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| Broadcast area | Denver metro area |
| Frequency | 98.5MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 98-5 KYGO |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Country music |
| Subchannels | HD2:Classic country |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | December 1, 1953; 72 years ago (1953-12-01) |
Former call signs |
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| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 30829 |
| Class | C |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| HAAT | 555 meters (1,821 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 39°40′34″N105°29′10″W / 39.676°N 105.486°W /39.676; -105.486 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live Listen live (via Audacy) Listen live (HD2) |
| Website | www |
KYGO-FM (98.5MHz) is acommercial radio station inDenver, Colorado, United States. TheBonneville Internationalcountry music station has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts. Its studios are located inGreenwood Village, and itstransmitter is on Mestaa'ehehe Mountain nearMorrison.
KYGO-FM is Colorado's secondary (LP-2)Emergency Alert System station.AM 850KOA is the primary (LP-1) station.
The radio station broadcasts in theHD Radio format.[3] The HD2 subchannel broadcastsclassic country music as "KYGO Legendary Country." The HD3 subchannel formerlysimulcasted theContemporary Christian format heard onKTLF inColorado Springs. The HD3 subchannel has since been turned off.
The stationsigned on the air on December 1, 1953, as KFML-FM.[4] It was owned by Everett A. Bancker, Jr. and was the FM counterpart to KFML (1390 AM, nowKGNU). Because the AM station was adaytimer, listeners could continue to hear its programming after sunset on KFML-FM.
Following the sale of the station toJefferson-Pilot Broadcasting in 1974, the station took the KIMN-FMcall sign. (The callsignKIMN currently resides at 100.3 FM in Denver, though that station is owned byKroenke Sports & Entertainment.)
At first, KIMN-FM aired a softeralbum rock format while KIMN (950 AM, nowKKSE) aired aTop 40 format. KIMN-FM later started playing Top 40 music, similar to its AMsister station. In the 1970s, there were a couple of country & western AM stations in Denver, though the music was not heard on FM, even though country was making inroads on FM stations in other cities.
On July 7, 1980, 98.5 switched its call letters to KYGO; later that year, the station changed formats from contemporary hits to country music.[5] Bob Call, previously with country-formattedWSOC-FM inCharlotte, North Carolina, supervised the change. When he started at WSOC-FM, he said he knew little about country music, but learned fast. In 2006, as part ofLincoln Financial Media's acquisition of Jefferson-Pilot (including the J-P media properties), KYGO became a Lincoln Financial Media station.
On April 26, 1988, the station slightly changed its call letters to KYGO-FM. At the same time, AM 950 switched its call sign to KYGO, and began airing aclassic country format, to be a companion to FM 98.5's more contemporary country direction.
In 2007, KYGO-FM was named "Country Music Station of the Year" in a top 25 market byRadio & Records magazine. Other nominees includedWUSN Chicago,WYCD Detroit,KEEY-FMMinneapolis,WXTUPhiladelphia, andKSON-FMSan Diego.[6]
On December 8, 2014,Entercom announced it would purchaseLincoln Financial Group's entire 15-station lineup (including KYGO) in a $106.5 million deal. It operated the outlets under alocal marketing agreement (LMA). On December 22, 2014, Entercom confirmed it would retain KYGO and its country format.[7] The FCC approved the deal on June 26, 2015.[8]
However, on July 14, 2015, theDepartment of Justice ruled that Entercom was over ownership and total market revenue limits in the Denver market; as a result, Entercom decided to spin off KYGO,KOSI,KKFN andKEPN toBonneville International in exchange for Bonneville's Los Angeles station KSWD (nowKKLQ). Both Bonneville and Entercom began operating their new clusters via Time Brokerage Agreements on July 17, 2015. The transaction was consummated on November 24, 2015.[9]
KYGO hired David Mueller as a DJ in January 2013.[10] Mueller co-hosted theRyno and Jackson morning show.[11] On June 2, 2013, Mueller attended a meet-and-greet event before aTaylor Swift concert at thePepsi Center. While having her photograph taken with Mueller, Swift alleged that he reached under her skirt and groped her. Though Mueller denied touching Swift inappropriately, KYGO-FM general manager Robert Call fired him on June 4. Mueller sued Swift in September 2015 for loss of income, alleging that her allegation had led to his wrongful termination.[12] Swift sued Mueller the next month. A civil trial began August 7, 2017.[10] A jury found Mueller liable for assault andbattery and awarded Swift one dollar, the amount she had sought.[13]