KCFR-FM (Radio Station : Denver, Colo.)

Biography

KCFR (Colorado Free Radio), 90.1 FM, began operation in November, 1970. Established by the University of Denver, it was staffed by students anxious for hands-on experience in radio production. The station first operated at ten watts, with three salaried employees and 24 volunteers. Wayne Roth was the general manager for the station between 1970 and 1978. He left to become Associate Director of Radio for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in Washington, D.C. Max Wycisk became the new general manager in July, 1978. He had been KCFR's program director for the previous five years.

Over the years, KCFR grew to a much stronger, professionally operated station, though with very limited funding. In 1973 the Federal Communications Commission granted the station permission to expand to 30,000 watts. This power increase allowed KCFR to become a National Public Radio (NPR) affiliate.

KCFR provided Denver with an alternative to commercial radio programming. A variety of music was aired daily, including classical, folk, jazz, blues, and rock music. The BBC World Theatre and classic drama performances (a series called NERN) were also aired.

Although the University of Denver owned the station, the KCFR staff worked independently to achieve their goal of providing Denver with an alternative source of non-commercial radio programming. KCFR received a portion (24 percent of the annual budget in 1973) of its funding from the University. The All University Student Association (AUSA) Senate provided the majority of the funding. For instance, in the 1973-1974 school year, AUSA allocated $24,000, and the University gave $7,000. The station also received grants through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Funding also came from listeners support in pledges, and from private business grants.

In 1984, KCFR separated from the University of Denver. The license of the station was transferred to a community board of directors. Today KCFR is part of Colorado Public Radio, and remains one of the main non-commercial radio stations in Colorado. In 1991, the Board of Directors of KPRN and KCFR agreed to merge and continue the success of Colorado Public Radio.

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