 | |
| Broadcast area | Kalispell-Flathead Valley area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1180 kHz |
| Branding | 1180 AM 104.3 FM KOFI |
| Programming | |
| Format | Oldies - News - Talk - Sports |
| Network | ABC News Radio |
| Affiliations | Westwood One Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | KOFI, Inc. |
| KZMN | |
| History | |
First air date | November 11, 1955 |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 35368 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 50,000 watts (days) 10,000 watts (nights) |
Transmitter coordinates | 48°11′52″N 114°15′03″W / 48.19778°N 114.25083°W |
| Translator(s) | 104.3 K282BP (Kalispell) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | kofiradio.com |
KOFI (1180 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Kalispell, Montana, and owned by KOFI, Inc. It airs an oldies radio format with some news, talk and sports programs.[2] KOFI carries syndicated talk shows at night, including Rick Valdes-America at Night and Coast to Coast AM with George Noory. It also airs Denver Broncos football during the NFL season.
By day, KOFI is powered at 50,000 watts non-directional, the maximum for commercial AM stations. But 1180 AM is a clear channel frequency reserved for Class A station WHAM Rochester, New York. To prevent interference, at night KOFI reduces power to 10,000 watts and uses a directional antenna. The transmitter site is in Evergreen, on Steel Bridge Road. The studios and offices are on First Avenue East in Kalispell. Programming is also heard on 250-watt FM translator K282BP at 104.3 MHz.
History
[edit]KOFI signed on the air on November 11, 1955. It was assigned the KOFI call letters by the Federal Communications Commission.[3] The letters have no special significance.
KOFI originally broadcast on 980 kilocycles. It was powered at 1,000 watts and was a daytimer. It could not broadcast after sunset. In 1958, KOFI moved to 930 kHz with 5,000 watts but still daytime only. Then in 1968, it switched to 1180 kHz with 10,000 watts full-time.[4] It later boosted daytime power to the maximum, 50,000 watts. With a good radio, its signal can be received over most of the Western United States at night, as far south as Utah[5] and as far west as Washington state.
George Ostrom was a mainstay at the station, joining in 1956. Ostrom retired from KOFI in 2008, though later returned to the airwaves at Kalispell station KGEZ from 2011 to 2017.
Since 2017, KOFI's broadcasts are simulcast on 104.3 FM, using a 240-watt FM translator.
The station’s transmitter building and 50,000 watt transmitter were destroyed by fire on November 9, 2024.[6] The station was knocked off the air. Management plans to operate with a low-power transmitter until a new full-power transmitter can be installed.
References
[edit]- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KOFI". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Winter 2008 Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
- ^ "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
- ^ "FCC History Cards for KOFI". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
- ^ Salt Lake City DX Report
- ^ "Fire knocks out Flathead Valley radio station's transmitter building". Daily Inter Lake. November 11, 2024. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
External links
[edit]- KOFI official website
- Facility details for Facility ID 35368 (KOFI) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- KOFI in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- Facility details for Facility ID 145660 (K282BP) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- K282BP at FCCdata.org
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