KLFV (90.3 FM) is a radio station in Grand Junction, Colorado. The station broadcasts a contemporary Christian format from the K-Love radio network; the station and network are owned by the Educational Media Foundation.

KLFV
Broadcast areaGrand Junction
Frequency90.3 MHz
BrandingK-Love
Programming
FormatContemporary Christian
NetworkK-Love
Ownership
OwnerEducational Media Foundation
History
First air date
December 25, 1981 (as KJOL)
Former call signs
KJOL (1981–2000)
Call sign meaning
"K-Love"
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID12341
ClassC2
ERP3,000 watts
HAAT399 meters
Translator(s)K223BR (92.5 MHz, Montrose)
Links
Public license information
Websiteklove.com

History

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90.3 FM began broadcasting as KJOL ("Joy of the Lord") on April 24, 1982,[2] after missing a planned Christmas 1981 launch. It was the second religious radio station in the Grand Junction area, after KCIC, which had signed on in 1979; however, KJOL broadcast with more power than KCIC. KJOL was owned by the Columbus Evangelical Free Church and broadcast from its facilities; operations were managed by an interdenominational alliance of local churches, the Western Slope Church Ministries Association.[3] From the start, KJOL adopted a more contemporary gospel sound than the traditionally oriented KCIC; the programmer, Stan Bruning, had come from KWBI-FM in Denver.[3]

The mid-1980s saw a major ownership transition for the young religious station. In 1984, Columbus Evangelical sold it for $24,000 to Western Bible College, owners of KWBI-FM; the church sought to ensure KJOL's continued financial stability with the sale.[4] After the sale closed in 1985,[4] KJOL, which had previously been a major conservative voice and drove protests at abortion clinics and grocery stores that sold pornographic materials,[5] toned down its rhetoric and slightly increased the proportion of music in its broadcast day.[4] The changes and Western Bible College-developed format took hold in February, after the station was silent for a week;[6] the former general manager who had spearheaded the protest activities exited in June.[7]

After a couple of mergers, Western Bible College became Colorado Christian University by 1989,[8] and later expanded its educational offerings to the Western Slope and opened a center in Grand Junction in 1991.[9] The university sold its entire regional radio network to EMF in 2000; local operations were shuttered that October in favor of rebroadcasting EMF's K-Love programming as KLFV, and the religious talk and teaching programming disappeared altogether.[10] Former KJOL station manager Ken Andrews began efforts to bring a new local Christian station to Grand Junction;[11] those efforts succeeded when he reached an agreement to broker out 620 AM and relaunch it as the new KJOL effective July 1, 2001.[12]

References

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  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KLFV". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "Christian radio". Daily Sentinel. May 8, 1982. p. 11. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Theobold, Reford (December 4, 1981). "Christmas air date projected for KJOL". Daily Sentinel. p. 24. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Link, Tony (January 30, 1985). "KJOL radio will lower its voice". Daily Sentinel. p. 1B, 3B. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  5. ^ McMillan, Steve (October 27, 1984). "Picket plans pornography protest at C&F store". p. 1B. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  6. ^ "KJOL to take a week off the airwaves". Daily Sentinel. February 1, 1985. p. 9. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  7. ^ Link, Tony (June 18, 1985). "Christian activist leaves KJOL airwaves". Daily Sentinel. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  8. ^ "100-Year Timeline | Colorado Christian University". www.ccu.edu. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  9. ^ "Colorado Christian University". Daily Sentinel. March 28, 1993. p. 7B. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  10. ^ Harmon, Gary (October 12, 2000). "Local radio format shift dismays fans". Daily Sentinel. pp. 1B, 3B. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  11. ^ "Opportunities still available for local Christian radio". Daily Sentinel. December 1, 2000. p. 4A. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
  12. ^ "Christian radio broadcasts return to valley on Sunday". Daily Sentinel. June 28, 2001. p. 4A. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
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39°03′58″N 108°44′49″W / 39.066°N 108.747°W / 39.066; -108.747