KMSA

KMSA began broadcasting February 20, 1975,{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41166353/|date=February 21, 1975|accessdate=December 27, 2019|work=Daily Sentinel|page=10|title=Mesa station makes it onto the air}} from the campus of then-Mesa College, operating from space that formerly was unused rooms, a closet and a restroom. Its first year was rather turbulent, marked by the need to replace borrowed equipment (including a transmitter from the University of Northern Colorado) in the first year of operation and a citation from the Federal Communications Commission for having an unlicensed disc jockey; at one time, a student announced a dormitory party in progress, which proceeded to swell from 15 to 200 attendees.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41166032/|work=Daily Sentinel|date=February 21, 1976|accessdate=December 27, 2019|first=Don|last=Frederick|title=KMSA, college radio station, marks anniversary of first stormy year|page=2}}

Further turmoil came when the station's 18 volunteers were forced out in 1977, in favor of having all programming be hosted by Mesa College students.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41166512/|title=Protests greet college ouster of student station volunteers|accessdate=December 27, 2019|date=June 29, 1977|first=Mindy|last=Pratt|work=Daily Sentinel|page=11}} The policy, set by college president John Tomlinson, could have forced KMSA to cease operations.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41166585/|date=June 26, 1977|accessdate=December 27, 2019|page=7|title=Policy change may shut down radio station at Mesa College|first=Mindy|last=Pratt|work=Daily Sentinel}} That same year, however, the station replaced its tower, improving signal quality even though the station still broadcast with 10 watts.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41166711/|work=Daily Sentinel|date=October 4, 1977|accessdate=December 27, 2019|first=Don|last=Olsen|title=KMSA back on air with new era|page=7}} Two years later, its Houston Hall facilities were remodeled and relocated to the first floor; while it was initially planned for the station to go off throughout the summer of 1979,{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41166843/|page=16|first=Michael|last=Radosevich|title=Western Slope Non-Commercial Radio: One goes up, another goes down|work=Daily Sentinel|date=April 20, 1979|accessdate=December 27, 2019}} it did not return to the air until February 1980.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41166994/kmsa_mesa_colleges_radio_station/|title=KMSA, Mesa College's radio station...|work=Daily Sentinel|date=February 6, 1980|accessdate=December 27, 2019|page=21}} While KMSA was successful at getting employees and student managers jobs in Colorado media outlets—four of its five station managers had gone on to leadership positions at Western Slope broadcast stations, and one former station staffer started KVNF in Paonia{{r|back|p=10}}—past and present staff felt that the lack of non-students hurt the station's quality.{{cite news|first=Linda|last=Post|title=Open Forum|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41167094/|date=March 16, 1980|page=2|work=Daily Sentinel|accessdate=December 27, 2019}} KMSA also ran on a small budget, and the college did not offer any courses in radio.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41167255/|title=KMSA—Back on the air|first=Linda|last=Post|date=March 16, 1980|work=Daily Sentinel|accessdate=December 27, 2019|pages=8, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41167355/ 9], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41167405/ 10]}}

1981 brought a power increase to 500 watts.{{Cite web|url= https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=69427 |title= History Cards for KMSA|publisher=Federal Communications Commission}} (Guide to reading History Cards){{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41167581/|title=College station boosts signal|page=36|work=Daily Sentinel|date=June 18, 1981|accessdate=December 27, 2019}} It also brought changes in who was eligible to work at the station, namely a more stringent credit hour requirement, and an increased integration with the college, which threatened to push out some personalities at KMSA.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41167798/|first=John K.|last=Nelson|work=Daily Sentinel|date=October 25, 1981|title=College says public won't 'hear' changes at KMSA-FM|page=12|accessdate=December 27, 2019}} However, only three DJs ended up being forced out.{{cite news|first=Reford|last=Theobold|date=January 17, 1982|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41168000/|work=Daily Sentinel|page=22|accessdate=December 27, 2019|title=The Captain returns to old time, format}} Two years later, in 1983, KMSA carried its first live sports coverage, of Mesa College baseball.{{cite news|date=February 15, 1983|page=7|work=Daily Sentinel|first=Karla|last=Leonard|title=KMSA to broadcast Mesa home games|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41168218/|accessdate=December 27, 2019}} In 1985, it began seeking more underwriters and professionalized its format.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41168355/|work=Daily Sentinel|title=KMSA an organized alternative|first=Jim|last=Sullivan|date=September 28, 1985|accessdate=December 27, 2019|page=3B}}

In 2007, a group of students, backed by energy rebates and contributions from the school and local business groups, installed solar panels to power KMSA's operations.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41168617/|pages=1B, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41168677/ 5B]|title=Sun power spins sounds at Mesa State|first=Bobby|last=Magill|date=January 31, 2007|accessdate=December 27, 2019}} By this time, KMSA was known especially for its specialty programming of metal music, particularly on weekends.{{r|heavy}} KMSA upgraded in 2012 to 4,300 watts from a new transmitter atop Black Ridge, bringing its signal to the entire Grand Valley;{{cite news|pages=2, 15|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41168815/|work=Daily Sentinel|date=March 22, 2013|title=Heavy On Metal: Format, students hold their own at college radio station|first=Rachel|last=Sauer|accessdate=December 27, 2019}} that same year, it also raffled off 12 credit hours of Colorado Mesa University tuition.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41169013/|title=University radio station to offer tuition in raffle|accessdate=December 27, 2019|date=October 8, 2012|work=Daily Sentinel|first=Melinda|last=Mawdsley|page=3A}}

After longtime faculty advisor Regis Tucci unexpectedly died in 2015,{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41169291/|title=Prof gave voice to young journalists|accessdate=December 27, 2019|date=January 14, 2015|page=2A|first=Emily|last=Shockley|work=Daily Sentinel}} Jim Davis took the reins and sought to restore balance to a station that, according to some record store customers, was playing too much metal.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41169182/|first=Rock|last=Cesario|title=Some changes of note going on this year at KMSA 91.3|accessdate=December 27, 2019|date=August 14, 2015|work=Daily Sentinel|page=4}} Additionally, KMSA's automation equipment was upgraded.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/41169382/|work=Daily Sentinel|accessdate=December 27, 2019|first=Rock|last=Cesario|title=Time to turn up the volume on KMSA|page=7|date=October 21, 2016}}

• Campus radio
• List of college radio stations in the United States

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• {{FM station data|41300|KMSA}}

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{{Grand Junction Radio}}

{{Colorado Mesa University}}

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MSA

Category:1975 establishments in Colorado

MSA

Category:Radio stations established in 1975

Category:Colorado Mesa University