PRESERVING RADIO HISTORY ACROSS COLORADO

Archives: People

  • Carl Akers

    Carl Akers was a news boss at KLZ, running the newsrooms for both radio and TV and building the stations’ reputation as Denver’s go-to for news. If you tuned in to KLZ news in the 1950s and early 1960s, his work was what you heard and saw.

    According to the Broadcast Pioneers of Colorado, Akers earned his University of Missouri degree in 1948. He came to Denver and took a job in KLZ Radio; KLZ-TV, Channel 7, went on the air in 1953. Anchor duty on the 10 PM newscast lasted a single week before he returned to radio. From there, the group says, he helped make Channel 7 the “Number one News station” in Denver for a long run.

    After retiring in 1966 to travel in Europe, he returned to television in 1967 at KBTV, Channel 9, launching a second career there, and his news and management skills played a part in the station’s top-rated newscast in 1975.

    This is a short stub. Exact dates and titles at KLZ and KBTV aren’t on that page.

    Sources: Broadcast Pioneers of Colorado, Hall of Fame 2000 — Carl Akers.

  • Harry Behler

    Harry Behler is the man who founded the station that began as KGEK in Yuma, out on Colorado’s eastern plains. If you grew up listening to the station near Sterling that is now KSTC, his is the name behind where it all began.

    According to Wikipedia, the station “was founded in 1938 by Harry Behler.” Its first license was for KGEK, based in Yuma, roughly 60 miles to the southeast of Sterling. It relocated to Sterling in the 1950s. The name also appears as “Beehler” in other sources, which give different years, so we’re still sorting out the dates.

    This is a short stub. We’re still working on the full story.

    Sources: Wikipedia, KSTC (AM); Broadcast Pioneers of Colorado (Hall of Fame 2005 entry cited in our timeline; not re-checked).

  • Jacob Barker

    If you caught Christian talk on Colorado Springs’ 1580 AM in the mid-2010s, you were likely tuned to Jacob Barker’s station. He owned the signal when it went by “1580 The Trumpet.”

    According to Wikipedia, that Christian talk format was put in place while Barker was in charge. Later on the station went to Greeley Broadcasting, and that deal closed on December 20, 2019. For the full call-sign and ownership history, see the KFCS page.

    This is a short stub. We haven’t confirmed the exact years Barker owned the station.

    Sources: Wikipedia, KFCS.

  • Edward J. Patrick

    Edward J. Patrick owned the Colorado Springs station on 1580 AM when it took the KWYD call letters in 1987. If you were on that end of the dial in the late 1980s, his stations are the ones you were hearing.

    Wikipedia says the 1580 AM station “became KWYD under the ownership of Edward J. Patrick,” who also owned a sister KWYD-FM at the time. The station has carried a long list of call letters since then; you can follow the whole trail on the KFCS page.

    This is a short stub. We don’t yet have more on Patrick or exactly how long he owned the stations.

    Sources: Wikipedia, KFCS.

  • Tim O’Connor

    Tim O’Connor was one of three partners who bought Littleton station KMOR in 1960. If you were tuning around the south Denver suburbs in the early 1960s, this was the small local signal the trio put on the dial.

    The Broadcast Pioneers of Colorado say O’Connor teamed up with Bob Martin and Bob Rubin to buy KMOR, aiming at the south suburban market, and that the three owned it from April 1, 1960 to April 1, 1965. The station became KDKO at the end of 1964.

    This is a short stub. We haven’t found more about O’Connor yet; if you knew him, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources: Broadcast Pioneers of Colorado, 2015 Hall of Fame Inductees (Bob Rubin profile); Broadcast Pioneers of Colorado, Bob Martin profile.

  • Casey Allen

    Casey Allen was producer of George McFly‘s morning show on 98.9 Magic FM/KKMG in Colorado Springs in 2010, the only year he was at the station. A producer is the one behind the glass making a morning show sound like it just happens on its own, so if you listened to McFly that year, you were hearing Allen’s work too.

    From 2009 to 2010, Allen also worked as a board operator on KVOR, which means he was the guy running the buttons while the talk hosts talked. If you heard a clean handoff to a commercial break on that station, that’s the job.

    This entry comes from a first-hand recollection and hasn’t been matched to a published source yet.

  • J-Renee

    J-Renee was the on-air name of Jaqueline Tuma, a Colorado Springs radio host who was part of a short-lived morning team on 98.9 Magic FM/KKMG in 2009.

    She co-hosted with Bobby Adan (“Best Friend Bobby”) and The Counselor. We’re still looking for dates and press coverage of that lineup.

    This entry comes from a first-hand recollection and hasn’t been matched to a published source yet. If you remember the show, we’d love to hear from you.

  • The Counselor

    The Counselor was the on-air name of Kareem Hilton, a Colorado Springs radio host who had a short run on 98.9 Magic FM/KKMG in 2009.

    He was part of a morning team with Bobby Adan (“Best Friend Bobby”) and J-Renee. If you were setting your alarm to Magic that year, that’s who was in your ear on the way to work. It didn’t last long, and we’re still looking for dates, ratings or press coverage of the lineup.

    This entry comes from a first-hand recollection and hasn’t been matched to a published source yet. If you remember the show, we’d love to hear from you.

  • Rob Quinn

    Rob Quinn took over as Vice President/General Manager of Cumulus’s group of Colorado Springs stations in April 2015.

    Career

    Radio Business Report broke the news on April 28, 2015. Quinn had previously held positions in Denver and San Diego, and the report noted that he had worked for a trio of Hispanic broadcasters: Liberman, Bustos and Entravision. In Colorado Springs he stepped into the job Kent Hildebrand had held, running a cluster that includes KATC, KKFM, KKMG, KKPK, KVOR and KCSF. Scott Jones later took over the role from him.

    Sources: Radio Business Report, April 28, 2015.

  • Jay Davis

    Jay Davis is a veteran Cumulus Media executive. In June 2026 he stepped up to Regional Vice President, adding the Colorado Springs cluster to the Oklahoma City market that has been under his leadership since 2015.

    Career

    Davis’s Cumulus path began toward the end of 1989, when he came aboard the Oklahoma City cluster selling ad time as a sales rep. He moved into the sales manager job in 1997, and in 2015 he became VP/Market Manager in Oklahoma City.

    Cumulus promoted him to Regional Vice President on June 23, 2026. He hangs on to his Oklahoma City responsibilities while also taking charge of the Colorado Springs group, where he follows Scott Jones. The Colorado Springs cluster includes KATC (Cat Country 95.1), KCSF (Xtra Sports 1300), KKFM (98.1), KKMG (Magic 98.9), KKPK (Peak FM 92.9) and KVOR (740).

    Sources: Radio Ink, June 23, 2026; RadioInsight, June 2026; Cumulus Media release.