KBPI
MHz (HD Radio) | |
| Branding | 107-9 KBPI |
|---|---|
| Programming | |
| Format | Active rock |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KCOL, KIIX, KOLT-FM, KPAW, KSME, KXBG, K235BT, K246CI, KBCO, KHOW, KDFD, KOA, KDHT, KRFX, KTCL, KWBL | |
| History | |
First air date | July 27, 1975 (as KCOL-FM) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | Bill Pierson Incorporated (original owner and calls of current-day KALC; started on 105.9 FM) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 68976 |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| HAAT | 266 metres (873 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 39°43′58″N 105°14′08″W / 39.73278°N 105.23556°W |
| Translator(s) | 107.9 K300CP (Denver, relays KDHT-HD2) |
| Repeater(s) | 95.7 KDHT-HD2 (Denver) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | kbpi |
KBPI (107.9
KBPI's studios are located in
History
KBPI started at 105.9 MHz in Denver on June 21, 1965.[2] It had studios on the 20th floor of the Daniels & Fisher Tower in downtown Denver. The owner and general manager of the station was Bill Pierson, who named KBPI for "Bill Pierson Incorporated". The station featured a progressive rock format. Pierson sold the station in 1974.[3] The station continued its rock format under the new owner, Progressive Broadcasters, Incorporated.[4]
During the 1970s and 1980s, the station moved to an
During the 1970s, KBPI gained press for inviting people to bring their disco records to the station office for destruction, and this was frequently broadcast live over the air to the tune of Black Sabbath songs. This was commonplace among AOR stations who were riding the anti-Disco theme at the time. For four years, Steven B. and the Hawk ruled the Denver morning FM ratings, mixing rock music with their witty comments and routines. As they put it, "It really didn't matter what kind of music they played. Listeners tuned in to hear them."
Their comedic style was highlighted by a self-deprecating sense of humor, rather than "shock jock talk". The duo ridiculed the entertainment industry, regularly parodying movie and TV stars. One of their favorite routines was an ongoing spoof of
. They also did commercials featuring "Whamco" products and promotions.Don Hawkins died unexpectedly in November 1994, following a routine surgery. Steven B. Williams, who had become a nationally prominent voiceover artist for television stations and networks including Nick at Nite and moved to California, was found dead of a gunshot wound in May 2006 off Catalina Island,[5] and a business associate who embezzled the inheritance of Williams's father was convicted of his murder in 2011.[6]
On April 20, 1994, Chancellor Media moved KBPI to 106.7 FM, which had been the home of KAZY, its long-time rock competitor and a former sister station to
Move to 106.7
106.7 FM signed the air on June 19, 1962, as KLZ-FM.
Dean and Rog hosted the KBPI Morning Show from 1991 to 1996. They were known for features like "The Birthday Scam" and "Torture Tuesday", as well as other stunts. In 1996, the duo and two other station employees were charged with disorderly conduct for entering a mosque while playing "The Star-Spangled Banner" on a trumpet and trombone. This was in response to Nuggets player Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf's refusal to stand for the anthem before games.[9]
After more than twenty years with a mainstream
In 2007, the station was nominated for Radio & Records' Industry Achievement Award for best active rock station in a top 25 market.[11]
Move to 107.9
On July 27, 1975, 107.9 FM first signed on as KCOL-FM.[12] It was the sister station to KCOL (1410 AM). KCOL-FM aired a beautiful music format. In 1988, the station switched to a Top 40 format as KIMN, which were the call letters of a popular Top 40 station in Denver in past years. The station took the call letters KPAW in 1995, at first keeping its Top 40 format, then moving to classic hits around 2000, and later to classic rock.
In December 2017, iHeartMedia launched a
On December 11, KBPI's programming and call letters then moved to the 107.9 frequency vacated by KPAW and co-channel Denver translator K300CP, while sister station
K300CP history
The K300CP translator launched early as 2015 in as an FM translator of
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KBPI". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1966 page B-24
- ^ BPCColorado (October 25, 2013), Bill Pierson, archived from the original on December 22, 2021, retrieved March 28, 2016
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1975 page C-28
- ^ AP wire story (June 2, 2019). "Former Denver radio personality found shot to death". KUSA. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- ^ Roberts, Michael (November 10, 2011). "Harvey Morrow convicted of murdering legendary Denver DJ Steven B. Williams". Westword. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- ^ "Mills Moves" (PDF). R&R. April 1, 1994. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1963 page B-29
- ^ "Charges Are Filed In Mosque Incident". The New York Times. March 24, 1996. Retrieved May 7, 2010.
- ^ "Vox Jox". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 41. October 14, 1995. p. 79.
- ^ "2007 Industry Achievement Awards". Radio and Records. September 28, 2008. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008.
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1980 page C-35
- ^ "KBPI Moves To 107.9 As Three Station Trimulcast In Denver, Fort Collins & Colorado Springs". RadioInsight. December 11, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ "iHeartMedia Launches 106.7 The Bull Denver". RadioInsight. December 18, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
- ^ "iHeartMedia launches KBPI South". Radio Insight. January 29, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- ^ "KOA Adds FM Simulcast; Christmas Debuts On 107.9 Denver". RadioInsight. November 1, 2015.
- ^ "KBPI Moves To 107.9 As Three Station Trimulcast in Denver, Fort Collins & Colorado Springs". RadioInsight. December 11, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
External links
- KBPI in the FCC FM station database
- KBPI in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- FCC History Cards for KBPI