KARS-FM (102.9 FM, "102.9 The Fan") is a radio station licensed to Laramie, Wyoming. Owned by a divestiture trust of Townsquare Media, it broadcasts a sports radio format serving the Cheyenne and Fort Collins-Greeley areas, and featuring programming from Denver's KKFN.
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Broadcast area |
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|---|---|
| Frequency | 102.9 MHz |
| Branding | 102.9 The Fan |
| Programming | |
| Format | Sports |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | The Fort Collins/Lafayette Divestiture Trust |
| Operator | Townsquare Media |
| KCGY, KOWB, KKPL, KMAX, KTRR and KUAD | |
| History | |
First air date | 1974 (as KIOZ) |
Former call signs |
|
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| 10334 | |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 83,000 watts |
| HAAT | 248 meters (814 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°52′36.9″N 105°41′46″W / 40.876917°N 105.69611°W |
| Repeater | 102.9 KARS-FM1 (Fort Collins, Colorado) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | live |
| Website | 1029thefanfm |
The facility first signed on in 1974. KARS broadcasts from Black Mountain just over the Colorado border, south of Laramie and northwest of Fort Collins.[2][3] The station has an FM booster, KARS-FM1, licensed for Fort Collins, Colorado, on 102.9 FM; the booster has been licensed since September 2007.
History
edit
The station's original call sign was KIOZ, adopted when it signed on in 1974. Industry music publications from the mid-to-late 1970s noted the station for its reporting on artists distributed by the WEA (Warner-Elektra-Atlantic) group of labels, strongly suggesting that KIOZ broadcast a Rock or Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) format during this decade.[4]
The station changed its call sign to KRQU on March 12, 1984. During the early 1990s, KRQU ran a modern rock format, branding itself as "Power 103" and sometimes "New Rock U".[5]
By November 1992, trade publications confirmed the station was broadcasting a country music format on 102.9 MHz, suggesting a format change from its earlier modern rock identity.[6].The station changed its call sign to KARS on March 25, 2002. Ownership of the facility was transferred from Pacific Broadcasting of Wyoming, Inc. to a subsequent buyer during a sale process that covered the AM/FM combination in Laramie in the early 2000s.[7]. The station was later acquired by Townsquare Media in 2003.[8]
In December 2008, the station dropped the oldies format and began simulcasting KMAX-FM 94.3's classic hits format. On March 12, 2009, the station settled into a long-running classic rock format.
On September 5, 2019, KARS-FM flipped to rhythmic contemporary as Power 102.9, becoming the first station in the market to offer the format. The station would continue to serve as the flagship for Colorado State Rams football and basketball.[9]
On May 7, 2026, the station flipped to sports talk as 102.9 The Fan; as part of a partnership with Bonneville International, the station syndicates the daily lineup of KKFN in Denver, and will continue to serve as the flagship station of the Rams.[10]
References
edit- ↑ "Facility Technical Data for KARS-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ↑ "KARS-FM Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- ↑ "FMedial: WY Laramie-Cheyenne KRQU 102.9 Power 103" (PDF). World Radio History. 1993. Retrieved November 16, 2025.[dead link]
- ↑ "Walrus: KIOZ/Laramie, Wyoming - WEA" (PDF). World Radio History. September 4, 1978. Retrieved November 16, 2025.[dead link]
- ↑ "FMedial: WY Laramie-Cheyenne KRQU 102.9 Power 103" (PDF). World Radio History. 1993. Retrieved November 16, 2025.[dead link]
- ↑ "Broadcasting: KRQU has country format on 102.9 MHz with 100 kw" (PDF). World Radio History. November 9, 1992. Retrieved November 16, 2025.[dead link]
- ↑ "D CASTING/CABlE: Changing Hands: KLDI(AM)- KRQU(FM) Laramie" (PDF). World Radio History. January 1, 2001. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ↑ "KARS-FM 2025 Company Profile: Valuation, Investors, Acquisition". PitchBook. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
- ↑ "Townsquare Brings Hip-Hop Power 102.9 To Fort Collins". RadioInsight. September 6, 2019. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
- ↑ "KKFN Expands To Fort Collins With Townsquare Partnership". RadioInsight. May 7, 2026. Retrieved May 8, 2026.
External links
edit- Official website
- Facility details for Facility ID 737393 (KARS) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- KARS in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- Radio Locator Information on KARS-FM-1
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