PRESERVING RADIO HISTORY ACROSS COLORADO

Archives: People

  • Lon Helton

    Lon Helton spent part of his early career on Denver’s KLAK before becoming one of the best-known voices in country radio. If you’ve ever heard Country Countdown USA on a Saturday night, you’ve heard him.

    Country radio’s voice

    Lon has been behind the mic for Country Countdown USA since its 1992 debut, and he has hosted national country radio programs from 1984 onward. In 2006 he launched the trade publication Country Aircheck. Earlier, in 1983, a move to Radio & Records had made him the country editor.

    Denver and beyond

    It all started in Illinois, at WVPC-FM and WRAM in Monmouth and then WGIL in Galesburg. From there he spent 1973 to 1974 on the air at KLAK in Denver. Chicago was next: WMAQ from 1975 to 1977, then WJJD and WJEZ. Los Angeles followed, with KHJ from 1980 to 1983 and KLAC from 1983 to 1986.

    Sources

    Remember Lon from his Denver days? Tell us about it.

  • Roger Barkley

    If you heard a KIMN jock from the “Fabulous 95” days who later ended up with a Walk of Fame star, it may have been “Jolly” Roger Barkley. He was on the air at KIMN in Denver in 1960, years before he and Al Lohman became one of the most famous morning teams in Los Angeles radio.

    Before and during Denver

    Roger was born September 11, 1936, in Odebolt, Iowa, and left home at 17 to pursue broadcasting. His first job was page at WCCO in Minneapolis, and the Army claimed some of his time too. Along the way he worked as announcer and program director at KYSM in Mankato, KSUM in Fairmont and KALL in Salt Lake City. KBOX in Dallas and KIMN in Denver were on his resume too. A restored KIMN aircheck from September 4, 1960, captures him on the air there.

    Lohman and Barkley

    Roger headed to Los Angeles in 1961 and was at KLAC through 1967, where he teamed up with Al Lohman. The pair spent 1967 and 1968 at KFWB, then moved to KFI, where The Lohman and Barkley Show ran from 1968 to 1986. Roger handled the interviews and narration and played the straight man to Lohman. They hosted two short-lived network TV shows that won Emmys, turned up on Hollywood Squares and The Ed Sullivan Show, and got a Hollywood Walk of Fame star.

    After the split

    Roger left KFI in May 1986 and took the morning slot at KJOI. In 1990 he joined Ken Minyard on KABC for The Ken and Barkley Company, which lasted until about 1996. Nearly 200 charity events a year had him as emcee, and he co-founded The Barkley, an upscale restaurant chain. He died December 21, 1997, in Duarte, California, at 61. Today the Roger Barkley Community Foundation still pays for hospitals, youth groups and scholarships.

    Sources

    Did you hear Roger on KIMN? We’d love to hear your memories.

  • Cecil Heftel

    Cecil “Cec” Heftel owned KIMN in the late 1950s, just before it became the Top 40 giant Denver kids grew up on. His second act looked nothing like that: he became a Hawaii broadcaster and a member of Congress.

    The KIMN years

    Broadcast Pioneers of Colorado shows Heftel as KIMN’s owner in 1958. During the 1950s he had managed radio stations in Idaho, Utah, Colorado and Arizona. In 1960 the buyers were Bob Donner Jr., John Hunter and Ken Palmer, who paid $402,000, and Palmer then ran the station through its Top 40 heyday.

    Hawaii and Congress

    Born in Chicago on September 30, 1924, Heftel bought KGMB radio and TV in Honolulu in 1965 and built up Heftel Broadcasting, which was later renamed Hispanic Broadcasting Co. Voters sent him to the U.S. House from Hawaii’s 1st District in 1976. He left Congress in 1986 to run for governor, but lost the Democratic primary to John Waihee. He later settled in Las Vegas, is credited with purchasing FM stations in Los Angeles that broadcast in Spanish, and died February 4, 2010, in San Diego at age 85.

    Sources

    Know more about the Heftel years at KIMN? We’d love to hear from you.

  • Melissa Moore

    Melissa Moore is a Denver radio host who co-hosts mornings on KOOL 105 (KXKL). If your mornings start with KOOL 105, you’ve heard her.

    From KOSI to KOOL 105

    Melissa was on KOSI until September 2024, when she left to team up with Dom Testa on Dom in the Morning with Melissa Moore. It launched October 7, 2024 and took over from Winston & Mel after nine years.

    When KSE Radio announced Dom’s exit on January 23, 2026, Melissa stayed on in the weekday 6 to 10 a.m. slot.

    Sources

    If you’ve been listening since her KOSI days, we’d love to hear your memories.

  • Dom Testa

    Dom Testa spent more than three decades waking up Denver. If Mix 100 was on in your car for a good chunk of your life, you’ve heard him.

    Getting to Denver

    Dom started his career at KFMN in Abilene, Texas, and landed in Denver in 1986. He spent six years at Y108 (KRXY) before settling in at 100.3, the station that went from Majic 100 (KMJI) to Kim 100 and then Mix 100 (KIMN). He stayed for about 32 years.

    KOOL 105

    In October 2024, Dom left Mix 100 and started mornings on KOOL 105 (KXKL) as host of Dom in the Morning with Melissa Moore. That show took over from Winston & Mel after nine years.

    On January 23, 2026, KSE Radio said Dom was out as morning host. The station says it’s pushing for more local content, and for the last few years Dom had been doing the show remotely from his home in Georgia. Melissa stays on the 6 to 10 a.m. slot.

    Sources

    Did Dom wake you up for years? Tell us your favorite memory of the show.

  • Joy Thompson

    Joy Thompson was a morning co-host at Q102.7 KBIQ in Colorado Springs. If Q102.7 was your wake-up call around 2001, you probably remember her.

    KBIQ morning co-host

    The archive has a 2001 photo of Joy at the station: Morning co-host Joy Thompson.

    If you worked with Joy or listened to the morning show, we’d love to hear your story.

  • Parris Foxworthy

    Parris Foxworthy was the news director at Q102.7 KBIQ in Colorado Springs. If you caught the news on Q102.7 around 2001, this was the person behind it.

    KBIQ news director

    The archive has a 2001 photo of Parris at the station: News Director Parris Foxworthy.

    If you worked with Parris or remember the Q102.7 newscasts, we’d love to hear your story.

  • Chris Kelly

    Chris Kelly was part of the morning team at Q102.7 KBIQ in Colorado Springs. If your mornings started with Q102.7 in the mid-2000s, she was one of the voices getting you out the door.

    KBIQ morning team

    An archive photo from 2005 shows Chris and Uncle Steve Etheridge with their kids at the Walk for Life. See Chris Kelly and Uncle Steve with their kids at the Walk for Life.

    If you worked with Chris or listened to the show, we’d love to hear your story.

  • Jennifer Paige

    Jennifer Paige worked at 98.5 KYGO in Denver. If country was your station of choice in the Denver area, this is one of the voices behind it.

    KYGO

    Jennifer was part of the KYGO team in Denver (supplied by the archive). She appears in the archive’s photo from the Denver Radio Ladies Party.

    If you worked with Jennifer or remember her on KYGO, we’d love to hear your story.

  • Rashke Catlin

    Rashke Catlin is a Denver radio personality who has been a voice on KOSI 101.1. If you had KOSI on at work or in the car, you’ve likely heard her.

    KOSI

    Rashke worked at KOSI in Denver (supplied by the archive). In February 2011 the Denver Post ran a story headlined “Rashke returns to KOSI 101.5 radio show,” so she came back to the station after time away. She appears in the archive’s photo from the Denver Radio Ladies Party.

    If you worked with Rashke or remember her on KOSI, we’d love to hear your story.

    Sources