Wikipedia

KFCS

KFCS (1580 AM) is a radio station licensed to Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States.

KFCS
Broadcast areaSouthern Colorado
Frequency1580 kHz
BrandingEl Tigre
Programming
FormatRegional Mexican
Ownership
Owner
  • Lindsey Salazar
  • (Greeley Broadcasting Corp.)
History
First air date
June 1957 (1957-06)[1]
Former call signs
KPIK (1957–1987)
KWYD (1987–2005)
KKKK (2005–2010)
KREL (2010–2015)
KHIG (2015)
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID51816
ClassD
Power10,000 watts (day)
140 watts (night)
Transmitter coordinates
38°43′11.0″N 104°43′16.0″W / 38.719722°N 104.721111°W / 38.719722; -104.721111
Translator(s)101.5 K268DV (Colorado Springs)
Links
Public license information
Websitetigrecolorado.com

History

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KPIK went on the air in June 1957.[1] It was owned by the Western Broadcasting Company, controlled by David Pinkston and Leroy Elmore. It broadcast during the daytime only with 5,000 watts and broadcast a country music format from its first day of operation.[3] The station expanded to FM when it acquired the then-KLST 94.3 in 1966 and converted it to a simulcast as KPIK-FM (now KILO).[4] KPIK-FM was just the second all-country music station on FM in the United States.[5] The AM and FM stations remained a simulcast through 1977, when the FM moved toward a more contemporary country sound as "Super K-94" while the AM station focused on more traditional country.[6] That same year, station manager George James was elected to the Colorado Springs city council.[7]

Pinkston, with various partners, owned the station until selling it to the Area Broadcasting Company, headed by James, in 1978; this separated it from the FM station.[8][3] It was sold again in 1980 to KPIK Broadcasting, Inc.[8]

In 1987, the station became KWYD under the ownership of Edward J. Patrick who at the time owned KWYD-FM. While Patrick sold off KWYD-FM in 1989, Patrick continued to own KWYD (AM) until he sold it in 1998. The call letters changed to KKKK in 2005 and KREL in 2010. As KREL, the station aired a sports radio format, first from ESPN Radio and then changing to ESPN Radio affiliate in January 2013 and was a Fox Sports Radio affiliate from October 2014 to April 2015.

On Monday, April 13, 2015, the station switched to cannabis-centric talk as 'K-High 1580' with the call sign KHIG. [9] The talk format moved online after one month, with KHIG temporarily switching to a simulcast of 'Easy 101.3' KFEZ. [10]

In 2016, Jacob Barker acquired the station through licensee Gabrielle Broadcasting Licensee II, LLC. Under Barker, the station programmed a Christian talk format as "1580 The Trumpet" and gained a translator signal on 103.1 FM in the immediate Colorado Springs area. The format and name were also used on Barker's Phoenix station, KXEG.

In 2019, Gabrielle went into bankruptcy and a receiver, Jim Mross Engineering, was appointed for the station. Operations were taken over by the Greeley Broadcasting Corporation, which owns Regional Mexican KRYE 94.7; in September 2019, Mross filed to sell the station outright to Greeley for $85,000.[11] The acquisition gives El Tigre's southern Colorado station, which had previously only covered Pueblo by way of KRYE-FM, a local signal in Colorado Springs. The sale to Greeley Broadcasting was consummated on December 20, 2019.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Pinkston Buying 100 Per Cent Interest in KPIK". Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. June 22, 1964. p. 9-A. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KFCS". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ a b "Area Broadcasting Corp. Purchases AM Radio Station". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. February 25, 1978. p. 5-A. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  4. ^ "KPIK Buys FM Outlet". Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. January 9, 1966. p. 3-A. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  5. ^ Bennet, Don (January 29, 1966). "Junky Tells Story on New 'Night Call' Show Here". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. p. 14.
  6. ^ Navarro, Linda (February 5, 1977). "Station Break". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. p. 18-D.
  7. ^ Foster, Dick (April 6, 1977). "Winners Promise To Serve Citizens". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. p. 1-B. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  8. ^ a b FCC History Cards for KFCS
  9. ^ "Westword, April 15, 2015. Introducing K-HIGH, Ex-Fox Sports Radio Station That's Switched to Pot Talk". Westword. April 15, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  10. ^ "Westword, April 15, 2015. KHIG'S POT TALK MOVES ONLINE AFTER ONE MONTH". Radio Insight. May 15, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  11. ^ BAL-20190917AAV Asset Purchase Agreement — KFCS
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