KOA (AM)
Encyclopedia
KOA is a clear channel, news/talk
radio station
serving the Denver
-Boulder
and Colorado Springs, Colorado
markets. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications
and is nicknamed "the Blowtorch of the West" for its 50,000 watt signal.
KOA was originally owned by General Electric and began broadcasting in 1924. They started with 5,000 watts, and in 1927, increased to 12,500 watts. In the early 1930s, power was raised to the current level of 50,000 watts.
Today, the antenna is located about 30 miles (50 km) southeast of the city of Denver. It is a 5/8 wave, 660 foot (198 m) guyed tower. At night the signal can be heard in over 30 states of the U.S. and over most of Canada and Mexico. KOA sometimes can be picked up in California
, which is west of the Rocky Mountains
, an obstacle that prevents most east coast radio stations from traveling west of the Rockies
. KOA is frequently heard in northern Europe, Australia and Japan, and is one of the most frequently reported stations world wide.
KOA has a news/talk format. It is also the flagship station of the Denver Broncos
football team, the Colorado Rockies
baseball team, and the University of Colorado
Buffaloes.
columnist Mike Rosen
is the long running host of the 9 to Noon show. Mike is a fiscal conservative/social libertarian who occasionally has been substitute host for Rush Limbaugh
. The Colorado governor and Denver mayor are regularly scheduled guests on his show. Common Rosen-isms are "tell me where you sit before you tell me where you stand" and "a politician asks what you want, an economist asks what you want more." Rosen's philosophy is reflected in his recommended reading list which includes Ayn Rand
, Adam Smith
, Paul Johnson and Thomas Sowell
.
Other well-known local hosts heard on KOA include Dave Logan, Steffan Tubbs, April Zesbaugh, Lois Melkonian, Michael D. Brown
, Jon Caldara and Rick Barber. KOA is unique in that it is one of the few news/talk radio stations that broadcasts primiarly live, local programming around the clock. The notable exception is the Rush Limbaugh Program, which is heard on from Noon to 3 p.m. (on a delayed-basis) on KOA.
Both of the morning and afternoon programs feature constant updates of traffic
conditions in the Denver area, broadcast from a helicopter
it shares with NBC Station KUSA-TV
.
Also, Alan Roach
, stadium announcer for the Denver Broncos
, Colorado Rockies
and Colorado Avalanche
, is featured in the morning program as the sports anchor. He, in conjunction with Adele Arakawa from KUSA-TV
(news at 5,6,& 10) are the voices for the trains at Denver International Airport
(DIA). Roach is recognized as being the identification voice for many radio stations nationwide, and also served as the stadium announcer for the 2011 Super Bowl.
Weekend programming on KOA includes local shows hosted by Lou Pate, Joe Pagliarulo, Fred Ebert and a rotating group of guests hosts. KOA also broadcasts a handful of syndicated weekend shows, including The Mutual Fund Show with Adam Bold
, Brian Kilmeade
and Friends and Bill Cunningham
.
broadcast his talk show
from the station, but was shot and killed by members of the white supremacist group The Order
on June 18, 1984. Another host from an earlier era was Leigh Kamman
, who hosted jazz
programs during World War II
. Kamman has long since returned to his home state of Minnesota
. "The Sports Zoo" with Dave Logan
and Scott Hastings
ran for 12 years until Hastings left in April 2005 for the Altitude Sports and Entertainment
network. Hastings resumed sports radio broadcasting on KKFN
in January 2006 alongside former Denver Broncos
lineman Alfred Williams
.
Ken Hamblin
, "The Black Avenger," also hosted a popular and long-running show during the 1980s.
Also in the 1980s, during the weekend evening hours on KOA 85 AM, Larry Cox, and his dog Wilbur, would host the radio program, "The National Recovery Act", a listener-friendly call-in show. A certain topic may be announced and people from all over the nation, picking up the KOA signal at night, would call in with their memories. Big-band music from the 1930s & 40's was also played. The program would always end with the song "And So To Bed". In December 1987, Larry Cox began a new radio program, "No Place Like Home", broadcast from Larry's home on Chicago Creek. You would often hear the fireplace crackling and his dog, Wilbur, snoring.
Other former hosts include Tom Martino
, Rollye James
and George Weber.
for public service awarded by the National Association of Broadcasters
. Winners were honored at the Radio Luncheon on April 17, 2007, during the NAB Show in Las Vegas
. The station was named Large Market Station of the Year at the 2008 National Association of Broadcasters' Marconi Radio Awards.
station. KYGO-FM
is the secondary (LP-2) station.
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
serving the Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
-Boulder
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
and Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
markets. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
and is nicknamed "the Blowtorch of the West" for its 50,000 watt signal.
KOA was originally owned by General Electric and began broadcasting in 1924. They started with 5,000 watts, and in 1927, increased to 12,500 watts. In the early 1930s, power was raised to the current level of 50,000 watts.
Today, the antenna is located about 30 miles (50 km) southeast of the city of Denver. It is a 5/8 wave, 660 foot (198 m) guyed tower. At night the signal can be heard in over 30 states of the U.S. and over most of Canada and Mexico. KOA sometimes can be picked up in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, which is west of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
, an obstacle that prevents most east coast radio stations from traveling west of the Rockies
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
. KOA is frequently heard in northern Europe, Australia and Japan, and is one of the most frequently reported stations world wide.
KOA has a news/talk format. It is also the flagship station of the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
football team, the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
baseball team, and the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
Buffaloes.
Current shows
Former Rocky Mountain NewsRocky Mountain News
The Rocky Mountain News was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United States from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. As of March 2006, the Monday-Friday circulation was 255,427...
columnist Mike Rosen
Mike Rosen
Michael "Mike" Rosen is an American radio personality and political commentator. He is the host of The Mike Rosen Show on talk radio station 850 KOA in Denver, Colorado, as well as a weekly opinion columnist for The Denver Post and previously a weekly opinion columnist for the Rocky Mountain News...
is the long running host of the 9 to Noon show. Mike is a fiscal conservative/social libertarian who occasionally has been substitute host for Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
. The Colorado governor and Denver mayor are regularly scheduled guests on his show. Common Rosen-isms are "tell me where you sit before you tell me where you stand" and "a politician asks what you want, an economist asks what you want more." Rosen's philosophy is reflected in his recommended reading list which includes Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter. She is known for her two best-selling novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged and for developing a philosophical system she called Objectivism....
, Adam Smith
Adam Smith
Adam Smith was a Scottish social philosopher and a pioneer of political economy. One of the key figures of the Scottish Enlightenment, Smith is the author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments and An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations...
, Paul Johnson and Thomas Sowell
Thomas Sowell
Thomas Sowell is an American economist, social theorist, political philosopher, and author. A National Humanities Medal winner, he advocates laissez-faire economics and writes from a libertarian perspective...
.
Other well-known local hosts heard on KOA include Dave Logan, Steffan Tubbs, April Zesbaugh, Lois Melkonian, Michael D. Brown
Michael D. Brown
Michael DeWayne Brown was the first Undersecretary of Emergency Preparedness and Response , a division of the Department of Homeland Security . This position is generally referred to as the director or administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency . He was appointed in January 2003 by...
, Jon Caldara and Rick Barber. KOA is unique in that it is one of the few news/talk radio stations that broadcasts primiarly live, local programming around the clock. The notable exception is the Rush Limbaugh Program, which is heard on from Noon to 3 p.m. (on a delayed-basis) on KOA.
Both of the morning and afternoon programs feature constant updates of traffic
Traffic
Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...
conditions in the Denver area, broadcast from a helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
it shares with NBC Station KUSA-TV
KUSA-TV
KUSA, channel 9, is an NBC-affiliated television station in Denver, Colorado. KUSA is owned by the Gannett Company, and is a sister station to MyNetworkTV affiliate KTVD...
.
Also, Alan Roach
Alan Roach
Alan Roach is an American sports announcer and radio personality. He currently broadcasts as a sports commentator on KOA in Denver, Colorado.Roach has been a sports announcer since 1990. While working for a radio station in Colorado Springs, he told a Sky Sox official that if they ever needed a...
, stadium announcer for the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
and Colorado Avalanche
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise...
, is featured in the morning program as the sports anchor. He, in conjunction with Adele Arakawa from KUSA-TV
KUSA-TV
KUSA, channel 9, is an NBC-affiliated television station in Denver, Colorado. KUSA is owned by the Gannett Company, and is a sister station to MyNetworkTV affiliate KTVD...
(news at 5,6,& 10) are the voices for the trains at Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport , often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado. By land size, at , it is the largest international airport in the United States, and the third largest international airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport and Montréal-Mirabel...
(DIA). Roach is recognized as being the identification voice for many radio stations nationwide, and also served as the stadium announcer for the 2011 Super Bowl.
Weekend programming on KOA includes local shows hosted by Lou Pate, Joe Pagliarulo, Fred Ebert and a rotating group of guests hosts. KOA also broadcasts a handful of syndicated weekend shows, including The Mutual Fund Show with Adam Bold
Adam Bold
Adam Bold is an American author and businessman. He is the founder and minority shareholder of The Mutual Fund Store, and host of The Mutual Fund Show, a national weekly talk radio show focused on actively managed mutual fund investments...
, Brian Kilmeade
Brian Kilmeade
Brian Kilmeade a Fox News Channel television personality. Weekdays, he co-hosts Fox's morning show, Fox & Friends, along with Steve Doocy and Gretchen Carlson. Kilmeade also co-hosts Brian and the Judge, a talk-news radio show on Fox News Radio, with Judge Andrew P. Napolitano...
and Friends and Bill Cunningham
Bill Cunningham
Bill Cunningham is an American talk radio host. His full-time job is hosting The Big Show with Bill Cunningham, a local show on 700 WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cunningham now hosts Live on Sunday Night, it's Bill Cunningham, which is syndicated to over 300 stations by Premiere Radio Networks. He is...
.
Past shows
Radio host Alan BergAlan Berg
Alan Berg was a Jewish American attorney and Denver, Colorado talk radio show host. Berg was notable for his largely liberal, outspoken viewpoints and confrontational interview style....
broadcast his talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
from the station, but was shot and killed by members of the white supremacist group The Order
The Order (group)
The Order, also known as the Brüder Schweigen or Silent Brotherhood, was an organization active in the United States between 1983 and 1984...
on June 18, 1984. Another host from an earlier era was Leigh Kamman
Leigh Kamman
Leigh Kamman is an American radio host who has focused bringing jazz music to the airwaves for his career, which spans more than six decades. Kamman began his career in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, but spent time in other places such as at WOV radio in New York City...
, who hosted jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
programs during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Kamman has long since returned to his home state of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. "The Sports Zoo" with Dave Logan
Dave Logan (American football)
David Russell Logan is a former American football player. Logan played in nine National Football League seasons from 1976 to 1984, primarily for the Cleveland Browns...
and Scott Hastings
Scott Hastings (basketball)
Scott Alan Hastings is a retired American player in the National Basketball Association. His career spanned from 1982–1993 and he played forward/center for the New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons and Denver Nuggets.- College :Hastings played collegiate ball at the...
ran for 12 years until Hastings left in April 2005 for the Altitude Sports and Entertainment
Altitude Sports and Entertainment
Altitude Sports and Entertainment is a regional sports network that serves the Rocky Mountain region, specifically Denver. It officially launched on Sept...
network. Hastings resumed sports radio broadcasting on KKFN
KRWZ
KRWZ is a radio station licensed to Denver, Colorado, USA, the station serves the Denver area. It carries an oldies format. The station is currently owned by Lincoln Financial Media Company of Colorado....
in January 2006 alongside former Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
lineman Alfred Williams
Alfred Williams
Alfred Williams is a former American football player. He was a linebacker and defensive end for the Cincinnati Bengals, San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos. He finished his career with the New Orleans Saints.-College:...
.
Ken Hamblin
Ken Hamblin
Ken Loronzo Hamblin II , the self-titled Black Avenger, was host of the Ken Hamblin Show, which was syndicated nationally on Entertainment Radio Networks....
, "The Black Avenger," also hosted a popular and long-running show during the 1980s.
Also in the 1980s, during the weekend evening hours on KOA 85 AM, Larry Cox, and his dog Wilbur, would host the radio program, "The National Recovery Act", a listener-friendly call-in show. A certain topic may be announced and people from all over the nation, picking up the KOA signal at night, would call in with their memories. Big-band music from the 1930s & 40's was also played. The program would always end with the song "And So To Bed". In December 1987, Larry Cox began a new radio program, "No Place Like Home", broadcast from Larry's home on Chicago Creek. You would often hear the fireplace crackling and his dog, Wilbur, snoring.
Other former hosts include Tom Martino
Tom Martino
Tom Martino is a consumer advocate and American talk radio host. His nationally syndicated show "The Troubleshooter Show" airs from KHOW, based in Denver, Colorado. His show format focuses on callers who give him specific complaints about businesses, however he also provides business advice to...
, Rollye James
Rollye James
Rollye James is an American radio talk show host. She hosted The Rollye James Show nationally and on international shortwave on WWCR from 2000 to 2011...
and George Weber.
Awards
The station was one of 10 stations honored at the 2007 NAB Crystal Radio AwardsNAB Crystal Radio Awards
The NAB Crystal Radio Awards are presented annually by the National Association of Broadcasters to American radio stations. The award was established in 1987 to recognize radio stations for year-round commitment to community service....
for public service awarded by the National Association of Broadcasters
National Association of Broadcasters
The National Association of Broadcasters is a trade association, workers union, and lobby group representing the interests of for-profit, over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States...
. Winners were honored at the Radio Luncheon on April 17, 2007, during the NAB Show in Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
. The station was named Large Market Station of the Year at the 2008 National Association of Broadcasters' Marconi Radio Awards.
Emergency Alert System
KOA is Colorado's primary (LP-1) Emergency Alert SystemEmergency Alert System
The Emergency Alert System is a national warning system in the United States put into place on January 1, 1997, when it superseded the Emergency Broadcast System , which itself had superseded the CONELRAD System...
station. KYGO-FM
KYGO
KYGO-FM is a Country music radio station in Denver, Colorado. The Lincoln Financial Media outlet operates at 98.5 MHz with an effective radiated power of 100 kW.KYGO-FM is Colorado's secondary Emergency Alert System station...
is the secondary (LP-2) station.
External links
- 850 KOA News Talk Radio
- Listen live
- The Rocky Mountain News
- State of Colorado Emergency Alert System