On January 12, 1959, the station signed on as KZIX, originally licensed to Fort Collins.[2] It was a 1,000–wattdaytimer, required to go off the air at sunset to protect KFSD in San Diego.
In August 1965, KZIX was acquired by Poudre Valley Broadcasting.[3] The following month, it signed on an FM station, 93.3 KFMF (now KTCLWheat Ridge). In the 1970s, KZIX broadcast a country music format. It switched its call sign to KIIX. In the 1980s, it increased its power to 5,000 watts and added nighttime service at 500 watts, while also changing its city of license to Wellington, just north of Fort Collins. It continued to air country music in the daytime but also added syndicated talk shows at night from NBC Talknet.
In 1998, Clear Channel Communications, a forerunner of current owner iHeartMedia, paid $6.1 million to acquire KIIX and alternative rock KTCL.[4] KIIX's format switched to soft oldies and adult standards. On November 5, 1999, Clear Channel flipped the call letters of two of its Fort Collins-area stations. AM 600 KIIX became KCOL.[5] Meanwhile, the station at AM 1410 that had been KCOL now was called KIIX. KCOL switched to its current talk format, while KIIX began broadcasting a sports radio format.
