PRESERVING RADIO HISTORY ACROSS COLORADO

Archives: People

  • Bonnie Paris

    Evalou “Bonnie” Paris was a radio manager at KPIK 1580 in Colorado Springs during the station’s “Country Gold” era. If your Springs radio in the early 70s was country, she was running one of the stations that played it.

    Running KPIK

    The 1973 Starship Radio Colorado Springs directory lists Bonnie as both general manager and station manager of KPIK, then owned by Western Broadcasting Company. It describes a 5,000-watt country station with a staff of 13.

    Remembering Bonnie

    Her obituary remembered her as an entrepreneur in country and western radio broadcasting, and as a writer and director in the dramatic arts. Bonnie was born October 12, 1925, and died November 8, 2010, in Mesa, Arizona.

    Sources

  • Diane T. Lundstrom

    Diane T. Lundstrom was an overnight radio personality on KPIK 1580 in Colorado Springs in the early 1970s. If you were up in the middle of the night with country on the radio, Diane was the voice on the other end.

    Overnights on KPIK

    The 1973 Starship Radio directory lists Diane in the 2–5 a.m. shift and says Diane joined KPIK in 1972. The overnight show was part of KPIK’s locally staffed country-and-western schedule on 1580 AM.

    This is a short page built from one directory listing, so we don’t know what came after. If you worked with Diane or have more to add, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources

  • Genie Geyer

    Genie Geyer was a country-radio personality on KPIK 1580 in Colorado Springs. If you were up late listening to country in the Springs in the early 1970s, Genie kept you company.

    Late nights on KPIK

    Genie joined KPIK in 1972 and hosted the 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. shift, part of a locally staffed country-and-western schedule. Before Colorado, Genie had worked at WASA in Maryland.

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

    Sources

  • Ed Stabler

    Ed Stabler was a Colorado Springs broadcaster whose career crossed early local stations, FM rock and country radio. If you listened to Springs radio in the late 60s or early 70s, you may have caught him at KRYT or KPIK.

    KRYT and KPIK

    The 1969 Broadcasting Yearbook lists Ed as program director of KRYT 1530. By 1973, Starship Radio’s Colorado Springs directory identified him as KPIK‘s news director and 7 to 11 p.m. personality.

    Other stops

    Records also connect Ed with KCMS, KRDO, KEDI and KKFM, spanning several generations of Springs radio.

    This is a short page built from industry directories. If you worked with Ed, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources

  • Robert Joseph Fults

    Robert Joseph “Bobby” Fults was on the air at KPIK 1580 in Colorado Springs in the early 1970s. If you were driving home from work or school in the afternoon and had country on the dial, you may have heard Bobby.

    Afternoons on KPIK

    The 1973 Starship Radio directory lists Bobby in KPIK’s 3–7 p.m. afternoon shift and gives his air name as Bobby Fults. It also says he’d been with the station since 1970, so by then he was a few years into the job.

    This is a short page built from one directory listing, so we don’t know when his time at KPIK ended. If you worked with Bobby or have more to add, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources

  • Rick Martin

    Rick Martin was a midday country-radio personality on KPIK 1580 in Colorado Springs in the early 1970s. If you ate lunch with country music on in the Springs in 1973, Rick was on the air.

    Middays on KPIK

    The 1973 Starship Radio directory lists Rick in KPIK’s noon to 3 p.m. shift. Its career summary says Rick arrived at KPIK in 1972 after earlier stops at KRAL, KOVO, KEXO and Colorado Springs station KEDI.

    This is a short page built from one directory listing, so we don’t have complete employment dates. If you worked with Rick or have more to add, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources

  • Dennis W. Walker

    Dennis W. Walker was a morning voice on KPIK 1580 in Colorado Springs. If you were up early with country radio in the early 1970s, Dennis was on from 5 to 9 a.m.

    Mornings on KPIK

    The 1973 Starship Radio directory lists Dennis in KPIK’s 5 to 9 a.m. shift. It says he joined KPIK in 1971 after working at KRSY and KRTY, and that he had also served as KPIK’s program director.

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

    Sources

  • Tom Turcotte

    Tom Turcotte was a Top 40 programmer who came from North Dakota to Colorado Springs. If you listened to “Kissin’ 1460” KYSN around 1970, his programming was in your speakers.

    From Bismarck to the Springs

    In September 1968, Broadcasting listed Tom as program director of KFYR in Bismarck, North Dakota, where he was hiring announcers for the 24-hour contemporary station. He came to KYSN after about three years as KFYR’s program director.

    Kissin’ 1460

    At KYSN, Tom was program director during the station’s competitive Top 40 days. Former KYSN personality Jon David Anderson remembered him as both a friend and an important PD, and recalled the station’s “Kissin’ Tellers” staff identity and its party-crashers promotion.

    Moving to KRDO

    Tom’s time at KYSN was short. In March 1970, Broadcasting reported he had left to join KRDO in Colorado Springs as assistant to the general manager.

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

    Sources

    • Broadcasting, September 30, 1968 and March 9, 1970 (print)
    • Former KYSN staff recollections preserved by PikesPeakCafes and RadioDiscussions

  • Jon David Anderson

    Jon David Anderson worked evenings on KYSN 1460 during the station’s late-1960s Top 40 days. If you were a teenager flipping the AM dial after dinner back then, this is the kind of voice you were listening for.

    KYSN evenings

    Jon David posted his own memories of KYSN in a 2011 radio discussion thread. He recalled working the evening shift alongside Tim Kiley, Gary R., Hal Tatel, Steve Warner, Tom Turcotte and Steve Shores, with John Lambert as general manager, and described KYSN as a lively Top 40 operation.

    Because this comes from his own recollection, we don’t have exact service dates for him. If you worked with Jon David or have more to add, we’d love to hear from you.

    Sources

  • Pappy Dave Stone

    “Pappy” Dave Stone, born David Proctor Pinkston, is the reason a lot of us grew up with country on the radio all day. If you ever tuned in to full-time country in Colorado Springs, you were listening to something he started.

    Starting out

    Dave began his radio career at KSEL in Lubbock, Texas, in 1946. In September 1953 he launched KDAV, widely recognized as the first station to program country music full-time.

    KPIK in Colorado Springs

    In 1959 he founded KPIK in Colorado Springs, the market’s first full-time country station. The station stayed on the air there for decades and brought the format to the Pikes Peak region.

    Honors and legacy

    Stone was inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame in 1999. He died February 18, 2004, in Colorado Springs at age 90.

    Sources