On March 15, 1971, the station signed on as KBVL, originally licensed to Boulder and owned by the Boulder Radio Company.[2] KBVL was the FM counterpart to AM 1490 KBOL (now KCFC). At first, KBVL broadcast an easy listening/middle of the road format but later switched to classical music.
In 1986, the station was acquired by Sterling Radio and a classic rock format began along with the new calls letters KHIH or "K-High 94.7." On April 14, 1988, Adams Communications assumed control of KHIH from Sterling Radio, flipping the station to a Smooth Jazz/New Adult Contemporary format but keeping the KHIH calls and K-High branding (although they were dayparting Smooth Jazz/NAC programing in the evenings and overnights prior to the change of format). The station used the syndicated "Wave" format that had been successful on KTWV-Los Angeles.[3][4]
CLG Media of Denver purchased KHIH in 1993. A few months later, Salem Communications (later known as the Salem Media Group) purchased KHIH from CLG for $5 million, with the sale closing that December.[5] Salem mostly operates Christian stations, so it dropped the Smooth Jazz format on October 25, 1993, for its current Christian Talk/Teaching format (the smooth jazz format would move to KHOW-FM and pick up the KHIH calls).[6]
In the early 2010s, the station switched its city of license from Boulder to Lafayette, putting it a bit closer to Denver, although the transmitter remains northwest of Boulder, where it had been. The station was rebranded as "94.7 FM The Word" in January 2017.
