- KOA (AM)
Infobox Radio station
name = KOA
city =
area =Denver, Colorado
branding = 850 KOA
slogan =
airdate =December 15 1924
frequency = 850 (kHz)
format = News/Talk
power = 50,000watt s
class = A
facility_id = 29738
coordinates = coord|39|30|23.6|N|104|46|4|W|type:landmark
callsign_meaning = Klear Over America
owner =Clear Channel Communications
website = [http://www.850koa.com/ www.850koa.com]
affiliations =Fox News Radio KOA (850 AM), ("NewsRadio 850 KOA") is a
clear channel , news/talkradio station serving theDenver, Colorado market. It is owned byClear Channel Communications and is nicknamed "the Blowtorch of the West" for its 50,000 watt signal.KOA was originally owned by General Electric and began broadcasting in 1924. They started with 5,000 watts, and in 1927, increased to 12,500 watts. In the early 1930s, power was raised to the current level of 50,000 watts.
Today, the antenna is located about 30 miles (50 km) southeast of the city of Denver. It is a 5/8 wave, 660 foot (198 m) guyed tower. At night the signal can be heard in over 30 states of the U.S. and over most of Canada and Mexico. KOA sometimes can be picked up in
California , which is west of theRocky Mountains , an obstacle that prevents east coast radio stations from traveling west of the Rockies. KOA is frequently heard in northern Europe, Australia and Japan, and is one of the most frequently reported stations world wide.KOA has a news/talk format. It is also the flagship station of the
Denver Broncos football team, theColorado Rockies baseball team, and the University of Colorado Buffaloes.Current shows
Rocky Mountain News columnistMike Rosen is the long running host of the 9 to 11:45 a.m. morning show. Mike is a fiscal conservative/social libertarian who occasionally has been substitute host forRush Limbaugh . The Colorado governor and Denver mayor are regularly scheduled guests on his show. Common Rosen-isms are "tell me where you sit before you tell me where you stand" and "a politician asks what you want, an economist asks what you want more." Mike uses "Mr. Hold Button" on filibustering callers and the Silly Giggle sound effect when callers use mocking laughs in their arguments. Mike's philosophy is reflected in his recommended reading list which includesAyn Rand ,Adam Smith , Paul Johnson andThomas Sowell .Other well-known local names heard on KOA include Rick Barber, who hosts the station's overnight show. Regular monthly features on Rick's show include his own unique style of commentary.
Both of the morning and afternoon programs feature constant updates of
traffic conditions in the Denver area, broadcast from ahelicopter it shares with NBC StationKUSA-TV .Also,
Alan Roach , announcer for theDenver Broncos ,Denver Nuggets andColorado Avalanche , is featured in the morning program. He, in conjunction with Adele Arakawa fromKUSA-TV (news at 5,6,& 10) are the voices for the trains atDenver International Airport (DIA). Roach is recognized as being the identification voice for many radio stations nationwide.KOA is unusual in that it is one of the few stations that airs
The Rush Limbaugh Show on a two-hourtape delay instead of the usual live.Past shows
Radio host
Alan Berg broadcast histalk show from the station, but was shot and killed by members of thewhite supremacist group The Order onJune 18 ,1984 . Another host from an earlier era wasLeigh Kamman , who hostedjazz programs duringWorld War II . Kamman has long since returned to his home state ofMinnesota , but he still regularly hosts music shows onMinnesota Public Radio as of 2005. "The Sports Zoo" with Dave Logan andScott Hastings ran for 12 years until Hastings left in April 2005 for theAltitude Sports and Entertainment network. Hastings resumed sports radio broadcasting onKKFN in January 2006 alongside formerDenver Broncos linemanAlfred Williams .Ken Hamblin , "The Black Avenger," also hosted a popular and long-running show during the 1980s."Other former hosts:"
Tom Martino ,Rollye James .Awards
The station was one of 10 stations awarded the 2007 Crystal Radio Award for public service awarded by the
National Association of Broadcasters .cite web |work=National Association of Broadcasters |title=NAB Announces Crystal Radio Awards Winners |date=2007-04-17 |url=http://www.nab.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Search&template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=8638] Winners were honored at the Radio Luncheon onApril 17 ,2007 , during the NAB Show inLas Vegas, Nevada . The station was named Large Market Station of the Year at the 2008 National Association of Broadcasters' Marconi Radio Awards. [cite news|url=http://www.nab.org/xert/corpcomm/pressrel/RS2008/Marconis/08_Marconi_Large_Market.htm|title=KOA-AM NAMED LARGE MARKET STATION OF THE YEAR|date=September 18, 2008|publisher=National Association of Broadcasters|accessdate=2008-09-27]Emergency Alert System
KOA is Colorado's primary (LP-1)
Emergency Alert System station. KYGO-FM is the secondary (LP-2) station.References
External links
* [http://www.850koa.com/main.html 850 KOA News Talk Radio] :* [http://www.850koa.com/pages/listen.html Listen live]
* [http://www.rockymountainnews.com The Rocky Mountain News]
*AMQ|KOA
*AML|KOA
*AMARB|KOA
* [http://www.startcolorado.com/eas/ State of Colorado Emergency Alert System]
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