KRKS (AM)


KRKS is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Denver, Colorado. The station is owned and operated by Salem Communications and it airs a Christian talk and teaching radio format. Its studios and offices are located on South Vaughn Way in Aurora, with the AM transmitter located on East 56th Avenue in North Washington. KRKS is simulcast with co-owned 94.7 KRKS-FM. Together, they are known as "94.7 The Word."
KRKS is powered at 6,500 watts by day. But because AM 990 is a Canadian clear channel frequency, KRKS must reduce power at night to only 390 watts. During critical hours at sunrise and sunset, the station broadcasts at 4,200 watts.

Programming

Programming on KRKS-AM-FM includes "Insight for Living with Chuck Swindoll," "Grace to You with John Macarthur," "Pathway to Victory" with Robert Jeffress, "Focus on the Family with Jim Daly," "Truth for Life" with Alistair Begg, "In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley," and "Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef." Most shows are paid brokered programming with the hosts asking for donations to support their ministry.
KRKS airs updates from SRN News at the top and bottom of each hour.

History

On August 1, 1953, the station first signed on as KLIR. It was a 1,000 watt daytimer, required to be off the air at night. It was owned by George Basil Anderson during many of its early years. In 1959, Anderson put 100.3 KLIR-FM on the air.
In the 1970s, KLIR got a boost to 5,000 watts, but it still had to sign off at sunset. Also in the 70s, the station switched to its current religious format as KRKS, while KLIR-FM continued as a beautiful music station. In the 1980s, KRKS was granted authorization by the Federal Communications Commission to broadcast around the clock, but at the reduced nighttime power of 390 watts.
In 1993, Salem Communications paid $400,000 to acquire KRKS. Salem owns Christian radio stations in several dozen large and medium markets around the U.S. and continued KRKS's format. The following year, 94.7 FM was bought by Salem and paired up with AM 990, as KRKS-FM.