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KKCL (AM)

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KKCL
Broadcast areaDenver, Colorado
Boulder, Colorado
Frequency1550 kHz
Branding96.9 The Cloud
Programming
FormatModern AC
Ownership
OwnerMarconi Wireless of Colorado, LLC
History
First air date
2011 (as KGCQ)
Former call signs
KGCQ (2011-2012)
KDCO (2012-2015)
KBUD (2015-2016)
Technical information
Facility ID161314
ClassB
Power990 watts daytime
350 watts nighttime
Transmitter coordinates
39°53′31″N 105°14′20″W / 39.89194°N 105.23889°W / 39.89194; -105.23889
Translator(s)96.9 K245AD (Aurora)
Links
Websitethecloud.fm

KKCL (1550 AM) is an American broadcast radio station licensed in Golden, Colorado, and serving the Denver/Boulder/Fort Collins area.

Previously the sports radio station Mile High Sports, the station was bought by multi-millionaire Marc Paskin in 2015 and converted to a cannabis culture-themed classic rock station known as Smokin' 94.1, named for its FM translator station K231BQ. The format was short-lived; iHeartMedia acquired the K231BQ signal in October 2015, converting it to a simulcast of KOA. The AM signal was then sold to Marconi Wireless of Colorado, who converted the station to a modern adult contemporary format.

KKCL has been granted an FCC construction permit to increase day power to 5,000 watts.[1]

History

Until June 1, 2015, the station served as the home for Mile High Sports, a multimedia sports-marketing and publishing company based in Denver via a partnership with Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, serving as the radio flagship for the Denver Nuggets basketball team, Colorado Avalanche hockey team, Colorado Mammoth, and Colorado Rapids.[2] The station also broadcast the football and basketball programs at the Air Force Academy and syndicated National Football League games through the Sports USA Radio Network.

The station was also partnered with KCKK, which was the flagship of Mile High Sports until it flipped to Adult Hits in March 2014.[3] Since then, it has partnered with Lincoln Financial Media outlets KKFN for sharing Nuggets and Avalanche games, while leasing out KQKS' HD2 sub-channel to cover the Denver-Boulder area that its FM translator can not reach.

On November 4, 2014, Advance Modulation sold then-KDCO/K231BQ to 4K's LLLP for $550,000, pending FCC approval.[4] The sale closed on February 5, 2015. On May 22, 2015, KDCO/K231BQ temporarily went off the air after they were sold to Marco Broadcasting, owned by Marc Paskin, who acquired the station in March 2015 from 4K.[5][6] The purchase by Marco Broadcasting closed on May 20, 2015 at a price of $875,000.

As Smokin 94.1

On June 1, 2015, the station, now known as KBUD, flipped to a marijuana-themed classic rock format, branded as Smokin 94.1. The format was aimed at the region's cannabis culture; Paskin himself served as the drive-time host under the alias "Gary Ganja" (and performed a news update at 4:20 p.m as "O.G. Kush"), and call-in segments involved cannabis-oriented topics. The station picked up Bubba the Love Sponge as its morning show (owing to its namesake's support of marijuana legalization), and played clips from stoner films as well as comedy sketches recorded by Paskin. Paskin explained that the format was meant to be a throwback to the "old days of radio", stating that "radio has become boring, it's corporate-controlled, every station sounds alike. If you tell a weird joke, they'll fire you." The station did not carry advertising, primarily due to potential legal issues involving the advertising of cannabis and related products, as cannabis is illegal under federal law.[5][7][8]

On October 23, 2015, the K231BQ translator was sold to iHeartMedia, who converted it to an FM simulcast of KOA on November 1, 2015.[9] A KBUD personality explained that the sale was related to health problems being faced by Paskin.[10][11]

As The Cloud

In November 2015, KBUD itself was sold to Marconi Wireless of Colorado; a member of this ownership group had announced plans to launch a new station in the region known as "The Cloud".[12]

The station changed its call sign to KKCL on January 13, 2016. The sale to Marconi Wireless was consummated on February 17, 2016 at a price of $125,000. On February 29, 2016, KKCL returned to the air with a modern AC format, branded as "The Cloud".[13]

References

  1. ^ "FCC Construction Permit". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  2. ^ Mile High Sports Denver Relocates from Radio Insight (November 7, 2014)
  3. ^ The Rock Lands in Denver from Radio Insight (March 13, 2014)
  4. ^ "Station Sales The Week Of November 7" from Radio Insight (November 7, 2014)
  5. ^ a b "In Denver, a La Jolla millionaire's marijuana radio station puts fresh spin on rock and 'roll'". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  6. ^ "Mile High Sports Temporarily Off In Denver" from Radio Insight (May 22, 2015)
  7. ^ "Denver marijuana radio station debuts as Smokin 94.1 FM". Ostrow Off the Record (Denver Post). Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  8. ^ "Marijuana Is in the Air and on It, Too". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  9. ^ "KOA is now simulcasting, taking over 94.1FM". The Denver Post. November 1, 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  10. ^ "iHeart Acquires Smokin 94.1 Denver". Radio Insight. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  11. ^ "Denver's KBUD Goes Up In Smoke". Inside Radio. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  12. ^ "Station Sales Week Of 11/13: A New Cloud To Rise Over Boulder". Radio Insight. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  13. ^ https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/105991/cloud-launches-in-boulder/
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