KELS-LP
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Broadcast area | Ft. Collins, Colorado |
|---|---|
| [[Frequency|FrequencTemplate:Pluralize from text]] | 104.7 MHz |
| Programming | |
| Format | Variety |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Plymouth Gathering Inc. |
| History | |
First air date | Script error: No such module "Date time". |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| 131356 | |
| ERP | 61 watts |
| HAAT | 38.4 meters (126 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | Lua error: callParserFunction: function "#coordinates" was not found. |
| Links | |
Public license information | Template:FCC Licensing and Management System facility |
| Webcast | Listen Live Link 1 Listen Live Link 2 |
| Website | pirate1047.com |
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KELS-LP (104.7 FM), also known as "The Pirate", is a low-power radio station licensed to Greeley, Colorado, United States. The station serves the Greeley - Ft. Collins area and is currently owned by Plymouth Gathering, Inc.[2][3]
History
KELS-LP received its license to cover on May 2, 2005, from a construction permit originating in 2003. The station became known as "Pirate Radio". The station airs programming from the 1940s through the 1980s, but has a Variety format.[4]
Controversy
In early 2011, the station aired a commentary regarding Martin Luther King Jr. that caused national controversy. The commentary was based on information provided by a listener regarding moral concerns with the civil rights leader. Though the commentary was reported to be generally factual and has been aired in previous years, the controversy developed because the station owner, Brett Reese was, at the time, a Greeley School Board member.[5] Early in his school board tenure, Reese repeatedly declined to speak to the local newspaper, the Greeley Tribune, and instead offered an interview only if the reporter signed a contract agreeing to publish his comments verbatim and pay a $5,000 penalty if the comments were edited. The newspaper publicly declined the offer.[6] In May 2011 Reese was publicly censured by the school board for being intoxicated at a board meeting and for allegedly inappropriately touching a teacher. He began carrying a weapon, as he was receiving death threats. A judge issued a permanent restraining order against Reese and permanently revoked his concealed weapon permit after a rival radio station owner alleged Reese threatened a "shootout" over advertisers. Reese claimed his remarks were misinterpreted.[7] Reese resigned from the school board in February 2012.[8][9]
Reese has repeatedly denied any racial intent and has voiced his support of the civil rights movement. Reese says that his intent is that the truth should be known regarding those that are held up as role models.[10]
Fine for running commercials
The station's operator, Plymouth Gathering, was fined $15,000 by the FCC in 2023 after losing an appeal regarding the unauthorized airing of over 1,600 commercial advertisements in 2018, which is prohibited for the station's noncommercial educational license.[11][12][13][14]
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Facility Technical Data for KELS-LP". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."KELS-LP Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."KELS-LP Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Good Times for Old-Time Radio". The Denver Post. July 3, 2009. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."DJ Caught in MLK Controversy Speaks Out". CBSDenver.com. January 12, 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Broderius, Mike (January 3, 2010). ""Brash" new board member rocks Greeley". Chalkbeat Colorado. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Greeley School Board Member Loses Gun Permit". CBS Colorado. January 21, 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Greeley-Evans School Board Member Facing Censure". CBS Colorado. May 18, 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Censured Greeley school board member calls action 'toilet paper'". 9news.com. May 19, 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.de Yoanna, Michael (February 2, 2011). "Exclusive: Greeley School Board Member and MLK Critic Brett Reese Seeks to Expand His Media Empire". 5280. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Noncomm educational station in Greeley slapped with FCC fine". 1310 KFKA. May 11, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Mclane, Paul (May 17, 2023). "Colorado LPFM Station Is Fined for Airing Commercials". Radio World. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Federal Communications Commission (July 2, 2020). "Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture" (PDF). FCC Document. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Venta, Lance (May 14, 2023). "FCC Report 5/14: $15,000 Fine Upheld For LPFM Airing Commercials". RadioInsight. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
External links
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