcasting to Frontier Frequencies on July 2, 2025.

    Star Country 104.5 returned on August 1, 2025. It broadcasts from the Copper River venue in Pueblo West and plays classic, contemporary and Red Dirt/Texas country, with plenty of local remotes, requests and community info. KRLN 1400 did not come back; the new owners put their resources into the FM.

    The signal

    • Frequency: 104.5 FM (103.9 from 1975 to 1999)
    • City of license: Cañon City
    • FCC Facility ID: 35551, Class C3
    • Brand: Star Country 104.5
    • Owner/operator: Frontier Frequencies LLC

    Call sign timeline

    • KRLN-FM (1975)
    • KSTX (1976)
    • KRLN-FM (1982)
    • KSTY (1994)
    • KKCS-FM (2005)
    • KSTY (2007)

    Sources

    • Wikipedia: KSTY
    • FCC history cards and Licensing and Management System records
    • Broadcasting Yearbook; M Street Journal; Broadcasting & Cable (print)
    • R&R Country Daily, Dec. 6, 2005 (print)
    • RadioInsight, Dec. 23, 2024 and Apr. 25, 2025 (headlines)
    • FCC assignment notice, July 2, 2025
    • Star Country 104.5 official history/FAQ
    • Country Insider, Aug. 2025

  • KPPF-AM

    KPPF (1040 AM) is the Colorado Springs-area talk station you may know as Power Talk 1040. If you want local news and conversation on the AM dial, this is one of the newer places to find it.

    A new name for an old signal

    KPPF is the current call sign of the 1040 AM facility licensed to Monument. The calls became effective Dec. 16, 2020, closing out the long KCBR era. Power 95.7 LLC had picked up the station and its translator K239CH in late 2020.

    From Blazin’ to talk

    In February 2021, Power Media Group said it planned to move the old Blazin’ format toward a hybrid of adult contemporary and talk, with local news and talk as the eventual goal. It brought in veteran broadcaster Ted Robertson to run programming and Al Vasquez (Alan White) as production manager. By the end of 2021, KPPF was full-time news/talk as Power Talk 1040.

    The signal

    • Frequency: 1040 AM, Monument (serving Colorado Springs)
    • FCC Facility ID: 10846
    • Calls effective: Dec. 16, 2020
    • Brand: Power Talk 1040
    • Translators: 95.7 (K239CH) and 98.5 (K253AH)

    Ownership history

    • Late 2020 to today: Power 95.7 LLC, working through Power Media Group

    Earlier owners are on the KCBR page.

    Where the studios have been

    • 2021: Power Media Group built studios at 2020 N. Academy Blvd. in Colorado Springs
    • Later listing: 3455 Briargate Blvd., Suite 291, Colorado Springs

    Call sign timeline

    • KRTS (1986)
    • KKRE (1986 to 1989)
    • KCBR (1989 to 2020)
    • KPPF (Dec. 16, 2020 on)

    Sources

  • KCBR-AM

    KCBR (1040 AM) was on the air for more than three decades. If you listened to Colorado Springs radio anywhere from the late 80s through the 2010s, there’s a good chance this one passed through your car speakers at some point, whether it was business talk, oldies, or a playlist you couldn’t quite classify.

    Colorado’s Business Radio

    The calls became KCBR on Sept. 18, 1989, and they were a nod to the station’s business-radio positioning. They stayed on 1040 in Monument, serving the Colorado Springs market, until Dec. 16, 2020, when they gave way to KPPF. The signal came to KCBR from the earlier KKRE era.

    A lot of formats in a few years

    In the 2010s the station changed its sound a lot. By 2014 it was paired with an FM translator at 98.5 and became variety-hits Tailgate 98. In 2015 it shifted to oldies as Cruisin’ 98.5. Classic hip-hop arrived as Blazin’ 98.5 in 2016, then a comedy and 1990s hybrid called Hits & Giggles in 2018, before going back to Blazin’ in 2020.

    Ownership history

    • Until April 2012: DJR Broadcasting
    • April 2012: Pueblo Radio Group
    • 2014: Mike and Lori Knar’s SoCo Radio
    • Late 2020: Power 95.7 LLC

    The owners from 1989 until DJR Broadcasting haven’t been identified yet.

    Where the studios have been

    • 2012 to 2020: 5050 Edison Ave., Colorado Springs

    New owners in the 2010s

    In April 2012, Pueblo Radio Group bought KCBR and its sister station KCMN from DJR Broadcasting. Two years later, Mike and Lori Knar’s SoCo Radio took over KCBR. On November 1, 2014, it launched “Tailgate 98.5,” a multiformat playlist of country, rock and pop heard on 1040 AM and the 98.5 translator (K253AH) from studios at 5050 Edison. DJ Michaels was the afternoon deejay. On September 1, 2015, the station flipped to oldies “Cruisin’ 98.5” under new general manager “Sports Guy” Mike Luper.

    Over the KCBR years the facility was based at 5050 Edison Ave. and changed hands several times before Power 95.7 LLC bought it in late 2020.

    The signal

    • Frequency: 1040 AM
    • City of license: Monument (serving Colorado Springs)
    • Call sign in use: Sept. 18, 1989 to Dec. 16, 2020
    • FCC Facility ID: 10846

    Call sign timeline

    • KRTS (1986)
    • KKRE (1986 to 1989)
    • KCBR (1989 to 2020)
    • KPPF (Dec. 16, 2020 on)

    Sources

  • KKRE-AM

    KKRE (1040 AM) was a three-year chapter in the life of the Monument signal that Colorado Springs listeners know today as KPPF. If you were scanning the AM dial between 1986 and 1989, this is the station that was on 1040.

    Faith first, then business

    KKRE took over the 1040 facility from the short-lived KRTS calls on Sept. 18, 1986, and launched with a Christian contemporary format. Money got tight by late 1988, so the station leaned into business news and talk using programming from the Colorado Springs-based Business Radio Network.

    Ownership history

    Who owned KKRE from 1986 to 1989 hasn’t been identified yet. By late 1988 it was carrying programming from the Colorado Springs-based Business Radio Network. Later owners are on the KCBR page.

    Where the studios have been

    We haven’t found a KKRE studio address yet. If you know it, we’d love to hear from you.

    The signal

    • Frequency: 1040 AM
    • City of license: Monument (serving the Colorado Springs area)
    • Call sign in use: Sept. 18, 1986 to Sept. 18, 1989
    • FCC Facility ID: 10846

    Call sign timeline

    • KRTS (June 1986)
    • KKRE (Sept. 18, 1986)
    • KCBR (Sept. 18, 1989)
    • KPPF (Dec. 16, 2020)

    What came next

    On Sept. 18, 1989, the calls changed to KCBR, short for “Colorado’s Business Radio,” which matched where the format had already gone.

    Sources

  • KRTS-AM (1040 AM, Monument)

    KRTS (1040 AM) is one of those call signs that barely got to say hello. If you were dialing around the AM band in the Monument area in the summer of 1986, this is the short-lived name that 1040 wore before it settled into something else.

    The short version

    KRTS became the call sign for the 1040 AM facility licensed to Monument, Colorado on June 12, 1986. A few months later, on Sept. 18, 1986, the calls changed to KKRE. That’s a pretty quick turnaround, and it’s why this one reads more like a footnote than a chapter.

    Ownership history

    Who held the license under the KRTS calls in 1986 hasn’t been identified yet. The ownership trail for the 1040 facility continues on the KCBR and KPPF pages.

    Where the studios have been

    We haven’t found a studio address for the KRTS months. If you know it, we’d love to hear from you.

    The signal

    • Frequency: 1040 AM
    • City of license: Monument
    • Call sign in use: June 12 to Sept. 18, 1986
    • FCC Facility ID: 10846

    Don’t mix it up

    This isn’t the same KRTS you may have heard about on 1490 AM in Manitou Springs and Colorado Springs. Same letters, different facility. You can read about that one on the KRTS page.

    What came next

    After KKRE, the 1040 facility later carried the KCBR calls and, in the 2020s, became KPPF. A 2021 relaunch plan for the station and its translators put it back in the Colorado Springs conversation.

    This is a short page built from call-sign records. If you worked at this station in its early days, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources

  • KFXF-AM

    KFXF is a real piece of Colorado Springs radio pioneer history. If your family had a crystal set or an early tube radio in the mid-1920s, this is one of the first local voices that might have come through the headphones.

    A Pikes Peak start

    KFXF was licensed on September 2, 1925 to the Pikes Peak Broadcasting Co. in Colorado Springs. William Duncan Pyle is listed as the principal owner, and the studio sat in the Hagerman Building, which made it one of the earliest licensed broadcasters in town.

    The move to Denver

    In 1927 KFXF packed up and moved north to Denver. It kept the KFXF calls until 1934, when the station became KVOD. In 1958 that same facility turned into KHOW at 630 on the dial, so KFXF is the first chapter of a lineage Denver listeners knew for decades.

    Ownership history

    • 1925 to 1927: Pikes Peak Broadcasting Co., with William Duncan Pyle as principal owner
    • 1964 (as KHOW): Trigg-Vaughn
    • 1981: Metromedia, for $15 million
    • 1992: Noble Broadcasting

    The owners from 1927 to 1964 aren’t on this page yet.

    Where the studios have been

    • 1925 to 1927: the Hagerman Building, Colorado Springs
    • 1927 on: Denver; street addresses haven’t turned up yet

    The signal

    • Band: AM
    • City: Colorado Springs, then Denver (from 1927)
    • Years as KFXF: 1925 to 1934
    • What came next: KVOD (1934), then KHOW (1958)

    Sources