KDFD
| Broadcast area | Denver-Boulder-Longmont and Northern Colorado |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 760 kHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Real Talk 760 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Talk |
| Affiliations | Westwood One Premiere Radio Networks CBS Radio Network |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KBCO, KHOW, KBPI, KPTT, KOA, KRFX, KTCL | |
| History | |
First air date | June 15, 1987 (as KJIM) |
Former call signs | KJIM (1987-1990) KRZN (1990-1993) KTLK (1993-2002) |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 29740 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 50,000 watts day 1,000 watts night |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°0′33″N 104°56′21″W / 40.00917°N 104.93917°W |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | realtalk760.com |
KKZN (760 AM) is a talk radio station licensed to Thornton, Colorado that serves the Denver-Boulder, Colorado market. Known as "Denver's Real Life, Real Solutions", the station carries a number of shows from Westwood One, Premiere Radio Networks, and CBS Radio Networks. National talk hosts carried on KKZN include Clark Howard, Dr. Joy Browne and Jim Bohannon. Owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., the station has studios in Southeast Denver, while the transmitter site is north of Thornton.
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.[1]
Besides broadcasting progressive talk shows, KKZN also ran what it called a Blue List. This list included companies that support 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.
The station is also the primary radio play-by-play outlet for basketball games of the men's and women's teams of the University of Colorado. These games are sometimes switched to other iHeartMedia stations in the Denver area owing to schedule conflicts.
History
The station went on the air as KJIM on June 15, 1987. On January 2, 1990, the station changed its call sign to KRZN, on December 13, 1993 to KTLK. On January 7, 2002 the station's call sign was changed to the current KKZN.[2]
Before adopting the progressive talk format August 2004, the station was all Christian all talk. It was owned by Woody Sudbrink from Florida. The station hosted all satellite radio and Christian news. 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 programming director from noon til 7:00 pm. 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 to sports all-sports "760 The Zone," from which the station's current call sign is derived. After that, the station switched to progressive talk as the Denver affiliate of the Air America radio network.
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 7PM Mountain Time. KKZN reduces nighttime power to protect the signals of the dominant stations on 760 AM. WJR in Detroit, Michigan is the only Class A clear-channel station broadcasting on 760 AM. Class A stations are protected within a 750-mile radius of the transmitter site.
On May 7, 2014, Denver Post television critic Joan Ostrow reported that Gloria Neal, who anchors the 6pm 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.[3][4]
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, are made up of brokered programming.
References
- ^ Ferner, Matt (January 7, 2013). "Popular Progressive Denver Talk Radio Host Leaves The Airwaves". Huffington Post.
- ^ "KKZN Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- ^ Ostrow, Joanne (6 May 2014). "Gloria Neal out at AM 760, amid format change". Denver Post. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
- ^ http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/88602/kkzn-denver-to-drop-liberal-talk/ KKZN Denver to Drop Liberal Talk
External links
- Official KKZN Website
- Facility details for Facility ID KKZN ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's AM station database