PRESERVING RADIO HISTORY ACROSS COLORADO

Archives: Stations

  • KFCS-AM

    KFCS (1580 AM) is El Tigre, a regional Mexican station in Colorado Springs. If you remember a country station on 1580 in the 1960s, or the “K-High 1580” days, this is the same frequency wearing a new name.

    KPIK and the country years

    The 1580 AM facility began in June 1957 as KPIK, a 5,000-watt daytime country station. In 1966 KPIK’s owners bought KLST at 94.3 and created KPIK-FM, which gave the market a long-running country AM/FM pair. The two stations split in 1978, with the FM becoming KILO.

    A string of new identities

    The AM went through several sets of calls: KWYD from 1987, KKKK in 2005, KREL in 2010 and KHIG in 2015. The KHIG era was “K-High 1580,” which ran marijuana-oriented talk, an unusual specialty format. The station later became KFCS, and since 2019 it has been part of Greeley Broadcasting’s El Tigre regional Mexican service.

    Sources

  • KQSC-AM

    KQSC (1530 AM) is the Colorado Springs side of 101.9 & 107.3 KDZA, the classic hits service that grew out of Pueblo. If you spent time with country on 1530 over the years, you’ve heard this frequency under a lot of different names.

    A lot of call signs

    The 1530 AM facility signed on February 9, 1964, as KRYT. It became KXXV in 1977, KKCS in 1979, KCMN in 1982 and briefly KKHI in 2015 before taking the KQSC calls. KCMN was the longest-running call sign of the bunch. The lineage runs KRYT, KXXV, KKCS, KCMN, KKHI, KQSC.

    The KKCS years connected 1530 with the market’s “KCS” country identity. In the late 1970s, 1530 and 101.9 FM were paired as the AM/FM operation moved from KXXV and KINX into KKCS and KKCS-FM branding. Mountain Radio Group launched Mountain Country on the signal in 2016.

    Classic hits arrives

    On November 11, 2024, KQSC dropped its Red Dirt country programming and became the Colorado Springs simulcast of Pueblo’s revived KDZA classic-hits service. The combined operation brands as 101.9 & 107.3 KDZA, and KQSC is also heard on a 107.3 FM translator. The current operation is paired with KDZA 1230 in Pueblo.

    Sources

  • KZNT-AM

    KZNT (1460 AM / 101.1 FM) is “The Answer,” the conservative news and talk station for Colorado Springs. If you remember when 1460 was one of the Top 40 stations in town, you’ve heard this frequency under a very different name.

    From KAFA to KYSN

    The 1460 AM facility signed on December 21, 1956, as KAFA and became KYSN in 1958. KYSN grew into one of the major Top 40 stations in Colorado Springs and stayed on the frequency until 1983.

    The KKCS years

    After that the station cycled through KKHT, KKCS and briefly KWES. The KKCS stretches tied the AM closely to KKCS-FM and the “KCS” country brand, including periods of simulcasting. After a second long run as KKCS, the station took the KZNT calls in 2003.

    The full call-sign lineage runs KAFA, KYSN, KKHT, KKCS, KWES, KKCS, KZNT.

    Today

    KZNT carries conservative news and talk as “AM 1460 / FM 101.1 The Answer.” The FM signal is translator K266CK at 101.1 MHz. The AM’s FCC facility ID is 70825. Under Salem, KZNT is paired with KGFT 100.7. Historically, 1460 was paired with KKCS-FM.

    KZNT is licensed to Bison Media, Inc. and operated within Salem Media. On August 20, 2026, The Christian Community Foundation, Inc., doing business as WaterStone, completed its acquisition of Salem Media and took the company private. Salem said its radio operations would continue under the new ownership.

    Where the studios have been

    • 1958 to the 1960s: KYSN’s original studio was on the second floor at the northwest corner of Colorado Avenue and Tejon Street, according to a former KYSN employee’s recollection.
    • 1964: the Radio Annual lists KYSN at 30 S. Tejon Street, the earliest street-number address found so far.
    • By 1991: 5145 Centennial Blvd., Suite 200 (the KKCS operation)
    • By 2002: 3515 N. Chestnut Street (KKCS)
    • By 2004: 7150 Campus Dr., Suite 150, the Salem Colorado Springs operation
    • Today: still 7150 Campus Dr., Suite 150, Colorado Springs, CO 80920

    Sources

    • Wikipedia: KZNT
    • AM 1460 The Answer: official website
    • Salem Media / GlobeNewswire: WaterStone acquisition completed (August 20, 2026)
    • Colorado Broadcasters Association: KZNT listing
    • Radio Annual (1964) (print)
    • Broadcasting Yearbook (print)
    • FCC station records
    • First-person oral-history contribution from a former KYSN employee (October 2026)

  • KCSF-AM

    KCSF (1300 AM) is Xtra Sports Radio 1300, the sports station for Colorado Springs. If you’ve followed the Nuggets, the Avalanche or the Switchbacks on the radio in the Springs, this is where you found them. It’s owned by Cumulus Media.

    Colorado Springs’ first commercial station

    The 1300 kHz facility began broadcasting as KFUM on September 22, 1922, the city’s first commercial radio station. It became KVOR in 1931 and spent decades as a CBS affiliate, carrying network news and entertainment alongside local shows.

    In March 2000, the KVOR calls and programming moved to 740 AM, and 1300 became KTWK. After that it cycled through a lot of identities: KUBL (“The Bull”) for classic country, KBZC (“The Buzz”) for progressive talk, KKML (“Sports Animal 1300”) for sports, and KKCS for a brief return to classic country. The KCSF calls arrived in 2008, and the station went back to sports in November 2009.

    Today

    KCSF airs sports talk and play-by-play, including national network shows and coverage of the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC.

    Who owned it

    • 1922 to the 1990s: the license passed through several owners under successive call signs, and the full chain is still being pieced together
    • By 1999 to September 16, 2011: part of the Colorado Springs group associated with Triathlon Broadcasting and then Citadel Broadcasting
    • September 16, 2011 to today: Cumulus Media

    The signal

    KCSF runs 5,000 watts during the day and 1,000 at night. The FCC facility ID is 62039, and the licensee is Radio License Holding CBC, LLC. Online, it’s at xtrasports1300.com.

    Where the studios have been

    The early KVOR service was listed at the Mining Exchange Building in 1933 and later broadcast from studios in the Antlers Hotel. Later studio addresses for this frequency are only partly documented. Today it’s at 6805 Corporate Drive, Suite 130, Colorado Springs, CO 80919.

    Sources

  • KRDO-AM

    KRDO (1240 AM) has been on the air in Colorado Springs since March 1947, making it one of the city’s early postwar radio stations. If your family listened to the news over breakfast in the Springs, there’s a decent chance KRDO was the voice. Today it simulcasts “KRDO NewsRadio 105.5 FM & 1240 AM” under News-Press & Gazette ownership.

    The name

    The call letters are a play on “Colorado,” with a K swapped in for the C.

    The early years

    KRDO signed on in March 1947 from the Alta Vista Hotel in Colorado Springs, a start the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum documents. By 1953 it had settled into what became its long-running home at 399 S. 8th Street, shared for decades with its television sister. Over the years the station carried network programming, music, local news and talk.

    AM, FM and TV

    In 1969 the company added KRDO-FM on 95.1, creating a long-running AM/FM pair alongside KRDO-TV. That 95.1 signal became KATC-FM in 2006, and the KRDO-FM calls moved to 105.5.

    Where the studios have been

    • 1947: Alta Vista Hotel, Colorado Springs
    • By 1953: 399 S. 8th Street

    Sources

  • KVOR-AM

    KVOR (740 AM) is one of the oldest and most important call signs in Colorado Springs radio. If you’ve ever woken up to talk radio in the Springs, KVOR is the station that taught the town how. Today it’s owned by Cumulus Media and still goes by “AM 740 KVOR.”

    From KFUM to KVOR

    The KVOR identity traces back to KFUM, licensed in September 1922 as the city’s first commercial station. It became KVOR around 1931 and spent decades as a network affiliate, news source and full-service local station. By the 1980s it had settled into talk radio.

    For most of its history KVOR lived at 1300 AM. In March 2000, the calls and the talk format moved to 740 AM in a frequency swap within the station group. The 740 facility itself signed on March 29, 1955.

    The KSPZ connection

    KVOR added an FM sister in 1960 as KVOR-FM. In 1974 that station became KSPZ, and the KVOR/KSPZ pairing ran for years.

    The 1970s on Brookside

    A former KVOR/KSPZ employee who worked there from 1973 to 1978 remembers 615 E. Brookside Street as the station’s home. The building had an unusual design, with the broadcast area and the business and sales area separated by a thick rubber gasket between two joined structures, so one side couldn’t hear the other.

    KVOR was a CBS affiliate in those days. The same former employee remembers Lowell Thomas originating his network broadcasts from the Colorado Springs facility when he was in town.

    Who owned it

    In the late 1970s, KVOR and KSPZ were held by Wolverine Broadcasting Corp. James W. Vinall was president and general manager, and Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Powers were fellow owners. Wolverine agreed to sell in 1978, and FCC approval of a sale to Sunbelt Communications was reported in January 1979. Our former employee remembers a number of staffers leaving as the stations went on the market and things got unsettled.

    Where the studios have been

    • 1933 to 1934: Mining Exchange Building
    • By 1960: 512 S. Tejon Street
    • 1972: the FCC authorized KVOR-FM’s studio and remote-control location at 600 E. Brookside Street
    • 1970s to mid-1980s: 615 E. Brookside Street
    • By 1996: 2864 S. Circle Drive, Suite 150, with KSPZ, KVUU and KTWK
    • By the 2000s: 6805 Corporate Drive, Suite 130, once Citadel consolidated its stations there

    Sources

  • KATC-FM

    KATC-FM (95.1 FM) is Cat Country 95.1, the country station for Colorado Springs and Pueblo. If you’ve had country on in the Springs since 2006, odds are good it was Cat Country. It’s owned by Cumulus Media and affiliated with Westwood One, with a transmitter near Cheyenne Mountain State Park and a low-power translator in Cañon City.

    From KRDO-FM to Cat Country

    The station began broadcasting on October 1, 1969, as KRDO-FM, a sister to KRDO AM. It was owned by Harry Hoth’s Pikes Peak Broadcasting Company and played beautiful music before moving to easy listening. In 1994 it became “Peak 95.1” with a soft adult contemporary sound, later shifting to hot adult contemporary.

    After Citadel Broadcasting bought the station, it flipped to country as Cat Country 95.1 on June 30, 2006, and the KRDO-FM calls gave way to KATC-FM. Citadel brought in Jim “Catfish” Miller from KQFC in Boise as program director, and Kevin Godwin, also from Boise, became general manager of the Colorado Springs cluster. The Peak name and adult contemporary format moved to KKPK at 92.9 later that year.

    Five years later, on July 25, 2011, Cat Country brought Uncle Steve Etheridge back to Colorado Springs for mornings, with Road Gato as his producer and sidekick. From 2014 the station went by “Nash FM 95.1” and returned to Cat Country in April 2020.

    Who owned it

    • 1969 to 2006: Pikes Peak Broadcasting Company, founded by Harry Hoth
    • 2006 to September 16, 2011: Citadel Broadcasting Corporation
    • September 16, 2011 to today: Cumulus Media

    The signal

    KATC runs 72,000 watts from 695 metres above average terrain. The FCC facility ID is 66249, and the licensee is Radio License Holding CBC, LLC. Online, it’s at catcountry951.com.

    Where the studios have been

    As KRDO-FM, the station shared a group with KRDO AM, though a separate street address for the FM studio hasn’t turned up yet. Today it’s at 6805 Corporate Drive, Suite 130, Colorado Springs, CO 80919, the Cumulus studio for its cluster.

    Sources

  • KRCC-FM

    KRCC (91.5 FM) is southern Colorado’s NPR station, owned by Colorado College and run by Colorado Public Radio. If your mornings in the Springs have ever started with Morning Edition, this is the signal you were tuned to. It’s relayed across the region through additional stations and translators.

    From a campus loudspeaker to NPR

    It all started in 1944, when Colorado College professor Woodson “Chief” Tyree set up a campus public-address system. It became a carrier-current station in 1946, and KRCC began licensed FM broadcasting in April 1951 on 91.3 MHz with a 10-watt transmitter. It later moved to 91.5 and grew its power over the decades.

    Colorado College first used the station to train speech and drama students. When those courses ended in the late 1960s, KRCC turned into a college and community station. It opened its microphones to the wider community in 1978 and became Colorado’s third NPR member station in 1984.

    The Colorado Public Radio partnership

    In January 2020, Colorado College and Colorado Public Radio announced a partnership. CPR took over station operations while the College kept the license, and the two created the Southern Colorado Public Media Center in Colorado Springs.

    Who owned it

    • 1951 to today: Colorado College holds the license
    • 2020 to today: Colorado Public Radio operates KRCC under a management partnership with the College

    The signal

    KRCC runs 2,100 watts from 687 metres above average terrain. The FCC facility ID is 65563. Online, it’s at krcc.org.

    Where the studios have been

    KRCC lived in several Colorado College locations, including the Rastall Center, before moving in 1992 to a historic house at 912 N. Weber Street. Today it’s based at the Southern Colorado Public Media Center, 720 N. Tejon Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80903.

    Sources

  • KTLF-FM

    KTLF (90.5 FM) is “The Light,” the flagship of a listener-supported Christian radio network based in Colorado Springs. If you’ve ever had contemporary worship music on in the car on the way to work, there’s a good chance it was this one, or one of its sisters across the state.

    How it started

    The station grew out of a vision shared by Colorado Springs businessmen Ron Johnson, Greg Nyquist and Lauren Libby in the 1980s. They organized Educational Communications of Colorado Springs to build a noncommercial Christian station, and KTLF signed on shortly after 11 p.m. on February 27, 1989, at 89.7 FM with an inspirational, soft-Christian and praise-and-worship sound.

    In 1991 it traded frequencies with college station KEPC and moved to 90.5, a swap that let both operations improve their technical facilities.

    Growing into a network

    By 1992 the organization was using satellite distribution to reach translators and more full-power stations. The KTLF Radio Network eventually grew into several Christian formats, including The Light, The Legacy, Reflections and LifeTalk, with signals across Colorado and neighboring states. KTPL is part of the same Educational Communications operation.

    Right now

    As of October 2026, the organization has been in front of the FCC. Educational Communications asked the agency in 2026 to reconsider the rules for how noncommercial FM translators can get their programming. KTLF wanted its 90.7 FM Littleton translator to relay KQMT-HD3. After a waiver was denied, it argued that a noncommercial HD subchannel should be allowed as a translator source even when the main station is commercial.

    Sources

  • KEPC-FM

    KEPC (89.7 FM) started out as a high school station in the 1950s and grew into the Colorado Springs home of Indie 102.3. If you ever cut your teeth on college radio in the Springs, or tuned in for something you couldn’t hear anywhere else, this is the dial position.

    From high school to college radio

    The lineage began in 1957 as KSHS at Colorado Springs High School, later Palmer High School, operated by Colorado Springs School District 11 at 90.5 FM. In the early 1970s El Paso Community College took it over and the calls became KEPC, short for the college’s name. That college later became Pikes Peak Community College and, in 2022, Pikes Peak State College.

    KEPC moved through several campus locations as the school grew. In 1991 it traded frequencies with Christian station KTLF: KEPC moved to 89.7 FM and KTLF moved to 90.5.

    The Indie 102.3 era

    For decades KEPC was a student-focused college station. In 2021, Pikes Peak Community College announced a big change. Colorado Public Radio would operate KEPC and use the signal for its Indie 102.3 adult album alternative service, while the college’s student broadcasting shifted to KXRE 1490 AM and its translators. A Pueblo translator carries Indie 102.3 further south.

    Sources