KGNU (1390 AM) & KGNU-FM (88.5 FM) are a pair of

community radio Community radio is a radio service offering a third model of radio broadcasting in addition to commercial broadcasting, commercial and public broadcasting. Community broadcasting, Community stations serve geographic communities and communities o ...

stations licensed to

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

and

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city in Boulder County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most ...

respectively. KGNU is owned by Boulder Community Broadcast Association, Inc.

History

KFML

1390 AM was first licensed on April 4, 1956, and held the call sign KFML.History Cards for KGNU
fcc.gov. Retrieved January 10, 2021. It aired a

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

format and was simulcast on 98.5 KFML-FM. It originally ran 1,000 watts during daytime hours only and was owned by Evert A. Bancker Jr. In 1961, the station was sold to the Fine Arts Broadcasting Company, along with its FM sister station, for $118,720. Its power was increased to 5,000 watts in 1964. In 1966, it was sold, along with its FM sister station, to O'Fallon–O'Connor Broadcasting Inc. for $165,000. In 1969, controlling interest was sold to Joseph R. McGoey for $96,250. In 1971, KFML adopted a

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

format. In 1975, the station was sold to Radio Denver Corp. for $200,000.

Golden Bear Communications ownership

In 1982, the station was sold to Golden Bear Communications for $760,000. The station adopted a

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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

format, and its call sign was changed to KJJZ. In 1984, the station's call sign was changed to KPPL and it adopted an

urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contemporary r ...

format.
Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1985
', Broadcasting/Cablecasting, 1985. p. B-41, B-43. Retrieved January 10, 2021. On July 31, 1985, Golden Bear Communications filed for

Chapter 11 bankruptcy Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code ( Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, w ...

and on October 10, 1985, the proceeding was converted to

Chapter 7 Chapter Seven refers to a seventh Chapter (books), chapter in a book. Chapter Seven, Chapter 7, or Chapter VII may also refer to: Albums * Chapter Seven (album), ''Chapter Seven'' (album), a 2013 album by Damien Leith. * Chapter VII (album), ''Ch ...

KMDK

In 1987, the station was sold to Huttner Health Network for $265,000. Its call sign was changed to KMDK, and it began airing a health-talk format branded "K-Medic".Ross, Sean; Olson, Yvonne.
Vox Jox
, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''. July 16, 1988. p. 15. Retrieved January 10, 2021.

KDZR

On June 13, 1988, its call sign was changed to KFTO, and on June 23, 1988, its call sign was changed to KDZR.Call Sign History
fcc.gov. Retrieved January 10, 2021. As KDZR, the station was initially an affiliate of Z Rock, airing a heavy metal/

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

format. On November 14, 1988, it adopted a business talk format and became an affiliate of the Business Radio Network.Ross, Sean.
Vox Jox
, ''

''. August 19, 1989. p. 12. Retrieved January 10, 2021.

KJME

In 1989, the station's call sign was changed to KJME and it began airing a

Spanish language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...

format.
The Broadcasting Yearbook 1990
',

Broadcasting Broadcasting is the data distribution, distribution of sound, audio audiovisual content to dispersed audiences via a electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), ...

, 1990. p. B-53. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2003–2004
',

Broadcasting & Cable ''Broadcasting & Cable'' (''B&C'', or ''Broadcasting+Cable'') was a telecommunications industry monthly trade magazine and, later, news website published by Future US. Founded in 1931 as ''Broadcasting'', subsequent mergers, acquisitions and ...

, 2003–2004. p. B-53. Retrieved January 10, 2021. In 1990, KJME was sold to Jo-Mor Communications for $350,000. In 1991, the station was fined $5,000 for operating at 450% in excess of its licensed power.

KGNU

KGNU-FM began broadcasting May 24, 1978. In 2004, Boulder Community Broadcast Association purchased AM 1390 KJME in Denver for $4.1 million, and its call sign was changed to KGNU. KGNU's programming follows a variety

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...

, featuring a mix of music, news and information. Local shows are hosted by volunteers. The station also carries syndicated programs distributed by

Public Radio International Public Radio International (PRI) was an American public radio organization. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, PRI provided programming to over 850 public radio stations in the United States. PRI was one of the main providers of programmi ...

Pacifica Radio Pacifica may refer to: Art * ''Pacifica'' (statue), a 1938 statue by Ralph Stackpole for the Golden Gate International Exposition Places * Pacifica, California, a city in the United States ** Pacifica Pier, a fishing pier * Pacifica, a conce ...

and

BBC World Service The BBC World Service is a British Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception area, language selection and audience reach. It broadcas ...

. KGNU is a member of the Grassroots Radio Coalition, which it helped found in 1996. In 2018, the station's 40th anniversary was commemorated by a six-week exhibit, "Listening Together", at the Museum of Boulder. Beginning in 2019, the station embarked on a capital campaign to raise $1.25M, with an equal amount to be matched by the City of Boulder, as part of the voter-approved 2017 Community, Culture and Safety Tax.

Facilities

In the summer of 2010, KGNU-FM was granted permission to increase its FM transmitter power to 4,000

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...

s ERP. KGNU (AM) operates at 5,000 watts by day but must reduce power to 139 watts at night to protect other radio stations on 1390 kHz. The AM transmitter is in

Englewood, Colorado The City of Englewood is a home rule municipality located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 33,659 at the 2020 United States census. Englewood is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan S ...

off South Wyandot Street. The FM transmitter is in

Louisville, Colorado The City of Louisville () is a home rule municipality located in southeastern Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 21,226 at the 2020 United States census. Louisville began as a mining community in 1877, experienc ...

near the Louisville Reservoir, on a tower HAAT. KGNU also operates a 28-watt FM

translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...

K229AC at 93.7 MHz in Nederland, Colorado, and a 7-watt FM translator K254CH licensed to Laporte, Colorado, which

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...

s KGNU-FM on 98.7 MHz from Horsetooth Mountain west of Fort Collins.

References

External links

Timeline: 40 years of making waves
{{Authority control

GNU GNU ( ) is an extensive collection of free software (394 packages ), which can be used as an operating system or can be used in parts with other operating systems. The use of the completed GNU tools led to the family of operating systems popu ...

Community radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1956