Bette Bailly (died 2015) came to KNAB in Burlington in 1967 as an electronics engineer on what was supposed to be a 30-day job. She stayed nearly 50 years.
KNAB
Bailly had an engineering background and had already done on-air work at a Top 40 station in Great Falls, Montana. At KNAB, which signed on in 1967, she worked as engineer and disc jockey and went on to own the station, adding an FM sister in 1980.
Voice for small-market radio
She spent 15 years on the Colorado Broadcasters Association board, including as chair, and sat on the National Association of Broadcasters’ small-market board. At home she led the Burlington Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club, the Morgan Community College advisory board and the Kit Carson County Fair Board. Her honors include the Athena Goddess Award (1995), the CBA’s Broadcast Citizen of the Year (1996), the Rex Howell Award (2004) and induction into the Broadcast Pioneers of Colorado Hall of Fame in 2003.
Sources
- Broadcast Pioneers of Colorado, 2003 Hall of Fame.
- Colorado Broadcasters Association, October 15, 2015.
Stations They Worked At
FROM THE TIMELINE
Career Moments
July 11, 1967: KNAB signs on in Burlington
July 11, 1967 — KNAB 1140 went on the air in Burlington. Engineer Bette Bailly arrived that year for what was meant to be a 30-day job and stayed nearly 50 years, eventually owning the station.
1980: KNAB adds an FM station
1980 — Bette Bailly expanded Burlington’s KNAB with an FM sister station.
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