KFFR is a nonprofit, community-powered radio station. Everything we do is rooted in serving Grand County’s nonprofits, small businesses, artists, schools, and local governments. Because of this mission, our funding model is different from commercial radio or large public media networks.
We provide significant support to the community at little or no cost.
Each year before Colorado Gives Day, we feature every local nonprofit on the air at no charge. This includes recording interviews, producing promotional segments, and giving them valuable airtime to reach listeners. Our underwriting options for small businesses are intentionally affordable, comparable in cost to a quarter-page newspaper ad but with countywide reach.
We also broadcast local forums, town updates, and public discussions to help residents stay informed. These efforts are offered as a public service, not as revenue-generating activities.
We host and produce community events.
Our concerts, public affairs programs, Youth Week activities, school partnerships, and live broadcasts rely on staff time, engineering, equipment, and promotion. These events are designed to build community, not to raise money, but they require resources to produce.
Operating two radio stations is costly.
It takes about $500 per day to keep KFFR 88.3FM and KWTR 89.1FM on the air. This figure includes transmitters, internet service, tower leases, software, studio equipment, streaming servers, electricity, engineering work, and required FCC compliance. It does not include staff time.
Our projected 2026 budget is approximately $330,000. More than half of that amount is required just to keep both stations operating, leaving a limited amount to compensate two full-time and three part-time employees. None of our staff receive health benefits, and all could earn significantly more in private-sector roles.
We do not receive federal funding.
We had anticipated qualifying for Corporation for Public Broadcasting support, which would have provided roughly twenty percent of our annual budget. Those funds were recently eliminated for stations of our size, which has increased our reliance on local fundraising efforts.
Most community radio stations hold several pledge drives each year. KFFR holds only one.
Instead of running multiple membership drives, we conduct one in June and then rely on underwriting, grants, and community-focused events to sustain the station. Fundraisers such as the 90s Dance Party help fill the gaps left by rising operational costs.
We rely on broad community support in order to remain independent.
A common question is why a board member or major donor cannot simply fund the entire station. The reason is that community radio must remain accountable to the full community rather than a single individual.
If one person were to pay for the station, KFFR would lose the independence that allows us to represent broad community perspectives. By receiving support from many donors, we stay true to our mission and maintain the integrity of community radio.
Every dollar raised strengthens Grand County.
Your support helps us:
• Feature local nonprofits and community initiatives
• Provide affordable airtime for small businesses
• Celebrate and promote local musicians
• Broadcast youth programming and school events
• Offer public forums and civic coverage
• Deliver reliable information to residents
• Expand our signal into Grand Lake and additional areas
KFFR exists because the community supports it. Everything we raise goes directly back into serving Grand County.
If you would like to see firsthand how KFFR operates, we welcome you to visit the studio anytime. We would be happy to show you the equipment, introduce you to our volunteers, or help you experience what community radio looks like behind the microphone.