When KDZA went rock, "we were working in a building in the middle of a trailer court. Of course, the rock music kept the neighbors up at night. So the landlord welded the windows shut — in a building with no air conditioning."

In 1946 the Federal Communications Commission announced a third radiobroadcast channel availability in Pueblo, Colorado at 1230 kilocycles. Dee B. Crouch and his Pueblo Radio Co. was the successful applicant. You can see excerpts of Crouch’s application in the gallery.

 

Radio Station KDZA-AM’s first official broadcast took place on Dec. 29, 1947. The studios and transmitter tower were located in a small mobile home park at 3011 Elizabeth St. one block north of 29th St. in Pueblo, Colorado.

 

It is interesting to note that in 1953 Crouch was also granted a TV Construction Permit to operate KDZA-TV, Channel 3, Pueblo’s first television station. KDZA-TV went on the air with regular programming on March 18, 1953.KDZA-TV was a television station broadcasting on channel 3 in Pueblo, which broadcast from March 16, 1953, to It was the first television station established in Pueblo. The station shut down due to financial difficulties on May 7, 1954.

 

Crouch continued to work diligently to make KDZA Radio a financial success. He initially chose a news and information format affiliating with the Mutual Broadcast Network. In 1964 Crouch hired legendary radio announcer Steve Scott who convinced Crouch that a rock ’n roll music format offered the best opportunity for attracting a large audience and delivering financial success. This was the beginning of Pueblo’s Rock KDZA.

 

Crouch owned the KDZA for 20 years. He passed in 1995 and was laid to rest in Rye, Colorado.

 

Enjoy the gallery!