KOA AM 850

A commercial AM station licensed to Denver, Colorado, owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasting a news and talk format. The station serves as the flagship outlet for the Denver Broncos, Colorado Rockies, and Colorado Buffaloes, and functions as Colorado's primary entry point station for the Emergency Alert System. Operating as a Class A clear-channel station at 50,000 watts non-directional — the maximum power permitted by the FCC for AM stations — the signal provides city-grade coverage across Colorado's populated Front Range corridor, including Colorado Springs, Pueblo, and Fort Collins, with secondary coverage extending across much of eastern and central Colorado. Under favorable atmospheric conditions at night, the signal carries across much of the Central and Western United States, earning the station the nickname "the Blowtorch of the West." The station began broadcasting on December 15, 1924, initially owned by General Electric with 5,000 watts of power. Power increased to 12,500 watts in 1927, and KOA became an NBC affiliate in 1929, with NBC subsequently assuming operational control. Power was raised to 50,000 watts on July 7, 1934. NBC took ownership of KOA and KGO in San Francisco from GE in 1941 and held KOA until the mid-twentieth century. Ownership eventually passed through several hands before reaching iHeartMedia. The station's AM signal is also simulcast on FM translators at 94.1 MHz in Golden and Boulder.