PRESERVING RADIO HISTORY ACROSS COLORADO

Archives: People

  • Gabe Charboneau

    Gabe Charboneau is a Pueblo-area promotions and events guy who worked in Southern Colorado radio before becoming widely known as a mixed-martial-arts coach, promoter and community advocate.

    96.1 The Beat

    By 2004–05 Gabe was promotions director of KIBT-FM, 96.1 The Beat, in Colorado Springs. After the newly launched rhythmic CHR station jumped to number one in the market in its first full ratings book, program director Jared Goldberg thanked Clear Channel’s CHR brand manager Todd Shannon, operations manager Bob Richards, Denver sister-station personality JoJo and “our Promotions Director, Gabe Charboneau” for helping build it. A later biography describes roughly 15 years of experience across media, event management and marketing in radio, TV and print.

    MMA and Pueblo

    Outside radio, Gabe became a prominent figure in Pueblo’s mixed-martial-arts world. He founded the organization that grew into WarriorBuilt MMA, and works as a coach, trainer, promoter and event organizer, with a stint as vice president of marketing for combat-sports group Global Proving Ground. WarriorBuilt MMA still lists Gabe “Kuya” Charboneau as a founder and coach, and says he’s worked with UFC, Bellator and Strikeforce veterans as well as Olympic athletes. He’s also been involved in Pueblo community programs, including fatherhood mentoring and advocacy.

    Sources

  • A.J. Carlisle

    A.J. Carlisle is a Colorado Springs radio guy turned party DJ. If you listened to KVUU in the early 2000s, he was the one picking a lot of the music, and if you’ve been to a Southern Colorado wedding, he may have been the one running the dance floor.

    At KVUU

    By August 2001, the music trade magazine HITS was listing A.J. with KVUU in its roundups of programmers’ picks, and he kept showing up through 2002 and 2003, recommending everyone from U2, Coldplay and Hoobastank to Avril Lavigne, Jason Mraz and No Doubt. By early 2004 he was assistant program director, music director and afternoon-drive host. In January 2004 operations manager Don Schaeffer promoted him to program director, formalizing a job he’d effectively been doing since Kevin Callahan left in March 2003.

    Celebrity DJ

    After radio, A.J. founded and owns Celebrity DJ, a long-running Colorado Springs event-DJ company. He describes it as having served thousands of weddings across Southern Colorado, and independent wedding records and reviews show him working ceremonies and receptions in the region years after his broadcast career.

    Sources

  • Jarrod Long

    Jarrod Long was promotion director at KCCY-FM 96.9 in Colorado Springs during the Clear Channel era. If you were at KCCY’s big Westfest concert in the summer of 2002, Jarrod was the person getting it all lined up.

    Westfest 2002

    The trade press listed Jarrod as promotions director for KCCY’s four-day Westfest concert in June 2002. The lineup was a great mix: John Hiatt, Michael Martin Murphey, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Pinmonkey, Darryl Worley and Chely Wright.

    On to the next thing

    By late July 2002, the same trade publication reported that Jarrod had left KCCY and that promotion coordinator Billy Robinson had been moved up to director.

    This is a short page built from trade listings. If you worked with Jarrod or have more to add, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources

  • Madboy (KIBT)

    Madboy was a night personality and music director at KIBT 96.1 The Beat during the station’s mid-2000s Rhythmic CHR era. If you were tuned to The Beat at night in the Springs around 2007, you heard him.

    Joining The Beat

    In May 2006, KIBT hired Madboy as music director and night personality, coming from KCOR in San Antonio. By 2007 trade listings for the Rhythmic format consistently named Jared Goldberg as KIBT program director and Madboy as music director.

    Madboy Radio

    His evening show earned statewide recognition too. The Colorado Broadcasters Association’s 2008 awards list Madboy Radio on KIBT-FM in the Best Evening Show category.

    Sources

    • Radio & Records, May 2006 and 2007 Rhythmic reporter listings (print)
    • Colorado Broadcasters Association, 2008 Radio Awards (print)

  • Laurie White

    Laurie White was a news voice on KVOR 740 AM in Colorado Springs. If you started your mornings with KVOR news, her name may ring a bell.

    Morning news at KVOR

    Laurie worked on KVOR’s morning news programming, including a stretch during the Dan Mandis era.

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

    Sources

    • Reader recollection of the KVOR newsroom (online, 2016)

  • Kory Knight

    Kory Knight was a Colorado Springs CHR/rhythmic personality who worked for two rival stations, 96.1 The Beat and 98.9 Magic FM. If you flipped between them in the mid-2000s, you may have heard Kory on both.

    The Beat and Magic FM

    In March 2005, Kory left nights at WXKS-FM (Kiss 108) in Boston to take afternoons at KIBT (96.1 The Beat), and later worked nights there. In February 2006, KKMG (98.9 Magic FM) hired the former Beat night personality for weekend and swing work. A KKMG Magic 98.9 aircheck of Kory dated July 25, 2006 is preserved in the Big Apple Airchecks catalog.

    His own biography lists his Colorado Springs work as afternoons at 96.1 The Beat, nights at 98.9 Magic FM, and weekend and fill-in work at KKPK (92.9 The Peak), KATC (95.1) and KKMG.

    After Colorado Springs

    Kory later spent five years at Bonneville in Sacramento, doing afternoons on KYMX and nights on KZZO, and by March 2020 he had left that company.

    Sources

    • Radio & Records, March 18, 2005 (print)
    • Main Street Tattler, February 3, 2006 (print)
    • Big Apple Airchecks catalog
    • KoryOnTheRadio biography
    • RAMP, March 11, 2020

  • JJ Valentine

    JJ Valentine is a Colorado sports broadcaster who has covered local athletics on the radio, online audio and live video. If you follow Pueblo high-school or community sports, odds are you’ve heard him call a game.

    Kremmling to Pueblo

    Station records put JJ on the air at KSKE-FM (106.3) in Kremmling in the 1980s. KSKE’s locally programmed mix of adult contemporary, Top 40 and rock had a large live airstaff working from the upper floor of Kremmling’s old Ramona Theater. JJ later became closely tied to Pueblo sports broadcasting and the SoCo Sports service, covering local teams and tournaments online and on the air.

    Calling the Andenucio tournament

    JJ is a regular for the Tony Andenucio Memorial Baseball Tournament at Runyon Field. Runyon Field records name him the radio voice of the 2024 championship game and note that by 2025 he was covering the event for a fourth straight year, with games also livestreamed on YouTube.

    Recognition

    The Colorado High School Coaches Association gave JJ its 2025 Media Award, listing him with SoCo Sports.

    Sources

  • Matt Sparx

    Matt Sparx grew up in Colorado, put in time at stations in several markets, and eventually landed back home on the Northern Colorado dial. If you listen to country along the Front Range, you may have heard him on KUAD New Country 99.1, better known as K99.

    Coming home to K99

    Before returning to Colorado, Matt worked in other cities, with stops at KUPL in Portland, WAPE, WFLZ/WXTB and KDUK. He arrived at K99 in 2015 and started out on afternoons, later taking on the music director job along with the title of assistant brand manager.

    This is a short page built from a single profile. If you’ve worked with Matt or have more to add, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources

  • Buzz Corona

    Mike Hernandez, known on the air as Buzz Corona, is a Pueblo-born broadcaster who wanted live, local radio back in his hometown. If you listened to Pueblo radio in the 2000s, you may have heard him.

    Not to be confused with Mike Hernandez, “Road Gato” of Colorado Springs. They are two different people.

    Pueblo radio

    Mike was on the air at iHeartMedia stations in Pueblo from 2005 to 2009. From June 2012 he was director of operations and programming for SoCo Radio’s Pueblo cluster, a job that ended when his own company bought a station in 2017. He has also worked as an event emcee and DJ, and attended Colorado State University Pueblo from 1985 to 1988.

    Buying KWRP

    In September 2017 Mike, as head of Great Western Radio, agreed to buy Pueblo AM station KWRP and two FM translators, a plan he described as bringing live, locally focused radio back to his hometown. The price was $80,000, and the deal was awaiting FCC approval at the time.

    Where is he now?

    As of October 2026, the Colorado Broadcasters Association lists the owner of KWRP-AM as Western Radio, Ltd., so the station appears to still be in the same hands.

    Sources

  • Tony D (KKMG)

    Tony D was a Colorado Springs radio programmer at KKMG-FM “98.9 Magic FM” in the late 2000s. If you were tuned to the Springs’ Top 40 station around 2008, he was the guy shaping what you heard.

    Programming Magic FM

    The 2008-09 M Street Radio Directory lists Tony D as program director of the contemporary-hit station, with Mike Knar as general manager. KKMG was part of Citadel’s Colorado Springs group, alongside KATC, KKFM, KKML, KKPK and KVOR.

    This is a short page built from a station directory listing. If you worked with Tony D or know more about his time at Magic FM, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources