IHeartMedia playing contemporary Christian music on 107.3

LOVELAND — A low-power FM station licensed to Loveland has switched to a contemporary Christian music format.

The 250-watt station owned by IHeartMedia (OTCBB: IHRT), a San Antonio-based media company that up until last year was known as Clear Channel, has been branded “Up! 107.3” but officially is K297AK in the Federal Communications Commission database. It can be heard in most of eastern Larimer County and western Weld County.

The frequency previously carried adult contemporary music and was branded “Sunny 107.3” but was flipped in early November to all Christmas music and then adopted the religion-based format on Dec. 26.

SPONSORED CONTENT

People Powered: Preparing Longmont Businesses for Economic Success

Longmont Chamber and FNBO present People Powered on April 24, 2024, aiming to inform business owners about workforce development, housing, and transportation issues.

Market manager Stu Haskell said the station will be programmed locally, unlike similar stations that are fed by satellite. “Big Rob” Lewis, disc jockey and program director at the company’s top-40 KSME “96.1 Kiss-FM”, will also serve as program director for Up! 107.3, Haskell said.

In addition to “positive and uplifting music programming,” according to an IHeartMedia release, the station also will carry “inspirational messages and suggestions for how to get involved with local nonprofits and churches with the goal of encouraging them to grow in their Christian faith.”

“This is really good music,” Haskell said. “I don’t even think you have to be particularly religious to appreciate positive, uplifting music.”

The other stations in IHeartMedia’s Northern Colorado cluster are news-talk KCOL-AM 600, classic country KIIX-AM 1410, country KXBG “Big Country 97.9”, classic rock KPAW “107.9 The Bear”, and another low-power station, adult album alternative K235BT at 94.9 FM. Listeners in Northern Colorado and the Boulder Valley also can receive the stations in the company’s Denver cluster, which include 50,000-watt news-talk KOA-AM 850, talk KHOW-AM 630, sports talk KDSP-AM 760, alternative rock KTCL-FM 93.3, top-40 KPTT “95.7 The Party”, adult album alternative KBCO-FM 97.3, classic rock KRFX-FM “103.5 The Fox” and active rock KBPI-FM 106.7.