A.J. Carlisle

A.J. Carlisle was a Colorado radio programmer and on-air personality whose work at KVUU in Colorado Springs placed him at the center of the station’s contemporary-music operation during the early 2000s. By August 2001, national music-industry publication HITS was identifying Carlisle with KVUU in its reports on radio programmers and their current record selections. His name continued to appear in the trade publication through 2002 and 2003, documenting an active role in the station’s music programming during a period when KVUU was competing in the Hot AC/contemporary format.

Carlisle’s responsibilities extended well beyond music selection. By early 2004 he was serving as KVUU’s assistant program director, music director and afternoon-drive host. Radio & Records reported on January 9, 2004, that KVUU Operations Manager Don Schaeffer had promoted Carlisle to program director. The appointment formalized a role Carlisle had already been performing on an acting basis since the departure of Kevin Callahan in March 2003. The promotion made Carlisle responsible for the station’s overall programming while he continued to bring experience from both the music and on-air sides of the operation.

Trade coverage from the period offers a snapshot of Carlisle’s programming work. HITS repeatedly published his selections alongside programmers from stations around the country, with Carlisle recommending artists ranging from U2, Coldplay and Hoobastank to Avril Lavigne, Jason Mraz and No Doubt. Those contemporary reports help document both his tenure at KVUU and the musical environment the station occupied in the first years of the 2000s.

After his radio career, Carlisle remained closely connected to music and entertainment in Southern Colorado as the founder and owner of Celebrity DJ. The company became a long-running Colorado Springs event-DJ operation; Carlisle described it as having served thousands of weddings across Southern Colorado and noted recognition from local wedding and hospitality organizations. Independent wedding records and reviews also document Carlisle personally working ceremonies and receptions in the region years after his broadcast career.

Across broadcasting and event entertainment, Carlisle’s career reflects a progression familiar to many radio professionals of his generation: from on-air personality and music director to station programmer, followed by an entrepreneurial career built around music, presentation and live audiences.

Sources: Radio & Records, January 9, 2004; HITS, July 12, 2002; HITS, February 14, 2003; HITS, August 3, 2001; The Knot — Celebrity DJ / A.J. Carlisle; WeddingWire — Celebrity DJ reviews.