(ALAMOSA, Colo.) — While driving into downtown Alamosa, you might catch a glimpse at a small pink house that is home to a whole lot of radio history, including one of the oldest AM stations, KGIW.

“KGIW is the oldest AM station, so we got a lot of history in this building,” said Operations Manager of Wolf Creek Broadcasting, Alonzo Herrera. “And we love being a part of the community.”

When heading into downtown Alamosa, you might catch a glimpse of the KGIW letters.

The news director of KGIW, Mark Beatty, has been with the station since 1992 and said he still feels the connection every day with listeners.

“Once radio gets in your blood, it’s one of those things that it’s something new every day,” Beatty said. “So I just have never [been] tired of it. Come early and stay late is what I do. “

In reflecting on the history of the station, Beatty shared how the station got its roots in the valley.

“You can go to the early part of the 1920s, and I think that’s when you first started seeing radio popping up, starting to flourish here in the state of Colorado, especially in the larger markets, Denver down to Colorado Springs and Pueblo,” Beatty said. “But as radio grew, there was just that need… the previous owner wanted to start the station in Trinidad, but he wasn’t very long for that, for realizing that maybe Alamosa was going to be a better market for what he wanted to achieve in radio.”

Beatty in the recording booth shared the local news on Tuesday morning for KGIW.

When it comes to Beatty’s favorite part of his job, he shared it is informing and connecting with valley listeners on important information such as local news or weather updates.

“I think probably pretty much disseminating the local information, be it the weather, the market reports, things like that, very important to our agriculture community around here,” Beatty said. “Those change daily, so that’s always something new to touch base on and we appreciate our listeners tuning in.”

Thanks to the power of radiowaves, the station is able to warn its listeners when severe weather is about to hit.

“So whenever there’s like a fire or tornado, we get a lot of fires here, especially in this part of southern Colorado,” Herrara said. “So it is very important for us to get that information out to the public as fast as possible. And definitely farmers, they listen to the radio all the time.”

Herrara printed out photos and articles of the history of KGIW for the interview with FOX21.

For Herrara, he felt a deep connection to radio in high school and reflected on the full circle moment of now working and marketing for the station.

“I’ve been listening to this station since I was in diapers,” Herrara said. “I’ve been listening to Mark Beatty since I was in diapers, too. And I originally got kind of my start here in high school, and I’ve been in radio for about eight years now since then.”

Once a high school intern, Herrara is now helping with operations and marketing – his passion for KGIW is clear.

“I think the biggest thing is, like I said, this is very important to me,” Herrara said. “I take my job very seriously. I just want to make sure that this place is still around for my kiddos to listen to it.”

Alonzo Herrera showed how he is able to create commercials for the station.

The talent and tunes playing in KGIW are a staple in the valley.

“People who are in radio… it’s something that they will always stick with,” Herrara said. “And as much as you try to get away from radio, you’ll always be involved in some way, whether it’s with us or through a community station like ours.”

While new talent has walked into the building, Beatty is able to reflect on the history that has been broadcast through KGIW.

“I could go through some names of folks that were on the radio scene here dating, well, many years before I started,” Beatty said. “So without them and all of my predecessors and the legacy that they left that have kept us alive and kicking for 94 and a half years now, I just have to, you know, just be thankful that I’m part of that whole lineage.”

If you would like to tune into KGIW, you can turn the dial to 1450 AM and 105.3 FM.