I was at KJOL before it was KJOL

Kurt Neuswanger • May 28, 2022

KJOL turned 40 years old in May. And I was there before KJOL was even on the air! What’s more, I worked at AM620 years before it became KJOL-AM!


My first radio job was at KTWG in Guam in 1980, while I was doing a mission project with Campus Crusade for Christ. KTWG was the AM station operated by Trans World Radio, but their main purpose was the two shortwave transmitters that broadcast the gospel to Asia.


One of our favorite artists at KTWG was a young woman named Amy Grant. But KTWG was pretty conservative, so we could play “My Father’s Eyes” but not “Old Man’s Rubble”!

 

After I graduated CSU (with a degree in Broadcasting), I met Pastor Howard Owen and saw the studio he was building in the back of Columbus Evangelical Free Church. It wasn’t on the air yet, and honestly, his collection of music didn’t really interest me (“What? No Amy Grant?”), so I found work at various other radio stations in the state.


One of those stations was AM620 in Grand Junction, which was known as KSTR-AM at the time. Ken Andrews went to my church, and I would ask him, “Do you have any fulltime openings?” He would say, “I wish we could, but we don’t have the money for that right now.”


I finally got a job at KJOL in 1990, working evenings while I got a degree in computer information systems. After I graduated, I turned my back on the “big bucks” of a computer career and went to work for KJOL fulltime.


In 1997, Scott McIntire left KJOL and I became Music Director. For the last 25 years, I’ve been trying to find the best possible music for KJOL.


Over the years, musical styles have changed, but KJOL’s standards have remained the same: Songs that are musically strong and lyrically biblical.

Share The Light Tips of the Day

By Dave Andrews • 04 Apr, 2024
Our annual Spring FriendRaiser is underway for the month of April; and as a part of that, our theme this year is Share The Light. As you share the Gospel and the Light of Christ, KJOL has compiled 30 tips for every day of the month. Here they are:

Songs that say THANK YOU!

By Kurt Neuswanger • 04 Apr, 2024
During KJOL’s April “Friendraiser” month, we want to say THANK YOU to our faithful supporters. And THANK YOU to everyone who makes a first-time donation. And finally THANK YOU to God, the giver of all good gifts in our lives, starting with Jesus Christ! KJOL has a lot of new songs that say THANK YOU. I hope you enjoy them! That Thank You Song! Citizen Way Thank God Stars Go Dim Thank You Life.Church Worship I Thank God Housefires Thanks Giver Crowder Thanks and Praise Lucy Grimble and Vineyard Music A Thousand Thank Yous Sarah Kroger Thankful VERSES Thank You Jesus For The Blood Charity Gayle

Four More New Artists

By Kurt Neuswanger • 07 Mar, 2024
In January, we told you about four new artists at the KJOL music blog . This month, we have four more new artists. Jordan Smith “This Is Jesus” Jordan Smith is a 30 year old Kentucky native who grew up singing in the church choir. In 2015, he won NBC’s The Voice. He sang “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” and "Mary Did You Know." Natalie Layne “Amen” Natalie Layne is a 24 year old Colorado Springs native, where she was a worship leader at New Life Church. She received a masters degree in piano from Belmont University in Nashville. In 2019, she won Belmont’s Christian Showcase. She continues to serve as a worship leader at her church in Nashville. Terrian “Big God” Terrian (Woods) is a singer/songwriter from Memphis. She is also a member of TobyMac's band Diverse City. And she serves on the staff of AngelStreet in Memphis, which mentors girls as part of an all girls choir. Seph Schleuter “Counting My Blessings” Seph Schlueter ( pronounced “seff shleeter”) spent 7 years as a missionary. In 2020 he formed the worship collective Damascus Worship, in conjunction with the organization “Damascus” which conducts two-year programs to develop leaders who will impact their generation for Christ with the aim of bringing revival to the Catholic Church.

Oh The Many Repairs...

By Dave Andrews • 04 Mar, 2024
He had noticed we had been off the air on 94.5 FM in Delta…and I related to him it was one of “those” weekends for our poor equipment. Not only did our AM 1400 Delta transmitter go down causing us to make a very expensive replacement only weeks before, but our FM transmitter in Delta went down at the same time as our Montrose 91.9FM transmitter, and only hours after our whole network went down across the Western Slope!

February Update

By Dave Andrews • 05 Feb, 2024
The other day a kindly woman knocked on my door asking for a donation to help build the local swimming pool. I came back with a glass of water. Doesn’t it feel great to give to a good cause??

"How Great Thou Art" 75th Anniversary Edition

By Kurt Neuswanger • 31 Jan, 2024
The English version of the hymn “How Great Thou Art” turns 75 years old in 2024. To mark the anniversary, a new recording has been released, including a brand new verse by Matt Redman. First a little history… Swedish pastor Carl Boberg wrote the original lyrics in 1885. Boberg said that after a strong thunderstorm passed by, he opened his window and heard church bells ringing. He immediately was inspired to write his poem, set to the tune of a Swedish folk melody. It was translated into Russian, where English missionary Stuart Hine heard it while in Ukraine in 1931. He wrote two new verses (3 & 4) and translated it into English in 1949—which is the 75 th anniversary. British missionaries around the world soon began to spread the song. Eventually it reached Billy Graham and George Beverly Shea , who performed it during Graham’s 1957 New York Crusade. The audience liked it so much, they asked Shea to sing it over and over. Graham then used it every week on his Hour Of Decision radio program. Fifteen artists have now collaborated to record the 75th anniversary edition, called “How Great Thou Art (Until That Day)” . When you hear the song on KJOL, the first two voices are from Chris Tomlin and Hillary Scott . The remaining voices include: Kari Jobe and her husband, Cody Carnes Naomi Raine (Maverick City Music) Taya (formerly with Hillsong) Blessing Offor (from Nigeria) Matt Maher (who also plays piano) Matt Redman For the 75 th anniversary, the Stuart Hine Trust commissioned Matt Redman and Mitch Wong to write a new fifth verse: Until that day When heaven bids us welcome, And as we walk this broken warring world, Your kingdom come, Deliver us from evil, And we’ll proclaim our God how great You are! And we’ll proclaim, our God how great You are Redman said they wanted to tie the verse to Stuart Hine’s work in Ukraine, especially in light of the current conflict there. “I wanted the word ‘war’ in there,” said Redman . “It’s kind of a gritty word. But we have to sing about both the everyday and the eternal.” Time will tell if the fifth verse becomes a staple in hymnals. But few will argue that “How Great Thou Art” is one of America’s favorite hymns. And with this new rendition, hopefully it will continue to be loved by future generations.
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