18 DECEMBER 14-20, 2023 westword.com WESTWORD | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | LETTERS | CONTENTS | Tuned In BY JULIANNA O’CL AIR The listeners of K4CO radio are regularly catapulted back in time. The station’s air- waves vibrate with the best heavy-metal guitar shredding from the ’70s, nostalgic country tunes, and throwback hits that stretch all the way back to the ’40s, all with a sprinkle of today’s music on top. But the prevalence of ’70s, ’80s and ’90s music isn’t the only old-fashioned aspect of Centennial’s newest web-based radio station: K4CO also fosters a sense of community, imitating the best radio stations of the pre-internet age. “I’ve talked about it over the years, how great it would be to have a radio station, just because I used to listen to the radio all the time as a kid and loved it,” says Joshua D’Estrada, a local musician and K4CO’s president, unpacking his motivation for starting the new station. “It was a real sense of community and fi nding music. And this was back before the internet, so it was just such a great time in my life.” For D’Estrada, the work is a dream come true. It’s also a complete 180 from his four- teen-year career in fi nance and medical sales. “Soon after my father died is when I left [medical sales] and really fi gured out what I wanted to do,” he says. “Sarah Duke, who’s actually our VP of media relations, remembered me talking about a radio sta- tion at some point. She really pushed me. She was like, ‘Josh...this is the time you have to do it if you’re ever going to try it.’ So now we’re here.” He started building the radio station in April this year after pulling two of his friends into the passion project: William Roberts, now K4CO vice president, and station manager Kevin Stanley. The trio found a brick-and- mortar location in Centennial in July and hit the air by the beginning of September, releasing the station’s app a few weeks later. K4CO is a 24/7 online station that streams tunes through a website and mobile app. It operates on a tentative schedule, rotating genres including country, rock, metal, rap, hip-hop, ska, funk, soul and punk. The station also has three talk shows: one from 7 to 10 a.m. with D’Estrada and one from 2 to 5 p.m. with Stanley on weekdays, as well as a “Sunday Sit-Down” from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. each Sunday. The station doesn’t air commercials; in- stead, it partners with local businesses and highlights them during shows, interviewing company representatives and broadcasting live from local events such as the Fall Frenzy & Holiday Fair in Aurora. “One thing that is really big in our hearts is being a part of this community,” D’Estrada emphasizes. “We want to bring community back to radio in a unique and special way. “It’s not really to push our station at these events; it’s really to talk about the companies we’ve partnered up with and our foundations and nonprofi ts that we love so much and try to do a lot of work for,” he continues. “We made it a point that small businesses can even afford to team up with us and partner with us and we can help them out, give them a space on the radio.” So far, K4CO has partnered with two nonprofi ts, promoting the organizations and directing donations through the station’s web page. Foundation 1010 supports the physical and mental health of fi rst respond- ers by raising awareness of the challenges they face, honoring those who have lost their lives, raising funds and providing education and resources. “We also teamed up with TAPS [Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors], which is all across the country,” D’Estrada notes. “It’s for families who have lost a military family member, and they give resources and education.” The station also endorses Colorado Ca- nine Concierge, State Farm and Empow- eredX. And when it comes to the tune selection, D’Estrada, Roberts and Stanley want K4CO to play music that’s not typically heard on the radio, such as the forgotten songs of former icons. “People like Van Morrison and the Roll- ing Stones, their entire catalogue is summed up in a handful of songs, and we fi nd that just heartbreaking sometimes,” D’Estrada says. “Van Morrison is more than ‘Brown Eyed Girl.’ So we really try to play those songs that aren’t really heard on the radio.” That also makes the station akin to a musical time capsule. “We wanted to really create a station that preserves music,” he says. “That’s why we want to play everything from the ’40s through today, from mellow to metal.” That includes local bands, too. “We have an open-door policy,” D’Estrada adds. “Send us your music. We want to listen to it. We want to see if we can put it in our rotation and promote you and really build it.” Listen and learn more at k4coradio.com. MUSIC Station manager Kevin Stanley, president Joshua D’Estrada and vice president William Roberts. LARRY MANRING
