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 (as KPIK)[1]
Former call signs
KPIK (1957-1987)
KWYD (1987-2005)
KKKK (2005-2010)
KREL (2010-2015)
KHIG (2015)
Technical information
Facility ID51816
ClassD
Power10,000 watts (day)
140 watts (night)
Transmitter coordinates
38°43′11.0″N 104°43′16.0″W
Translator(s)101.5 K268DV (Colorado Springs)
Links
Websitetigrecolorado.com

History

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.[2] 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).[3] KPIK-FM was just the second all-country music station on FM in the United States.[4] 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.[5] That same year, station manager George James was elected to the Colorado Springs city council.[6]

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.[7][2] It was sold again in 1980 to KPIK Broadcasting, Inc.[7]

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. [8] The talk format moved online after one month, with KHIG temporarily switching to a simulcast of 'Easy 101.3' KFEZ. [9]

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.[10] 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
  1. "Pinkston Buying 100 Per Cent Interest in KPIK". Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. June 22, 1964. p. 9-A. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  2. "Area Broadcasting Corp. Purchases AM Radio Station". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. February 25, 1978. p. 5-A. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  3. "KPIK Buys FM Outlet". Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. January 9, 1966. p. 3-A. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  4. Bennet, Don (January 29, 1966). "Junky Tells Story on New 'Night Call' Show Here". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. p. 14.
  5. Navarro, Linda (February 5, 1977). "Station Break". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. p. 18-D.
  6. Foster, Dick (April 6, 1977). "Winners Promise To Serve Citizens". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. p. 1-B. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  7. FCC History Cards for KFCS
  8. "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.
  9. "Westword, April 15, 2015. KHIG'S POT TALK MOVES ONLINE AFTER ONE MONTH". Radio Insight. May 15, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  10. BAL-20190917AAV Asset Purchase Agreement — KFCS


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