James W. Vinall was a Colorado Springs broadcasting executive, president/general manager and co-owner associated with the historic KVOR-AM / KVOR-FM / KSPZ-FM operation.
Wolverine Broadcasting
Period radio directories identify Vinall as manager of KVOR-FM as early as the 1960s. The 1969Broadcasting Yearbook listed him as president and general manager of Wolverine Broadcasting Company, owner of KVOR 1300 and its FM sister on 92.9. The AM station carried CBS and Intermountain affiliations, while the FM duplicated KVOR programming.
By the 1970s, Vinall remained president and general manager of Wolverine Broadcasting as the 92.9 facility changed from KVOR-FM to KSPZ and adopted the Z93 identity. A former KVOR/KSPZ employee who worked at the stations from 1973 to 1978 independently remembersJim Vinall as the operation’s General Manager during that period.
Sale of KVOR/KSPZ
Contemporary trade coverage identifies Vinall as one of Wolverine’s owners alongside Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Powers. In 1978 Wolverine agreed to sell the KVOR/KSPZ combination; FCC approval of a sale to Sunbelt Communications was reported in January 1979.
Colorado radio record
Stations: KVOR-AM, KVOR-FM, KSPZ-FM
Roles: Manager; president; general manager; co-owner
Documented: 1960s–1970s
Sources
- FM Radio Annual 1964 — lists Jim Vinall as KVOR-FM manager.
- Broadcasting Yearbook 1969 — Wolverine Broadcasting and KVOR/KVOR-FM management listing.
- Broadcasting, February 20, 1978 — Wolverine ownership and proposed KVOR/KSPZ sale.
- Broadcasting, January 22, 1979 — sale approval and ownership summary.
- Former KVOR/KSPZ employee, first-person oral-history contribution to the Colorado Radio Archive, October 2026.
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