KXKL-FM is a classic hits station serving the Denver-Boulder area. This station is licensed to Denver, Colorado and broadcasts at 105.1 MHz with an ERP of 100 kW and is under ownership of Stan Kroenke's KSE Radio Ventures. Its studios are located on Colorado Boulevard in Glendale, and the transmitter is located near Mount Lindo west of Littleton.
History
The station began broadcasting in 1956 with the call letters KTGM with a MOR/Beautiful Music format, under the ownership of Good MusicAssociates. The station was acquired by Sound Corporation of Colorado in 1968, and changed call letters to KADX that same year. As KADX, the station had a MOR format that continued until it was sold to Columbine Broadcasting in 1973, who then flipped it to Jazz that same year. By 1978, it was sold again to Welcome Radio, but kept the Jazz format intact. By 1981, Great Empire Broadcasting added KADX to its portfolio, but would flip the station to Country in 1982 and take the call letters KBRQ, simulcasting its AM sister at 1280. During its tenure and through its numerous ownerships, the station, formats, signal, and its ratings, went unnoticed. On July 3, 1987, KBRQ would switch formats to Oldies and changed call letters to KXKL under the ownership of Shamrock Communications. The format was also simulcast for the next 9 years on 1280 AM. After several ownership changes during the 1990s and 2000s, including Chancellor Media, AM/FM, and Infinity/CBS Radio, Wilks Broadcasting acquired the station in 2008, along with sister stationsKIMN and KWOF. KXKL continues the Classic Hits format today, playing music from the 1970s, 1980s, and the 1990s. The radio station organizes the annual KOOL Concert, featuring live performances from artists from the genre. On October 12, 2015, Kroenke Sports Enterprises, owned by Altitude Sports and Entertainment founder Stan Kroenke, announced they would acquire Wilks Broadcasting's Denver properties, including KXKL-FM, Country KWOF, and Hot AC KIMN. Once the sale was approved by the FCC, KSE was expected to flip one of the three outlets to Sports, which could see the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, and Colorado Rapids moving from its current home in Denver, which is KKFN. The transaction was consummated on December 31, 2015, at a purchase price of $54 million. However, KXKL retained its Classic Hits format as KWOF made the flip to Sports on September 17, 2018.
