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KVCU
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<h2 id="history">History</h2> <h3>As a commercial station</h3> <p>The Brocade Broadcasting Company (later changed to Brokade Broadcasting), owned by Enid C. Pepperd and Dona B. West, obtained a <a href="/facts/Planning_permission/2EWb4p05">construction permit</a> from the FCC for a new <a href="/facts/Clear-channel_stations/DHpMyBSL">daytime-only</a> radio station in Boulder on November 6, 1972, nearly four years after filing for the station in February 1969.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> The station signed on November 1, with <a href="/facts/Middle_of_the_road_music/5wxPaAb7">middle of the road music</a> and news programming.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> The format was short-lived, the station lost money, and the owners wanted out; a sales manager, Dan Skibitsky, persuaded Brokade to change the format to <a href="/facts/Progressive_rock/79MRoIU7">progressive rock</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> Though the format flip brought more interest, a sale was still in the cards. Two years after launching, Brocade sold the station to the Greenlee and Gawne families, trading as Centennial Wireless, for $220,000.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> In 1979, the station was approved to increase power to 5,000 watts.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> Two years later, the Greenlees then acquired KRNW (97.3 FM), which they relaunched as freeform rocker and <a href="/facts/Adult_album_alternative/PKw7mdwh">adult album alternative</a> format pioneer <a href="/facts/KBCO/PU9V7Vdj">KBCO</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> </p><p>KADE became KBCO in 1985, and two years later, the Greenlees sold the pair to Noble Broadcast Group in a $27.25 million transaction.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> Up until then a low-rated <a href="/facts/Simulcast/Ybej2dSD">simulcast</a> of the FM, the station changed to talk in 1995 as "KHOW2", a brand extension of co-owned <a href="/facts/KHOW/YIY2kY71">KHOW</a> (630 AM).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> Noble owned the stations until it was purchased by <a href="/facts/Jacor/rECULhsn">Jacor</a> in 1996.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> </p> <h3>Donation to CU</h3> <p>In mid-1997, Jacor offered the 1190 AM facility to the University of Colorado—as a donation. CU had not owned a broadcast station in nearly 75 years; from 1922 to 1925, the university had operated KFAJ, which conducted experiments and supported instruction in <a href="/facts/Radio_communications/XFr909M2">radio communications</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> but which was unlistenable at any time <a href="/facts/KOA_(AM)/Go8KzPEl">KOA</a> was broadcasting and was thus closed.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> At the time, the university's <a href="/facts/Carrier-current/fcQ4pper">carrier-current</a> station could not even be heard in all campus dormitories. Jacor had good reason to make the donation: it needed to divest a station if it wanted to acquire <a href="/facts/KTCL/TVr7P3zt">KTCL</a> in <a href="/facts/Fort_Collins%2c_Colorado/5JhNmVog">Fort Collins</a>, another FM station the company was already programming in the region, as it owned a full complement of eight stations in the Denver market.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> </p><p>The station went off the air in January 1998 to prepare for the transfer,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> and under the new <a href="/facts/Call_sign/k3Y1upDl">call letters</a> KVCU, it signed on November 4 of the same year.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a> The new outlet aired a combination of student output and programs from volunteer <a href="/facts/DJ/5YYYRqPB">DJs</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a>—60 of them by 2001.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a> </p><p>For the first time since breaking from its simulcast with KBCO-FM in 1995, 1190 AM's programming began being heard on FM in 2016, when the station debuted on an <a href="/facts/FM_translator/gXCrGt20">FM translator</a> (K255DA at 98.9 MHz, now K251CV on 98.1) in Boulder.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a> As of March 2021, K251CV relays the <a href="/facts/HD_radio/XtS2tNG5">HD3</a> sub-channel of <a href="/facts/KQKS/SQkhybPC">KQKS</a>. The station ceased broadcasting on FM translators by the spring of 2023, when it voluntarily went off the air temporarily for modernization and general improvements.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a> </p> <h3>2022 silent period and 2023 relaunch</h3> <p>In 2011, Mikey Flanagan left the station as general manager,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a> and CU-Boulder’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication shuttered,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21"><sup>21</sup></a> leading to a shakeup in station administration that eventually resulted in the professional general manager position being eliminated and replaced by a CMCI faculty oversight position. </p><p>The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 also hit Radio 1190 hard, with a near-total station shutdown and shift to automated programming for several months. While student DJs were allowed to return to the studio later the same year, operational continuity suffered; the station lost control of its FM translators, and the quality of both the AM and streaming services was erratic. </p><p>In May 2022, Radio 1190 voluntarily ceased terrestrial broadcast while a professional chief engineer was brought on board to improve the station’s technical infrastructure. Broadcasts continued online, and the station returned to the AM airwaves on February 16, 2023.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22"><sup>22</sup></a> </p><p>In the 2024-2025 school year, the station regained a professional general manager, and also returned to the FM airwaves on translator K225BS 92.9 FM Denver beginning on February 13, 2025.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23"><sup>23</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Campus_radio/3wBqTwXI">Campus radio</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/List_of_college_radio_stations_in_the_United_States/B8D17ten">List of college radio stations in the United States</a></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/publicFacilityDetails.html?facilityId=48965">Facility details for Facility ID 48965 (KVCU)</a> in the <a href="/facts/Federal_Communications_Commission/Ueghz8W0">FCC</a> Licensing and Management System</li> <li><a href="https://www1.arbitron.com/sip/displaySip.do?surveyID=SU24&band=am&callLetter=KVCU">KVCU</a> in <a href="/facts/Nielsen_Audio/gqtgXGR2">Nielsen Audio</a>'s AM station database</li> <li><a href="http://1190.radio/">Radio 1190 website</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.colorado.edu/cusg/">University of Colorado Student Government</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.colorado.edu/cmci/">University of Colorado College of Media, Communication and Information</a></li></ul> <p><a href="https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=KVCU¶ms=39_57_53_N_105_14_07_W_type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC">39°57′53″N 105°14′07″W / 39.96472°N 105.23528°W / 39.96472; -105.23528</a> </p> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Fantz, Christy (October 29, 2008). "A decade from the depths - CU's Radio 1190 turns 10 next week". The Daily Camera. <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"History Cards for KVCU". Federal Communications Commission. (Guide to reading History Cards) <a href="https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=44221" target="_blank">https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=44221</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"New in Boulder" (PDF). Broadcasting. November 26, 1973. p. 32. Retrieved February 10, 2021. <a href="https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1973/1973-11-26-BC.pdf" target="_blank">https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1973/1973-11-26-BC.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Roberts, Michael (May 24, 1994). "Today, Boulder. Tomorrow, The World". Westword. Retrieved February 10, 2021. <a href="https://www.westword.com/music/today-boulder-tomorrow-the-world-5054293" target="_blank">https://www.westword.com/music/today-boulder-tomorrow-the-world-5054293</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 13, 1975. pp. 60–61. Retrieved February 10, 2021. <a href="https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1975/1975-10-13-BC.pdf" target="_blank">https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1975/1975-10-13-BC.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"History Cards for KVCU". Federal Communications Commission. (Guide to reading History Cards) <a href="https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=44221" target="_blank">https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=44221</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>Heltsell, Dallas (2018). "Boulder County Business Hall of Fame: From rock to restaurants, beat goes on for Greenlee" (PDF). BizWest. p. 3. Retrieved February 10, 2021. <a href="https://bizwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/BW_2018_Hall_of_Fame_flyp.pdf" target="_blank">https://bizwest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/BW_2018_Hall_of_Fame_flyp.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>"Noble Rocks Into Denver For $27 Million" (PDF). Radio & Records. August 28, 1987. p. 13. Retrieved February 10, 2021. <a href="https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1987/RR-1987-08-28.pdf" target="_blank">https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1987/RR-1987-08-28.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Saunders, Dusty (July 14, 1995). "Fox Puts Faith in 'Party of Five' for Another Season of Quality TV". Rocky Mountain News. p. 44D. <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>"Jacor, Triathlon Hit New Market Limits" (PDF). Radio & Records. February 9, 1996. p. 4. Retrieved February 10, 2021. <a href="https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1996/R&R-1996-02-09.pdf" target="_blank">https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1996/R&R-1996-02-09.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>Waits, Jennifer (August 1, 2016). "Radio Station Visit #110 – Radio 1190 at University of Colorado, Boulder". Radio Survivor. Retrieved February 10, 2021. <a href="http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2016/08/01/radio-station-visit-110-radio-1190-at-university-of-colorado-boulder/" target="_blank">http://www.radiosurvivor.com/2016/08/01/radio-station-visit-110-radio-1190-at-university-of-colorado-boulder/</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Norwood, Frank W. (1973). Barnouw, Erik (ed.). "The Air of History". AV Communication Review. 21 (1): 142–152. ISSN 0001-2890. JSTOR 30217734. <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/30217734" target="_blank">https://www.jstor.org/stable/30217734</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>Kowalski, Robert; Ostrow, Joanne (September 2, 1997). "KHOW2 offered to CU: Gift of radio station studied by officials". The Denver Post. p. B1. <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>Ostrow, Joanne (January 6, 1998). "Just don't ask too many questions about "Harriet'". The Denver Post. p. E01. <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>Hamilton, Jennifer (November 5, 1998). "CU Students Join Ranks of College Radio: AM Station to Broadcast Music, Sports, Talk Shows". Rocky Mountain News. p. 36A. <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>Booth, Michael (October 28, 1999). "Antennas salute KVCU: CU's alternative station rocks through first year". Rocky Mountain News. p. B2. <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>Moore, John (April 15, 2001). "KVCU wages radio revolt: Rebel deejays pit eclectic cuts against "safe, staid' airwaves". The Denver Post. p. E1. <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>Eun Cho, Grace (November 9, 2016). "Radio 1190 hits the FM airwaves". CU Boulder Today. Retrieved February 10, 2021. <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/today/2016/11/09/radio-1190-hits-fm-airwaves" target="_blank">https://www.colorado.edu/today/2016/11/09/radio-1190-hits-fm-airwaves</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:19"><p>"Radio 1190's History". Radio 1190. Retrieved May 19, 2023. <a href="https://1190.radio/history/" target="_blank">https://1190.radio/history/</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:20"><p>Klickstein, Matthew (October 6, 2011). "Radio 1190 finds new Mikey: CU radio station hires general manager". Colorado Daily. Retrieved May 19, 2023. <a href="https://www.coloradodaily.com/2011/10/06/radio-1190-finds-new-mikey-cu-radio-station-hires-general-manager/" target="_blank">https://www.coloradodaily.com/2011/10/06/radio-1190-finds-new-mikey-cu-radio-station-hires-general-manager/</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:21"><p>Anas, Brittany (April 14, 2011). "CU-Boulder journalism school to shut down after 5-4 vote by regents". Boulder Daily Camera. Retrieved May 19, 2023. <a href="https://www.dailycamera.com/2011/04/14/cu-boulder-journalism-school-to-shut-down-after-5-4-vote-by-regents/" target="_blank">https://www.dailycamera.com/2011/04/14/cu-boulder-journalism-school-to-shut-down-after-5-4-vote-by-regents/</a> <a href="#fnref:21" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:22"><p>Berkeley, Iris. "Radio 1190 Returns to the AM Airwaves". Mixcloud. <a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/irisberkeley/radio-1190-returns-to-the-am-airwaves-20230216/" target="_blank">https://www.mixcloud.com/irisberkeley/radio-1190-returns-to-the-am-airwaves-20230216/</a> <a href="#fnref:22" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:23"><p>Berkeley, Iris. "Jetset Underground #114". Mixcloud. Retrieved February 13, 2025. <a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/irisberkeley/jetset-underground-114-20250213/" target="_blank">https://www.mixcloud.com/irisberkeley/jetset-underground-114-20250213/</a> <a href="#fnref:23" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>