Radio 1190 KVCU, CU Boulder’s volunteer-based student radio station, has been broadcasting on campus since November 1998. Recently, it’s been gaining attention on a national scale. 

In less than two years, Jack Armstrong (StComm’25), news director for Radio 1190, has grown the student radio team from three people to 40 active volunteers, amping up the broadcast from weekly to daily. The station now features daily news programming, in addition to shows, music and podcasts. 

“I had a drive to make something much larger than what we currently had at the station,” said Armstrong, who will be a senior in the fall. 

In March, the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System honored the radio station with two national awards: Best Public Affairs Program and the 2024 Best News Director. 

“It was validating that the program I put together worked,” Armstrong said. “I want working for Radio 1190 to be a coveted learning experience for students — and one that employers will see and value.”

When he graduates, Armstrong plans to continue in a new capacity with the station, which is located in the University Memorial Center on campus. 

“I will consult with the second news director to make sure they’re beginning on the right path,” he said. “After that, I’m choosing to promote myself to the role of listener.” 

Listen to the station at 1190 AM or at . 

  Submit feedback to the editor

Photo by Patrick Campbell

Off

Early producers of KGNU’s “Hemispheres” interview program, 1980s. At left: CU sociologist Rolf Kjolseth.

Radio Days

For David McIntosh, 88.5 will always be a magic number.

“I’m a radio geek,” said the Louisville, Colo., resident, who entered CU Boulder as a radio enthusiast in 1976 and became a key player in the formation of Boulder’s first nonprofit community FM station, 88.5 KGNU.

The station, which began broadcasting in May 1978, still operates today, powered by a small army of volunteers who keep the music and talk flowing 24/7. McIntosh, who remains involved 40 years later by helping to orient new volunteers, tunes in almost every day.

FM radio grew rapidly in the late 1960s and ’70s. But attempts to start a CU FM station had come to naught by McIntosh’s arrival as a 23-year-old freshman.

He wasn’t the only student eager to make use of the radio frequency, which offered better sound quality than AM and attracted an experimental crowd.

After CU administrators stopped pursuing a campus FM station in the early 1970s, students raised about $140,000 for radio projects through self-imposed fees, said McIntosh (Comm’80; MTeleComm’84). This supported construction of basement studios in the UMC, home today of campus Radio 1190 AM.

Through a student government role, McIntosh also helped direct about $35,000 to a local group called the Boulder Community Broadcast Association, which was starting a local FM station independent of CU.

The cash infusion proved decisive, and KGNU began broadcasting May 22, 1978, from studios along Boulder Creek.

KGNU depended on volunteers from the start, and still does — about 250 now, said station manager Tim Russo, part of the small paid staff.

The station has also kept faithful to community radio spirit, deferring to the tastes of volunteer disc jockeys and providing airtime for pundits and programs outside the mainstream. Its long-running reggae and hip hop shows were among the nation’s first, McIntosh said. Bluegrass is a hallmark. The voices of Ralph Nader, Noam Chomsky and Juan Gonzalez regularly travel KGNU’s airways, along with “Democracy Now” and BBC news, for instance.

Said McIntosh, who went on to a telecommunications career apart from KGNU, “We help our listeners be good citizens.”
 

Photo courtesy KGNU Radio

Off

[soundcloud width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/437866647&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true"][/soundcloud]

In this installment of our new podcast, “Coloradan on the Radio,” CU Boulder scholar gives the scoop on the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest known documents relating to the Bible, some of which are on display now at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Sam also talks about a band he once played in called the Dead Sea Trolls — and how he managed to learn 26 ancient languages.

“Coloradan on the Radio” is produced in partnership with Radio 1190, CU Boulder’s campus station.

Off

CU's AM student radio station, Radio 1190 KVCU, acquires FM signal. 

In an effort to improve its sound and add listeners, CU Boulder’s student-run, music-heavy AM radio station has acquired an FM signal. 

That means come fall, Boulder Valley listeners will be able to tune in Radio 1190 KVCU’s programming at 98.9 FM as well. 

The move is intended to draw additional listeners in the Boulder Valley by offering the stronger sound and stereo quality of FM, said station general manager Mikey Goldenberg (Econ’02), the nonprofit station’s only full-time employee. That in turn should bring new opportunities for sponsorship and community involvement, he said. 

“FM is the standard,” Goldenberg said. “It legitimizes the station to another level.” 

Fans as far north as the Wyoming border and as far south as Colorado Springs will continue to get KVCU’s commercial-free programming at the 1190 AM location. 

In December 2015, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opened a window for existing AM stations to apply for an FM Translator signal. Radio 1190 leapt at the opportunity, spending about $100,000 over seven months to obtain one, upgrade transmission equipment and secure a contract  with a local FM tower owner. 

The CU Board of Regents owns the station’s 10,000-watt AM transmitter and its license. 

Supported by student government and the College of Media, Communication and Information, KVCU broadcasts from the University Memorial Center. Students manage production, programming, marketing and promotions. Goldenberg, a 17-year radio industry veteran, oversees daily operations. 

The station has a collection of 26,000 albums representing 400,000 songs in a variety of genres, including hip-hop, Louisiana gumbo, hard rock and spoken word. It hosts a live band in the studio weekly. 

“FM is going to make us sound a lot more professional,” said student manager Natalie Graham (�Ѱ�ٵ�����’17).&�Բ�����;

Photo by © iStock/CSA-Printstock

Off