KLIR

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Radio station in Columbus, Nebraska

title: "KLIR" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["radio-stations-in-nebraska", "mainstream-adult-contemporary-radio-stations-in-the-united-states", "companies-based-in-platte-county,-nebraska", "radio-stations-established-in-1964", "1964-establishments-in-nebraska", "connoisseur-media-radio-stations"] description: "Radio station in Columbus, Nebraska" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KLIR" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Radio station in Columbus, Nebraska ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox radio station"]

Field	Value
logo	KLIR101-logo.png
name	KLIR
city	Columbus, Nebraska
country	US
branding	KLIR 101
frequency	101.1 MHz
airdate	(as KJSK-FM)
format	Adult contemporary
erp	100,000 watts
haat	232 m
class	C1
facility_id	26627
coordinates
callsign_meaning	"Clear"
former_callsigns
owner	Connoisseur Media
licensee	Alpha 3E License, LLC
sister_stations
webcast
website
licensing_authority	FCC
::

KLIR (101.1 FM, "Clear 101") is a radio station licensed to serve Columbus, Nebraska, United States. The station is owned by Connoisseur Media, through licensee Alpha 3E License, LLC. KLIR broadcasts an adult contemporary music format.

History

The station was founded in 1964 as KJSK-FM, sister station to KJSK AM. In 1977 the call letters were changed to KOXI, broadcasting an easy listening format. In early 1984, the new general manager and soon-to-be part owner, Stan Tafoya, negotiated a deal to bring the new call letters KLIR, or "Clear" from a station in Denver. The Columbus station was granted the new call sign by the Federal Communications Commission on July 9, 1984. The decision to change the call letters coincided with a format change to an adult contemporary format, or "Soft Rock, with Less Talk".

Under the Tafoya's leadership, the "Clear" sound was created for the community of Columbus and surrounding areas. "Clear" positioned itself as "The Radio Station Columbus Built", and became very successful in both ratings and revenue, still retaining many of the same programming elements today. For years, KLIR has been the most listened to radio station in the Platte County, according to Arbitron.

Chuck Lontine was one of the first talents hired by Tafoya, but left within the first year of the new KLIR to become a sales executive with CBS Radio in San Francisco. Tafoya then searched the Midwest for new voices, recruiting Steve Kohl from the Denver market. Kohl took the on-air name of "Scott Fisher" and helped guide the station to even greater success. A strong on-air team soon developed with Fisher in the morning and Jon Michaels in the afternoon. The credible news voice of James Nickel also contributed to the "Clear" sound. Top salesman Verl Wurtz added his play-by-play talents to the station's popular local sports programming.

Tafoya left in the mid-1990s after a subsequent sale of the station to new owners. Many local business people and listeners have long cited the operation under Tafoya as a classic marketing success story, where a relatively small and unknown radio station transforms itself into the market leader.

References

"Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
(June 28, 2024). "101.1FM, Columbus".
"Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
"Nebraska Broadcasters Association History". Nebraska Broadcasters Association.
(1985). "1985 Broadcasting Yearbook". Broadcasting Publications Inc..
"Nebraska Broadcasters: Where are they now?".
"KLIR 101 FM".
(February 25, 2016). "Alpha Media Completes Digity Purchase".

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