Pueblo's KDZA radio station is back with a new home at Pueblo Community College

Growing up in Pueblo, Nick Donovan's dream wasn't necessarily to work in radio — it was to work at KDZA.

A long-time personality on the station and the current host of "Mornings with Nick" on KDZA, Donovan was among those celebrating the return of the beloved radio station at a ribbon-cutting event at Pueblo Community College on Aug. 17.

KDZA became licensed in 1948 and broadcast Top 40 hits to Pueblo listeners from the early 1960s into the '80s. The original 1230 AM KDZA station was shut down in 1993. The Aug. 17 ceremony not only celebrated KDZA's return to its original 1230 AM frequency as a classic hits station, but also the station's new home on the lower level of the PCC Student Center.

"KDZA has had such great traditions... I think that is what made it so special. It was such a part of life. It was involved in everybody's life around here pretty much," Donovan said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

KDZA also is being broadcast at 101.9 FM. The FM frequency was previously home to a variety hits station, "The Lake," before Mountain Radio Group rebranded it as KDZA in May 2023 and brought the station's original call letters back, according to radioinsight.com.

"Radio to me really was the first social media," said Dave West, chief operations officer of Mountain Radio Group. "It's where people came to know what was going on in their town, they shared stories with each other and it's really all about community. KDZA and this whole project is just all about Pueblo."

On its website, KDZA hails itself as a station playing the "greatest hits from the 60s, 70s, and 80s." Donovan's morning show airs on weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. and features local news and weather reports between classic songs.

"Vintage Vibes" with Caraigh Clarkson airs on KDZA from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and features stories from across Colorado's Front Range. Guy Girtin shares KDZA music facts and "The Bad Dad Joke of the Day!" as the host of "Golden Afternoons" from 2 to 6 p.m.

"This is going to be an open door," Donovan said. "You want to stop by any time... We want to help you with your non-profit. We want to help you with your business. We want to entertain you. We want to play your favorite music."

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Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: KDZA is back: Pueblo celebrates return of classic radio station