KQKS

KQKS (107.5 FM, KS107.5) is a rhythmic hot AC radio station, licensed to Lakewood, Colorado.

Its studios and offices are located in the Denver Tech Center district, and the transmitter is on Green Mountain in Lakewood.

The air staff at the time included Mark Speers and Laurie Michaels in mornings, PJ Cruise in middays, Michael Hayes in afternoons, Sweet G in evenings, Ed Atkins in late evenings, JJ Cruze on overnights, and Brandon Scott on swing.

In November 1996, Western Cities sold "KS104" to Jefferson-Pilot Communications (now known as Lincoln National Corporation) for $15 million.

On January 8, 1997, Jefferson-Pilot moved KQKS to 107.5 FM and relaunched it as "KS1075", replacing KHHT's low-rated mainstream Top 40 format.

KQKS and its sister stations in Denver were among the properties being shopped around by Lincoln Financial, until the company suspended those plans in 2008.

On December 8, 2014, Entercom announced it would purchase Lincoln Financial Group's entire 15-station lineup in a $106.5 million deal, and would operate the outlets under a local marketing agreement (LMA).

However, this first attempt at contemporary hits would be short lived; the station returned to Country in 1973, and restored the KLAK-FM call sign.

[12] In October 1988 (variously reported as 1987), an 18 year-old armed with a rifle, six cassette tapes of The Smiths and one Morrissey album, drove to the station with the intent of forcing them to play music by the English alternative rock bands.

The station's production manager, Greg Fadick, encountered the troubled young man in the parking lot, and later recalled having the barrel of a Remington pointed in his face for a minute or two.

The would-be assailant then suddenly turned the rifle around and handed it to him butt-first, and asked him to call the police.

"[14] The 2021 film Shoplifters of the World is loosely based on this incident, although in the movie a radio station is actually held at gunpoint and forced to play songs by The Smiths.

[21][22] In response, KWMX adjusted its playlist to a Modern Pop/Rock direction that KALC was also embracing at the time by late 1995.

[7] Larry Ulibarri, Kendall B, and Kathie J held down the morning time slot, the longest in the station's history, from 2001 until March 2017 when a contract dispute resulted in their departure from KQKS.

[27][28] KQKS played a pivotal role in breaking the record "That's What Love Can Do" by the American female group Boy Krazy.

The song, produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, was a commercial failure upon its original release in Europe in 1991, but by late 1992, it began receiving airplay on KQKS after one of the staffers heard a remix done by Hot Tracks, breathing new life into it.