| Broadcast area | |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1120kHz |
| Programming | |
| Format | Catholic radio |
| Affiliations | EWTN Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Catholic Radio Network, Inc. |
| History | |
First air date | May 8, 1984; 40 years ago (1984-05-08)[1] |
Former call signs | KLIM (1984–2018) |
Call sign meaning | "Catholic Radio Network" |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 25185 |
| Class | D |
| Power | 50,000 watts (day) |
Transmitter coordinates | 39° 16' 28" N, 104° 09' 44" W |
| Translator(s) | 98.1 K251CV (Golden) 104.3 K282CH (Colorado Springs) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
KCRN (1120kHz) is anAMradio stationlicensed toLimon, Colorado, and serving East CentralColorado. The station is owned by Catholic Radio Network, Inc. It airs acatholic radioformat, mostly carrying talk and teaching programs from theEWTN Radio Network. Programming issimulcast onKRCN inLongmont, Colorado, serving theDenver metropolitan area.
By day, KCRN broadcasts at 50,000watts, the maximum power for most AM radio stations in the U.S.[3] The high power anddirectional antenna allow KCRN to be heard inDenver andColorado Springs. BecauseAM 1120 is aclear channel frequency reserved forClass AKMOX inSt. Louis, KCRN must leave the air at night when radio signals travel farther.
Thetransmitter is on Route 86 inSimla, about 25 miles west of Limon.[4] KCRN is also heard on 230-wattFM translator station K282CH at 104.3MHz inColorado Springs, Colorado.
The stationsigned on the air on May 4, 1984.[5] Because it was in Limon, Colorado, the owners chose thecall sign KLIM. It was owned by the Robad Broadcasting Company, airing acountry music format, with news fromAP Radio. For its first three decades, it was powered at just 250 watts, heard only in Limon and adjacent communities.
The station had financial problems in the 1990s. Roger L. Hoppe II was named the receiver in 1996, buying KLIM for only $8,000. In the early 2000s, the station wasdark for some time.[6]
On April 13, 2016, KLIM was granted aFederal Communications Commissionconstruction permit to move to a new transmitter site, increase the daytime power to 50,000 watts and addcritical hours service with 3,000 watts. The day and critical hours transmitter sites would be different.[7] On March 10, 2017, an application was filed to modify the construction permit. The 50 kW transmitter site was changed and there would be no critical hours service.
The application was accepted for filing on March 24, 2017.[8][9][10]
KLIM was acquired by the Catholic Radio Network in 2018, changing the call sign to KCRN to match the organization's initials. The new 50,000-watt transmitter went on the air, with anFM translator at 104.3 inColorado Springs, giving KCRN coverage in the growingradio market. In 2025, a translator on 98.1 in Golden, switched its programming over to carry KCRN, giving the station an FM signal in Denver. Both translators are allowed to operate 24 hours a day, while the AM must sign off at sunset.