KDCO (AM)

Last updated
KDCO
Broadcast area Denver-Boulder metropolitan area
Frequency 1340 kHz
Programming
Language(s) Spanish
Format Catholic radio
Network ESNE Radio
Ownership
OwnerEl Sembrador Ministries
History
First air date
1940 (as KMYR)
Former call signs
KMYR (1940–1956)
KDEN (1956–1993)
KKYD (1993–2001)
KCFR (2001–2011)
KVOQ (2011–2015)
Call sign meaning
KDenver COlorado
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID 34585
Class C
Power 1,000 watts
Links
Public license information

KDCO (1340 kHz) is a noncommercial AM radio station licensed to Denver, Colorado. The station is owned by El Sembrador Ministries and carries its ESNE Radio network, featuring Spanish-language Catholic radio programming.

Contents

History

KMYR and KDEN

The station was launched by Frederick W. Meyer, a wholesale grocer, in 1940 as KMYR. (The call sign represented Meyer's name.) It originally signed on with 250 watts of power. [2] The station's sale in 1956 brought a call letter change to KDEN.

For a time in the 1970s and 80s, KDEN aired an all-news radio format. [3] At first it used NBC Radio's "News and Information Service" (NIS). When that was discontinued, KDEN remained an NBC News network affiliate but it had its own schedule of local anchors delivering the news.

Radio AAHS

In December 1993, after an eight-month period off the air, 1340 AM became KKYD "Radio AAHS", the Denver outlet of the first nationwide network of radio programs for children. The downfall of Radio AAHS came when the Walt Disney Company established a competitor, Radio Disney.

After the sign-off of Radio AAHS in January 1998, Children's Broadcasting Corporation needed programming for its owned & operated former AAHS stations until it could find buyers for them. KKYD, along with the other nine CBC stations, became an outlet for "Beat Radio", which broadcast electronic dance music 12 hours a night.

Colorado Public Radio

This lasted until late October 1998. KKYD then switched to a Catholic radio format, which it aired until sale from the Catholic Radio Network to Colorado Public Radio. The announcement of CPR's purchase February 9, 2001, also mentioned plans to convert the station from commercial to non-commercial status. [4]

In September 2000, CPR acquired the intellectual properties of then-classical station KVOD AM 1280, as that station was switching to another format. In March 2001, Colorado Public Radio put the classical music programming of KVOD on 90.1 FM, with KCFR's News/Talk/NPR programming moved to 1340 AM. On July 9, 2008, KCFR moved back to 90.1 FM, with KVOD moving to the newly acquired 88.1 FM frequency. The changes were made as CPR wanted to go FM-only by the end of the year. Until a buyer could be found for 1340, CPR continued to operate it as a simulcast of 90.1 KCFR.

On October 31, 2011, CPR launched "OpenAir" on 1340 AM, billing it "New Music from Colorado Public Radio." It has a broad-based format that focuses on current independent artists with a great deal of current Colorado talent. OpenAir also streams online at www.openaircpr.org. With the change, new KVOQ call letters were adopted.

Sports radio

Logo as "Mile High Sports" KDCO MileHighSports1340-104.7 logo.jpg
Logo as "Mile High Sports"

On July 24, 2015, Colorado Public Radio announced that it would swap KVOQ to Victor Michael's Cedar Cove Broadcasting, Inc. in exchange for KRKY-FM. Michael also forgave $100,000 in debt as part of the swap. On July 27, 2015, KVOQ changed its format to all-sports, branded as "Mile High Sports". The previous OpenAir format is now heard on KVOQ 102.3.

On August 28, 2015, the station changed its call sign to the current KDCO. Effective January 20, 2016, Cedar Cove Broadcasting traded KDCO to Kona Coast Radio, LLC, in exchange for translator stations K214DW and K206EO. Kona Coast Radio is also owned by Victor Michael.

On April 28, 2016, KDCO began simulcasting on FM translator K284CI 104.7 FM Denver. [5]

Effective August 22, 2017, Victor Michael sold KDCO and translators K225BS and K284CI to 4-K's LLLP for $464,000.

Effective November 25, 2020, 4-K's LLLP sold the K284CI translator to Rocky Mountain Public Media for $680,000, at which point it began rebroadcasting KUVO. The AM station was simultaneously sold separately for $420,000 to El Sembrador Ministries, owner of the ESNE Radio network of Spanish-language Catholic radio stations [6] with ESNE programming beginning on December 8. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KQMT</span> Radio station in Denver, Colorado

KQMT is a classic rock radio station serving the Denver, Colorado Metropolitan Area. The station is owned and operated by is Audacy, Inc. with its studios located in the Denver Tech Center district. Its main transmitter is located on Lookout Mountain near Golden, with a backup transmitter location on Ruby Hill in Denver. KQMT broadcasts in HD and is available on the Audacy audio platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KKSE-FM</span> Sports radio station in Broomfield–Denver, Colorado

KKSE-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Broomfield, Colorado, and serving the Denver metropolitan area and Northern Colorado. KKSE-FM airs a sports talk format branded as "Altitude Sports 92.5 FM." KKSE-FM has studios on South Colorado Boulevard in Glendale, with its transmitter located off Wheatland Road near Fort Lupton in Weld County. It is owned by Stan Kroenke's KSE Radio Ventures, which also owns sister stations KIMN, KKSE and KXKL-FM.

KTYM is a radio station broadcasting on-air and via the internet. Licensed to Inglewood, California, United States, the station serves the Los Angeles area and an international internet audience. KTYM is owned by El Sembrador Ministries of Chatsworth, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colorado Public Radio</span> Public radio network in Colorado, United States

Colorado Public Radio (CPR) is a public radio state network based in Denver, Colorado that broadcasts three services: news, classical music and Indie 102.3, which plays adult album alternative music. CPR airs its programming on 15 full-power stations, augmented by 17 translators. Their combined signal reaches 80 percent of Colorado. CPR also manages KRCC, the NPR member station in Colorado Springs, in partnership with the station's owner, Colorado College.

KCFR-FM is a radio station in Denver, Colorado, which is owned and operated by Colorado Public Radio and simulcast to several AM and FM stations throughout the state. The signals from some of these stations also extend into eastern Utah and southern Wyoming. Some of KCFR-FM's programming is heard on KPRE 89.9 FM in Vail, which also carries programming from classical music station KVOD, also located in Denver.

KCFC is a radio station licensed to Boulder, Colorado. The station is owned by Colorado Public Radio (CPR), and airs CPR's "Colorado News" network, originating from KCFR-FM in Denver, Colorado.

KVOD is a public radio station broadcasting a classical music format. Licensed to Lakewood, Colorado, it serves the Denver metropolitan area. The station is owned by Public Broadcasting Of Colorado. Its programming is broadcast on other stations around Colorado including 91.9 KCFP in Pueblo, 103.3 KPRU in Delta, and 90.5 KVOV in Glenwood Springs.

KRCN is a radio station broadcasting a Catholic radio format. Licensed to Longmont, Colorado, the station is owned and operated by Catholic Radio Network, Inc., which has a network of stations in Missouri, Kansas and Colorado. In Colorado, the Catholic Radio Network also operates KFEL 970 AM in Colorado Springs and KCRN 1120 AM in Limon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KVOQ (FM)</span> Radio station in Greenwood Village–Denver, Colorado

KVOQ is a public radio station licensed to Greenwood Village, Colorado, and serving the Denver metropolitan area. KVOQ broadcasts an Album Adult Alternative (AAA) radio format known as "Indie 102.3" under the ownership of Colorado Public Radio. It is listener supported and airs no commercials. On-air fundraisers are conducted several times each year.

WXES is a daytimer Class D AM radio station in Chicago, Illinois. It is owned and operated by El Sembrador Ministries, as part of its ESNE Radio Spanish-language Catholic Radio network. It airs a mix of talk and teaching programs as well as Christian music.

KPLS is an AM radio station licensed to Littleton, Colorado, and serving the Denver metropolitan area. KPLS is owned by Radio 74 Internationale. In May 2020, the station transitioned to airing a Christian format following a transfer of ownership.

KMES is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Ogden, Utah, and serving the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The station is owned by El Sembrador Ministries and carries Spanish-language Catholic radio programming from its ESNE Radio network.

KWST is a commercial radio station licensed to El Centro, California. It is owned by El Sembrador Ministries, broadcasting to the Imperial Valley and Mexicali, Baja California.

KRXA is a radio station broadcasting a Spanish language Catholic radio format. Licensed to Carmel Valley, California, the station serves the Salinas - Monterey - Santa Cruz areas of Central California. It is owned by El Sembrador Ministries and broadcasts its Spanish-language ESNE Radio Catholic radio network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KEPC</span> Radio station in Colorado Springs, Colorado

KEPC is a radio station licensed to Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, the station serves the Colorado Springs area, broadcasting a Public Radio Album Adult Alternative format. The station simulcasts KVOQ (FM) out of Denver, and is owned Pikes Peak State College and operated by Colorado Public Radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KBNO (AM)</span> Regional Mexican radio station in Denver

KBNO is a radio station broadcasting a Regional Mexican radio format. Licensed to Denver, Colorado, it serves the Denver metropolitan area. The station is currently owned by Latino Communications, LLC. It uses the moniker "Que Bueno".

KXRE is an AM radio station licensed to Manitou Springs, Colorado, the station serves the Colorado Springs radio market. The station is currently owned by Colorado Public Radio and operated by Pikes Peak State College, known on-air as eXtra Music 102.1. All of the on-air personalities heard are Radio and Television students at the college, as experience at the radio station is a requirement for the Associates of Applied Science in Telecommunications Production degree offered by the school.

KKCL is a commercial radio station licensed to Golden, Colorado, and serving the Denver/Boulder media market. The station airs a modern AC/adult album alternative format branded as The Cloud. The station had previously spent time as a sports radio station and a cannabis culture-themed classic rock station known as Smokin' 94.1.

KVOQ may refer to:

ESNE Radio is a Spanish-language Catholic radio network based in the United States, owned by El Sembrador Ministries. Headquartered in Chatsworth, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, ESNE broadcasts on 14 stations in the United States, Mexico and Spain. ESNE also broadcasts a Spanish-language television channel, ESNE TV, launched in 2002.

References

  1. "Facility Technical Data for KDCO". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. "80 Years of Radio in Denver". Archived from the original on 2012-04-26. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
  3. Broadcasting Yearbook 1985 page B-43
  4. "Denver Entertainment/The Scene: The Denver Post".
  5. Mile High Sports Returns to FM Radioinsight - April 28, 2016
  6. Venta, Lance (2020-10-05). "Mile High Sports Radio Signals Sold". RadioInsight. Retrieved 2020-10-25.
  7. "Sintoniza la nueva estación de radio católica de Denver 1340 AM" [Listen to Denver's new Catholic radio station, 1340 AM]. El Pueblo Católico (in Spanish). 2020-12-19. Retrieved 2020-12-23.

39°41′00″N105°00′24″W / 39.68333°N 105.00667°W / 39.68333; -105.00667