PRESERVING RADIO HISTORY ACROSS COLORADO

Archives: People

  • Stix Franklin

    Stix Franklin (Brian Cappock) is a radio guy who came to Colorado Springs for the mountains as much as the microphone. If you listened to KCS 102 in the early 2000s, you heard him on the air and choosing the music.

    Radio Aahs, Utah and KCS 102

    His first radio gig was with Radio Aahs, a network made for kids, and he stuck with it until it wound down. Utah was a brief detour before he settled in Colorado Springs and signed on at KKCS/KCS 102. A trade chart from November 2003 shows him as music director there, on top of his time behind the mic. He has said that skiing and mountain biking made Colorado Springs an especially memorable place to land.

    Green Bay

    Back in October 2004, Main Street Tattler reported that Brian “Stix Franklin” Cappock was leaving KKCS for the evening shift at WNCY in Green Bay. A biography he wrote later on backs that up, saying 2004 was the year he returned to Green Bay and the upper Midwest. Down the road he did middays at WQLH/Star 98, and in 2012 he finished a degree in Human Biology — Exercise Science at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay.

    Sources

  • Cadillac Jack

    Cadillac Jack was John Wheeler, a former bull rider and longtime farrier who got into radio in his 50s. If you listened to KKCS in the early 2000s, or to Star Country in Cañon City after that, you heard his easygoing voice.

    From the saloon to the microphone

    The story goes that a chance meeting with KKCS personalities Travis Daily and Uncle Steve at a Pueblo saloon turned into a fast friendship. KKCS hired him as a part-time announcer in 1998; he later took over the full-time evening slot and stayed through 2003. A December 13, 2002 Radio & Records photo caption identifies him as a KKCS/Colorado Springs air personality, pictured with program director Shannon Stone and Keith Burns of Trick Pony, and an archive photo from around 2001 shows him backstage at Cowboys in Colorado Springs with the station staff and country artist Terri Clark.

    Star Country

    Jack then hosted mornings at KSTY-FM, Star Country in Cañon City, through 2021. He died on January 7, 2022.

    Sources

  • Kristina Kautz

    Kristina Kautz is named in our archive’s catalog of a KKCS staff photo from around 2001. If you were a KKCS country listener in Colorado Springs in the early 2000s, Kristina was part of the crew behind the station.

    Backstage with Terri Clark

    The photo has the KKCS group backstage with country artist Terri Clark at Cowboys. The catalog doesn’t say what Kristina’s job was or how long Kristina was there.

    This is a short page built from one archive photo. If you worked with Kristina or have more to add, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources

  • Kevin Willz

    Kevin Willz is named in our archive’s catalog of a KKCS staff photo from around 2001. If you were a KKCS country listener in Colorado Springs in the early 2000s, Kevin was part of the crew behind the station.

    Backstage with Terri Clark

    The photo has the KKCS group backstage with country artist Terri Clark at Cowboys. The catalog doesn’t say what Kevin’s job was or how long Kevin was there.

    This is a short page built from one archive photo. If you worked with Kevin or have more to add, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources

  • Alex Ryden

    Alex Ryden is a former Colorado Springs radio personality and programmer who traded the studio for City Hall. If you listened to a mix of country, oldies, rock and pop in the Springs over the years, you probably heard one of his stations.

    Colorado Springs radio

    Archive station records connect Alex with KCCY, KDZA, KIBT, KKLI, KMOM and KVUU. That runs across country, oldies, rock and contemporary formats in an era of heavy ownership and format change in Southern Colorado radio.

    Into public communications

    Alex later moved from commercial broadcasting into communications and public relations. He has formal training in radio and television production, and that experience carried over to communicating public information for the City of Colorado Springs.

    Where is he now?

    As of October 2026, Alex is Senior Public Communications Specialist for the City of Colorado Springs, working with City Council and Legislative Services. City records from 2026 show him presenting the City Council Annual Report, and the City’s media directory lists him as a communications contact for City Council.

    Sources

  • Sheena Sandoval

    Sheena Sandoval is a Colorado country voice who came up through Colorado Springs radio. If you listen to KYGO in Denver, or tuned in to the Clear Channel stations in the Springs in the 2000s, you’ve heard her.

    Starting in Colorado Springs

    Sheena grew up in Castle Rock and started in 2003 as an intern with Clear Channel in Colorado Springs after attending the Ohio Center for Broadcasting. In 2004 she joined Clear Channel’s Total Traffic Network as a traffic reporter, and over the years she was also on the air at KVUU, KKLI, KMOM and KCCY.

    In 2011 she became KVUU’s night host. She left Clear Channel in 2012 during a company restructuring, then worked part-time at KKFM in the Springs.

    Denver and KYGO

    In 2016 Sheena joined KYGO in Denver as an overnight host and later moved to middays.

    Where is she now?

    As of October 2026, Sheena is still part of the lineup at KYGO 98.5 in Denver, according to current station listings.

    Sources

  • James Brown

    James Brown is a longtime Colorado Springs broadcaster you may know from both your radio and your TV. If you checked the morning traffic before heading out the door, there’s a good chance he was the one telling you where the backups were.

    Radio

    Before he became a familiar face to Southern Colorado TV viewers, James worked in radio at KSPZ-FM (Z93). That puts him in the Colorado Springs 92.9 FM lineage that later became KKPK.

    Television and traffic

    Colorado State University Pueblo alumni material lists James as a traffic reporter and weather forecaster for KKTV 11 News in Colorado Springs, and KKTV’s own coverage shows him as part of the morning team and the station’s traffic reporter.

    He has also done radio traffic work with iHeartMedia and runs James Brown DJ Service (JB DJ Services), taking his on-air skills to events as a DJ and emcee.

    Where is he now?

    As of October 2026, James is still working in Southern Colorado traffic, weather and media.

    Sources

  • Chris Pickett (Marco)

    Chris Pickett, on the air as Marco, ran the show behind several Colorado Springs stations in the mid-2000s. If you were tuned to My 99.9 or K-Lite 106.3 back then, you heard the sound he helped shape.

    Colorado Springs

    Chris arrived in August 2005 from Top 40 KCLD in St. Cloud, Minnesota, to program KVUU (My 99.9) and KKLI (K-Lite 106.3). A preserved KVUU website from December 26, 2005 lists “Marco” in the My 99.9 lineup. He rose to operations manager for Clear Channel’s Colorado Springs group while still programming; the M Street Radio Book 2008–2009 lists him as KVUU program director at the cluster’s South Circle Drive building, and in January 2011 the Gazette still called him operations manager.

    On the road

    In 2011 Clear Channel sent him to Tucson as operations manager of its seven-station cluster. Later came senior programming jobs with Clear Channel/iHeartMedia in Las Vegas, regional oversight, and then, from 2019, Townsquare Media in Boise as director of content and operations manager.

    Where is he now?

    After Townsquare Boise phased out his position in April 2025, Chris briefly joined Hope Media Group’s KSBJ in Houston as assistant program director and music director in May, then was promoted in June 2025 to network program director for WayFM, based in Nashville.

    Sources

  • Shane Farris

    Shane Farris shows up in the Colorado Springs radio record as the Public Affairs Director at KKCS-FM 101.9. If you listened to KKCS in the early 90s, he was part of the team behind the station’s community-minded programming.

    Public affairs at KKCS

    In 1993, Shane was listed in the Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook as Public Affairs Director for KKCS-FM. The station was owned by Walton Stations of Colorado and ran alongside its AM sister, KKCS 1460. A public affairs director is the person who shapes the local-issue shows and community segments you hear between the music, so he helped keep the station connected to Colorado Springs.

    This is a short page built from industry directory records. If you worked with Shane or have more to add, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources

  • Bruce Erickson

    Bruce Erickson was a Colorado Springs radio sales executive at 101.9 KKCS-FM in the early 1990s. If you listened to traditional country in the Springs back then, his job was to keep the station’s advertisers on board.

    KKCS-FM

    The 1993 Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook lists Bruce as general sales manager of KKCS-FM. At the time, the 101.9 FM signal ran alongside KKCS 1460 AM under Walton Stations of Colorado and duplicated the AM’s programming. The same directory lists Jerry Grant as general sales manager on the KKCS-AM entry.

    KKCS-FM ran 79 kW from a high-elevation Colorado Springs transmission site with a traditional-country format. Bruce’s sales-management role put him on the business side of a locally focused station whose programming, promotions and advertising relationships were closely tied to the community.

    This is a short page built from contributor information. If you worked with Bruce or have more to add, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources