BY PAT SUNDERLAND
Managing Editor

When David Lehmann opened Mr. Detector at 208 Ute Street in Delta, he opened the door to a Christian radio station that begins its fifth year of broadcasting this month.

KSYF, at 107.5 FM on the radio dial, is owned and operated by the Montrose Christian Broadcasting Corporation (MCBC). The corporation was formed in 2001 by Gale George and like-minded friends.

Lehmann is now the president of MCBC, which explains the close relationship between the radio station and his business, which offers metal detecting equipment, prospecting supplies and Oreck vacuum cleaners.

A great deal of waiting and praying went into the process of obtaining an FM license for KSYF, Lehmann explains in a historic account he wrote for the station’s soon-to-be-launched website. An application was initially submitted in 2000, but due to a variety of obstacles, the station didn’t receive its FCC license and begin broadcasting until December 2014. Operations moved from Montrose to Delta in June 2018, when Lehmann purchased the building that formerly housed the Hometown Sears store on Ute Street. There’s plenty of retail space for his business, plus two offices that are dedicated to KSYF.

The radio station features a 24/7 mix of talk, children’s programming and Spanish language programming.

A feed from 3ABN — the Three Angels Broadcasting Network — arrives in Delta via a satellite dish on the roof of the building. The station engineer modifies the content for local needs, incorporating some live programming to supplement 3ABN’s Christ-centered format, which covers topics related to health, finance, relationships and prophecy.

The broadcast tower is located on Waterdog Peak, about 15 miles southeast of Montrose.

“People tell us they’re picking up the signal in the Fruita-Grand Junction area, as well as Moab, Telluride and Silverton,” Lehmann said. Folks traveling Highway 50 have tuned in to KSYF around Gunnison and Salida.

Both 3ABN and KSYF are nonprofit organizations that rely on Christian listeners for support. “Any donations that we receive go back into programming and materials,” said Lehmann.

Despite a small staff, consisting of the engineer, a part-time receptionist and a handful of volunteers, the station is gaining new listeners every day as it strives to spread a message of hope and inspiration across western Colorado.