HOMEPAGE for this issue: February 23, 2011 Download PDF Version

KPIO Radio in danger of going off the air

By John Gleason

An S-O-S is being sent out—a call to listeners of Catholic radio programming across northern Colorado to “Save Our Station.”  It’s a desperate plea coming from the studio of KPIO 1570-AM in Loveland, Colo.

In 2008 Catholic radio returned to the airwaves in the Archdiocese of Denver.  From its studio in Loveland, KPIO became a beacon for those who wished to hear the “good news.”  An affiliate of the EWTN Global Catholic Radio Network, KPIO offers nationally syndicated programming that includes Catholic world news, Scripture study, apologetics and prayer.

Today, less than three years after KPIO began broadcasting, the station is in danger of being turned off.  According to Jim O’Laughlin, founder and president of Catholic Radio Network which owns a total of seven radio stations in three states, the station has been in a financial struggle from the very beginning.

“The holder of our note was very fair with us,” O’Laughlin told the Denver Catholic Register by phone from his office in Excelsior Springs, Mo.  “We had a good interest rate, very fair as business loans go, but by the end of the first year we just weren’t bringing in the cash we needed.”

O’Laughlin said the company was able to negotiate several extensions, but finally a notice of foreclosure arrived at the studio offices on Feb. 11.  KPIO is on its last leg.

“We need some sort of answer to give our bank by March 1 or KPIO will go off the air,” he said.  “It’s not going to be easy.  The grand total of the mortgage is $790,000.”

O’Laughlin said there isn’t enough time to organize a radio-thon.  What they are doing instead is making a direct plea—announcing on the air every hour the dire situation KPIO is in.

“This is a last ditch appeal to our listeners,” he said.

Each of the seven stations in the Catholic Radio Network operates independently. That is, they all have to meet their financial obligations.  Two years ago, a similar situation happened at one of the company’s other stations—financial woes threatened to shutter the station.  What it came down to, according to O’Laughlin, was spelling out to the listeners what the problem was and what was needed to correct it.

“Our station in Kansas City was in trouble,” he said. “We gave it to the listeners straight and they came through.  Today, the station is paying its bills and remains on the air.  That’s what we hope will happen here.”

A plea e-mailed to listeners last week urges them to pray and fast for the station during this challenging time.

Anyone who would like to help in keeping KPIO on the air can make a pledge by either calling the station in Loveland at 970-669-8000 or by contacting Catholic Radio Network at 1-877-630-1090.