 | |
| Broadcast area | Kalispell-Flathead Valley area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1180 kHz |
| Branding | 1180 AM 104.3 FM KOFI |
| Programming | |
| Format | Oldies/News/Talk |
| Affiliations | ABC Radio, Westwood One |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | KOFI, Inc. |
| KZMN | |
| History | |
First air date | 1955 |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 35368 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 50,000 watts (day) 10,000 watts (night) |
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 radio station licensed to serve Kalispell, Montana. The station is owned by KOFI, Inc. It airs an Oldies music and News/Talk radio format.[2] The station first signed on in 1955. It was assigned these call letters by the Federal Communications Commission.[3]
When KOFI signed on it was on 980 kHz with 1,000 watts daytime only, moved to 930 kHz with 5,000 watts daytime only in 1958 and moved to 1180 kHz with 10,000 watts full-time in 1968.[4] Their studios are in downtown Kalispell at 317 1st Avenue E with sister station KZMN. The transmitter site is in Evergreen, on Steel Bridge Road. KOFI must power down from 50,000 watts nondirectional during the day to 10,000 watts directional at night to protect Class A clear-channel WHAM in Rochester, New York. Nonetheless, its signal has been received over most of the western United States at night, as far south as Salt Lake City[5] and as far west as Snohomish, Washington.
George Ostrom was a mainstay at the station from 1956 to 2008; he recently came out of retirement to work at KGEZ.
Since 2017, KOFI's AM broadcasts are simulcast on 104.3 FM, as noted on the station's website.
The station’s transmitter building and 50,000 watt transmitter were destroyed by fire on November 9, 2024.[6]
- ^ "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.