KDFD

KDFD (760 AM, "Freedom 93.7") is a radio station licensed to Thornton, Colorado. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts a conservative talk format. Its studios are located in Southeast Denver, while the transmitter site is off Colorado Boulevard (County Road 13) in Brighton.[1]

KDFD
CityThornton, Colorado
Broadcast areaDenver-Boulder-Longmont, Colorado
Frequency760 kHz
BrandingFreedom 93.7
SloganReal News. Real Talk.
Programming
FormatConservative talk
Ownership
OwneriHeartMedia
(Citicasters Licenses, Inc.)
Sister stationsKBCO, KHOW, KBPI, KPTT, KOA, KRFX, KTCL
History
First air dateJune 15, 1987 (as KJIM)
Former call signsKJIM (1987-1990)
KRZN (1990-1993)
KTLK (1993-2002)
KKZN (2002-2015)
KDSP (2015-2019)
Call sign meaningK Denver FreeDom
Technical information
Facility ID29740
ClassB
Power50,000 watts day
1,000 watts night
Transmitter coordinates40°0′33″N 104°56′21″W
Translator(s)93.7 K229BS (Lakewood)
Repeater(s)103.5-2 KRFX-HD2
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitefreedom937.iheart.com/

KDFD operates with 50,000 watts, the maximum power permitted by the Federal Communications Commission, but reduces its nighttime power to 1,000 watts and uses a directional antenna to protect the dominant Class A station on 760 AM, WJR in Detroit (Clear-channel stations are protected within a 750-mile / 1200-km radius of the transmitter site). The station is also simulcast on 93.7 FM via the translator K229BS in Lakewood, from which the station derives its current branding.

History

Early history

The station went on the air as KJIM on June 15, 1987, with power of 5 kilowatts during daytime hours and reduced power of 1 kilowatt nighttime. On January 2, 1990, the station changed its call sign to KRZN, and on December 13, 1993 to KTLK. On January 7, 2002, the station's call sign was changed to KKZN.[2]

The station initially began broadcasting with an all-Christian all-talk format. It was owned by Sudbrink Broadcasting. The station hosted satellite radio and Christian news/talk. The station also played Contemporary Christian Music with a Top 40/Album Oriented Rock hybrid style. Though the studio was new and built out for talk, very little took place there. In November 1987, Jann Scott of Boulder started broadcasting Addiction Free Radio on weekends. In the Spring of 1988, Scott became English talk program director. Scott launched Jann Scott Live, Race Day Radio Magazine and gave people such as Claudia Lamb and Bill Hammel their start in radio. The station programmed Mexican music in the Mornings and evenings up until 1990. Jann Scott is one of the few hosts on the station to win 2 Westword's Best Talk show Host awards: 1988 for Addiction Free Radio and 1989 for Race Day Radio Magazine. He also won Rocky Mountain News Top 10 Ten Colorado Broadcaster award.

In the 1990s, the station moved to Music and then, in 2002, to all-sports as "760 The Zone," from which the KKZN call sign is derived. After that, the station switched to progressive talk as the Denver affiliate of the Air America radio network in August 2004.

AM 760: Colorado's Progressive Talk

During its previous progressive talk format, the most popular local talk host on KKZN was David Sirota, also a newspaper columnist. In March 2009, Sirota took over the morning time slot of The Jay Marvin Show, hosted by local talk show host Jay Marvin, when Marvin was forced off the air due to ill health. Sirota moved to Clear Channel Communications sister station KHOW in 2012, co-hosting an afternoon show with Michael Brown until Sirota's departure in January 2013.[3]

Besides broadcasting progressive talk shows, KKZN also ran what it called a Blue List. This list included companies that supported progressive causes and interests. The station also sponsored progressive events throughout the Colorado Front Range, such as events for the ACLU and other progressive organizations.

On January 21, 2010, Air America filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, and ceased live programming the same night. Reruns of Air America's programming continued to air until Monday January 25, 2010 at 7 pm Mountain Time.

Real Talk 760

On May 7, 2014, Denver Post television critic Joan Ostrow reported that Gloria Neal, who anchors the 6 pm newscast on KCNC-TV along with hosting KKZN's morning show, had been released from her contract, and mentioned on Facebook that the entire staff had been let go, suggesting an oncoming format change.[4][5]

On May 19, 2014, KKZN shifted their format to lifestyle/advice talk, branded as "Real Talk 760" with all syndicated personalities, including Dave Ramsey, Jim Bohannon, Clark Howard, Dr. Joy Browne, and Tom Martino, along with a late night radio replay of TMZ Live. Weekends, besides Leo Laporte's The Tech Guy, consisted of brokered programming.

As a sports station

On December 10, 2015, KKZN changed its call letters to KDSP, and flipped to sports talk as Denver Sports 760 on January 4, 2016, affiliating with Fox Sports Radio. (KEPN and KKFN were the Fox Sports outlets in Denver but they became the local ESPN Radio network affiliates on the same day.)[6][7][8]

On July 27, 2017, KDSP rebranded as Orange and Blue 760, narrowing its content to focus almost-exclusively on the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (whose games are carried by sister station KOA). It carried shows discussing the team, and live coverage of all team press conferences. Former Broncos player Tyler Polumbus also joined the station as a new morning co-host.[9] In addition, KDSP also carried coverage of University of Colorado college basketball, and NBC Sports Radio programming.

Freedom 93.7

On June 25, 2019, KDSP changed its call letters to KDFD. On July 8, 2019, KDFD began stunting with songs themed on patriotism or containing the word "Freedom", interspersed with promos stating that "Freedom" was "coming soon". It also began simulcasting on the FM translator 93.7 K229BS in Lakewood, Colorado (which was bought from KCKK owners Hunt Broadcasting for $1.8 million).[10][11]

On July 15, 2019, the station launched a new conservative talk format branded as Freedom 93.7. The station's lineup consists entirely of syndicated personalities; Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity were being moved from sister station KHOW, and Rush Limbaugh was being moved from KOA. As a transition period, KHOW and KOA continued to air these three programs, but they would eventually be replaced by local programming and air exclusively on KDFD in the future.[12] It was reported that iHeartMedia's hiring of former Broncos player and KKFN host Alfred Williams to host a new show on KOA (which officially premiered September 3)[13] was a main impetus for the flip.[14][15][16]

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References
  1. Radio.Locator.com/KDSP
  2. "KDFD Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. Ferner, Matt (January 7, 2013). "Popular Progressive Denver Talk Radio Host Leaves The Airwaves". Huffington Post.
  4. Ostrow, Joanne (6 May 2014). "Gloria Neal out at AM 760, amid format change". Denver Post. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
  5. http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/88602/kkzn-denver-to-drop-liberal-talk/ KKZN Denver to Drop Liberal Talk
  6. "Denver Gets A New Sports Station On January 4 On KDSP" from All Access (December 21, 2015)
  7. "ESPN to affiliate with 104.3 The Fan on 1600 AM; KUNC buys 105.5 FM" from The Denver Post (December 7, 2015)
  8. https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/95604/denver-sports-760-to-launch-january-4/
  9. "KDSP Denver Becomes All-Broncos Orange & Blue Radio". RadioInsight. 2017-07-27. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  10. "93.7 The Rock And Orange & Blue 760 Denver Stunting Their Way To Freedom". RadioInsight. 2019-07-08. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  11. "KDSP/Denver Drops Sports For News-Talk As KDFD, 'Freedom 93.7'". All Access. Retrieved 2019-07-08.
  12. "iHeart Launches Freedom 93.7 Denver". RadioInsight. 2019-07-15. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  13. "KOA Completes Schedule Revamp With Long Awaited Addition Of Alfred Williams". RadioInsight. 2019-08-28. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
  14. Roberts, Michael (2019-07-09). "Broncos Radio to Be Replaced by Rush Limbaugh, "Freedom" Talk". Westword. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  15. "Orange and Blue radio gives way to expanded Broncos coverage on KOA". KUSA. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
  16. "Big Al leaves The Fan, headed for KOA". KUSA. Retrieved 2019-07-15.
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