KXKL-FM (105.1 MHz, "KOOL 105") is a

classic hits Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 198 ...

station serving the

Denver metropolitan area Denver is the central city of a conurbation region in the U.S. state of Colorado. The conurbation includes one continuous region consisting of the six central counties of Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson. The Denver r ...

. This station is licensed to

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

and broadcasts with an ERP of 100 kW and is under ownership of

Stan Kroenke Enos Stanley Kroenke (; born July 29, 1947) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the owner of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which is the holding company of Arsenal F.C. of the Premier League and Arsenal W.F.C. of the WSL, the Los ...

's KSE Radio Ventures. Its studios are located on Colorado Boulevard in

Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''. It may refer to: Places Australia *Glendale, New South Wales ** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre * Glendale, Queensland, ...

, and the transmitter is located on Mt. Morrison.

History

Middle of the road (1956-1973)

The station began broadcasting in 1956 with the call letters KTGM with a MOR/

Beautiful Music Beautiful music (sometimes abbreviated as BM, B/EZ or BM/EZ for "beautiful music/easy listening") is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in North American radio from the late 1950s through the 1980s. Easy listening, elevator mu ...

format, under the ownership of Good Music Associates. The station was acquired by Sound Corporation of Colorado in 1968, and changed call letters to KADX that same year.

Jazz (1973-1981)

As KADX, the station had a MOR format that continued until it was sold to Columbine Broadcasting in 1973, who then flipped it to

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

that same year. By 1978, it was sold again to Welcome Radio, but kept the Jazz format intact.

Country (1981-1987)

By 1981, Great Empire Broadcasting added KADX to its portfolio, but would flip the station to

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...

in 1982 and take the call letters KBRQ, simulcasting its AM sister at 1280. During its tenure and through its numerous ownerships, the station, formats, signal, and its ratings, went unnoticed.

Oldies/classic hits (1987-present)

On July 3, 1987, KBRQ would switch formats to

Oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as w ...

as "KOOL 105", and changed call letters to KXKL. Shamrock Communications owned the station at the time of the flip. The format was also simulcast for the next 9 years on 1280 AM. After several ownership changes during the 1990s and 2000s, including Chancellor Media, AM/FM, and Infinity/CBS Radio, Wilks Broadcasting acquired the station in 2008, along with sister stations

KIMN KIMN (100.3 FM) is a commercial radio station in Denver, Colorado. The station is owned by Stan Kroenke's KSE Radio Ventures and airs a Hot AC radio format. Studios and offices are located on Colorado Boulevard in Glendale, and the transmitte ...

and KWOF. KXKL continues the Classic Hits format today, playing music from the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s. The radio station organizes the annual KOOL Concert, featuring live performances from artists from the genre. On October 12, 2015,

Kroenke Sports Enterprises Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) is an American sports and entertainment holding company based in Denver, Colorado. Originally known as Kroenke Sports Enterprises, it was started in 1999 by businessman Stan Kroenke to be the parent company ...

, owned by

Altitude Sports and Entertainment Altitude Sports and Entertainment (usually referred to as simply Altitude) is an American regional sports cable and satellite television channel owned by Stan Kroenke's Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. The channel, which serves the Rocky Moun ...

founder

, announced they would acquire Wilks Broadcasting's Denver properties, including KXKL-FM, Country KWOF, and Hot AC

. Once the sale was approved by the FCC, KSE was expected to flip one of the three outlets to Sports, which could see the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (N ...

, and

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, lat ...

moving from its current home in Denver, which is

KKFN KKFN (104.3 FM, "Denver's Sports Station 104.3 The Fan") is a commercial radio station serving the Denver-Boulder market. Owned and operated by Salt Lake City–based Bonneville International, KKFN airs a sports radio format. The station is ...

."Kroenke Sports Acquires Wilks' Denver Stations"
from Radio Insight (October 12, 2015) The transaction was consummated on December 31, 2015, at a purchase price of $54 million. However, KXKL retained its Classic Hits format as KWOF made the flip to Sports on September 17, 2018.

References

All Number One Radio.com website

External links

* *
FCC history cards for KXKL
{{Kroenke Sports & Entertainment XKL-FM Radio stations established in 1956 1956 establishments in Colorado Kroenke Sports & Entertainment Classic hits radio stations in the United States