Article by Mel Ulle
We’re blessed in Colorado to have high quality, diverse and culturally relevant public radio. I grew up on it. In my early youth, 90.1, aka KCFR was broadcasting from the University of Denver’s campus, and I was just down the road in Washington Park complaining to my mom in our Toyota Tercel that I wanted to listen to absolutely anything else. That comforting public radio voice used to grate on my nerves when I was a little kid who just wanted to listen to the J. Geils Band or Devo. (My taste remains impeccable; in case you were wondering.)
Over time, we both evolved, and KCFR merged with KPRN in Grand Junction, left DU and became known as CPR. Much of my life’s soundtrack was the comforting sound of public radio. In the summer, my dad would drive us around to look at the fancy houses in the country club neighborhood on warm evenings while we listened to “A Prairie Home Companion.” Mornings meant classical music from KVOD and every day on the way home from school I listened to “All Things Considered.” I became a public radio devotee.
In college I became an admirer of KRCC (91.5 FM). A partnership between Colorado College and CPR, KRCC is the station for Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region. I loved its great mix of NPR news, local talk shows, and diverse (sometimes terrible) musical programming. Like magic, the moment I crossed Monument Hill, I switched from KCFR to KRCC!
As an adult I experimented with KUVO (89.3) and still love all their Sunday shows, but now I am deep into KRFC in Northern Colorado (88.9 FM) for music and KUNC (91.5 FM) broadcasting from Greeley for news. Sometimes, I will listen to the Colorado Sound on 105.5 if I’m bored.
There are so many public radio stations in Colorado that I haven’t even listed. Those I’ve mentioned are only in my personal rotation, imagine the possibilities if we listened to all of them!
I believe in public radio. I think it makes us smarter and better, and I think the content is incredible. The fact-checking, the unbiased reporting (some will challenge me on this and go ahead fight me), the community-driven storytelling, the local focus – it’s all so damned important for an informed society. And all without commercials!
But I’m worried about public radio. It concerns me that we are shifting our listening habits with the advent of so many on-demand platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. Are we more inclined to get in our cars and turn on a playlist or a podcast, or are going to roll the dice with radio? The other threat is, of course, a new administration which may not value public radio.
Maybe as we tread into 2025, we should consider committing more time spent in the unknown, listening to whatever the DJ decides for us and learning new cool things on Science Friday. And maybe, it’s time to start ponying up and giving back to those stations that have been with us from childhood through adulthood to make sure they can remain with us for the long haul.
Read Melanie Ulle’s monthly Making a Difference Articles at Urban Life Wash Park.
