4/6/18 4/6/18

Mike Rice Interview

Jeremy Levy back with you to share another interview.This week, I am going to be sharing my interview with Mike Rice.Mike Rice is a sports host on KOA radio 850 a.m. and 941. Fm. He is now the morning sports anchor during Colorado’s morning news. The first time I heard Mike Rice was doing sports reporting on the ride home show that used to be on from 3-7. I also heard him during the Bronco’s broadcasts being the studio host. He would do the studio host job and then he would turn things over to Lou from Littleton to host the grid iron grill. After Lou left in 2009, Mike Rice started hosting the post-game show which is called the Bronco’s React.On 'The Ride Home" Mike would report the sports and sometimes would joke around with Dave Logan and Lois Melkonian. Dave Logan would make Mike Rice laugh. There were several times when Mike Rice would be laughing so hard that he had trouble reading the sports report. Mike Rice has also filled in when Dave Logan or Lois Melkonian were on vacation. When Lois left to take another radio job in Houston I will always remember Mike Rice saying when Lois said, “What do I bring to the show? Well I can laugh at Dave Logan’s jokes.” Mike Rice’s response to that was: “When no one else will.During Rockies seasons in 2005-2009 Mike would also host the Rockies pregame show. The show is called Rockies Dugout. It is on during Rockies season 2 hours before the game on Saturdays. It is now hosted by Corey Lopez. Mike has also done the CU Woman’s basketball games on 760. When the Bronco’s season would end I also enjoy listening to Mike calling the games Corey Lopez has taken that over as well. When the show got changed to the Dave Logan show Mike would fill in a lot more when Dave Logan was coaching at Mullin and Cherry Creek high schools. Mike has also been a news anchor when the afternoon show got changed to KOA’s afternoon news. He hosted that show with Susan Witken.Mike Rice learned a lot from hosting that show.Mike was recently substituting hosting with Ryan Edwards on the Lewis and Logan show in my opinion that is a great pairing of hosts. He has also hosting with Brandon Krisztal. The thing that I most like about Mike Rice is his sincerity in his voice. No matter if I hear him on the radio or if I talk with him in person I can always detect a smile in his voice and I can also detect how much he cares about his job. When I get a job in the radio industry I hope that I can do the same thing for listeners and callers.Here is my interview with Mike Rice.Jeremy Levy: I first started listening to you in 2004 or 2005 when you started on the sports Zoo and the Ride Home. Where did you get your start in radio?Mike Rice: I first got my start at the college radio station in California. This college was at the University of Berkley. I always wanted to do sports. I started working at the College radio station. I really enjoyed the sports aspect of radio. I applied for jobs all over the country and there was a gentleman at KFKA radio that called me back and said that we have a position for you at KFKA radio. I’m 1991 I started working at KFKA radio. I mainly worked on the high school sports. Then in 1995 I started calling the University of Colorado football, basketball, and baseball games for KFKA radio this is also where I met Troy Coverdale and worked with him for a short time. In 2002 I had the chance to come to KOA radio in 2002. It has been over 14 years.JL: When you first started on KOA radio you worked with Dave Logan and Scott Hastings on the sports zoo. What was it like working with Scott and what have you learned from him?MR: I remember working with Dave and Scott and loved it. Whenever I filled in doing sports their show, Scott would always try to get me to laugh during my updates…and he usually succeeded! One of the things I learned from them was how important it is to have fun. People want to laugh and have a good time. There must be substance to what you’re doing but having fun is a must.JL: I remember in 2007 or 2008 you were doing the studio work for the Bronco’s broadcasts and Lou from Littleton was doing the post-game show called the Grid Iron Grill. What was it like working with Lou from Littleton and what was it like taking over from Lou when he left?MR: Lou is one of the kindest people that I have ever met. He is a friend of mine. I am very thankful to call him a friend and we had a lot of fun during those years. I knew he did a great job on that show. My only goal was just to continue to do a great job. He built up a following and he obviously liked the Bronco’s. I knew at the same time that the way Lou hosted the show and the way I would host a show were different. I knew that I couldn’t try to be Lou. I just wanted to do a good job. Hopefully people would enjoy my style as well as Lou’s style.JL: I like your style better than sometimes Lou’s style because sometimes Lou would be rude to some callers.MR: I try and give people a chance to say what’s on their mind. Then we talk about it. If it’s completely crazy than I try and listen to them and not to be rude to them.JL: What was it like working with Dave Logan and Lois Melkonian on the ride home from 2005-2011?Mr: I loved working with Dave and Lois. I loved their show. They were such professionals Lois and Dave were both veterans at what they did. They made it so much fun and easy. They made it a little different every day. I just thought they did a great job on their show. It was really an honor to work with them.There was another reason because of the personal friendships that we have built. Dave and I have been friends for a long long time. I really respect the job that he does. And I knew Lois going back to when she worked at KCBS radio in San Francisco. I spent a year at KCBS in San Francisco as an intern. To have the chance to get to work with her in a market like Denver was really an honor.JL: Lois has always been one of my favorite radio personalities to listen to because of her personality and her sense of humor.Mr: She is everything that you would want as a professional broadcaster. She can cover a news story like no one else. She is extremely talented. She can also host a talk show and talk with people and make it fun and different. Lois has everything that you would want if you’re a broadcaster.JL when the show got changed from the ride home Dave Krieger and Dave Logan were doing the show what have you learned from Dave Krieger?MR: I loved working with Dave (Krieger). He is so knowledgeable, so prepared and so thorough. All of those things are really important. I also like how Dave discussed his points of view with people and listened to them. He didn’t always agree but there was a good discussion. I like that. We can have a conversation about a topic and not see things the same way but also have a good back-and-forth about it.JL: How did you start being a news personality on Colorado’s afternoon news in 2014-2015?MR: I was working in the sports department and they decided to make a couple of changes to the afternoon line up. And so people at the station came to me and asked me if I would like to be a news anchor on Colorado’s afternoon news. After thinking about it I thought it would be a great opportunity to be a part of a news show every day. The great part about it is that I still get to do some sports with the Bronco’s, and filling in on some Rockies games. I thought it was a great way to broaden my horizons by contributing more to the station. In the afternoons. .JL: What was it like working with both Susan Whitkin, and Susie Wargin?MR: Susan is great. She is such a solid anchor and reporter and it was fun to work with her on the afternoon show. She is really easy to work with. She has great news judgment and we were able to cover some really cool stories. I am thankful for the opportunity to do something outside of sports.Susie is the best. She can do pretty much anything…talk sports...talk current events, be a DJ. Amazing. She can do pretty much everything in the business and I admire that. But beyond that, Susie is so genuine. She is always about doing a great job and never makes it about herself.JL: When Denver Sports radio 760 radios which is now Orange and blue 760 radio you were a host during that time what was that like and what was it like working with Andy Lindahl?MR: It was busy. The station switched to the Broncos format right before training camp so for over a month, I was anchoring sports on Colorado’s Morning News on KOA then co-hosting from 3p-7p on Orange and Blue 760. That was crazy. I’ve worked with Andy for a long time and really appreciate his mix of talking sports but doing it in a way that is also fun and light.JL: What is it like taking over for Mark Johnson doing sports reports for Colorado’s morning news?MR: Joining the team on Colorado’s Morning News has been awesome. Marty (Lenz) has made a smooth transition into co-hosting with April and I think all of us, including Pat Woodard, Connor Shreve, Dan Lewis and Chad Hoffman make a good team. We’re always working to be on top of all relevant stories. The hours do come around early on some days, but it is a great show to be a part of. It’s such a part of the KOA tradition and we all work hard every day to uphold and build on that tradition.JL: What have you learned from working with Ed Green?MR: From Ed…he is a pro’s pro. He is so smooth and can handle anything that happens on the air. Plus, he is a great guy. He is so easy to listen to.JL: What have you learned from working from Steffan Tubbs?MR: From Steffan…the consummate newsman. I will always remember the fun we had on the air. He brought such a presence and a relatable style to the show.JL: What was it like working with Alen Roach both on the Bronco’s broadcasts and at the station?MR: I will never forget when I started at KOA. I was training with Susie (Wargin), who was showing me the ropes of being the Broncos studio host. We were at Sports Authority Field at Mile High for a preseason game and Roach walks up and introduces himself, his deep voice booming. I literally paused for a moment. I had listened to Roach for years but had never met him. His voice caught me off guard. I remember thinking, ‘How he sounds on the air is his actual voice.’ He has such a gift in how he is able to serve as a public-address announcer. I mean, who really has a voice like that? It’s awesome. And personally, I love Roach. He is funny and called it like he saw it.JL: What was it like working with Corey Lopez when you 2 were in Arizona for the Rockies playoff game last September?MR: hat Rockies-Diamondbacks Wild Card game was incredible. First off, to see the Rockies back in the playoffs was so cool. And then to experience the atmosphere at Chase Field was tremendous. It was rockin’ in there. That’s what the postseason should be like. It was such a crazy game. Both starting pitchers struggled. Both teams kept getting huge hits. And to cover it with Cory was great. Really fun to cover that with him.JL: You are a pretty busy person. Even though hat you are no longer on Colorado’s afternoon news and you have now switched to the Colorado’s morning newsand you still the broadcast for the Bronco’s and you do fill in on some Rockies games How do you have time for all of that and your family?MR: You are right. The fall gets really busy. Part of it is that I have a very understanding wife. She understands that when fall comes it gets busier. On the other hand I do try and balance the time at home and the time at work. We do try and explain that I have 2 young boys and named Jay and Will They know Dad has some things going on during football season it is a juggling act, but I love it though. I know that I do the best I can.JL: Do you have any special memories of any interviews or any remote broadcasts that you have done?MR: When I was in Greely I calling the university of Colorado game the bears won the division 2 football game ships in 1996 and 1997. Calling those championships are always something I will remember. When the team that you are calling the games for wins it all how do you beat that? To be able to be a part of that and to go along for those rides was really a thrill. Since being in Denver the 2007 Rockies playoffs games to the World Series was really enjoyable for me to cover it was really incredible. The way they kept winning down the stretch through the playoffs the playoffs were really amazing. It makes me want to play that well again and get back to that level. The third memory that I have is the super bowl runs for the Bronco’s when Peyton Manning was here. There was the super bowl that was tough against Seattle Then last year when they won the super bowl and win it that was amazing as well. The whole rocky mountain region to be able to celebrate a bronco’s super bowl in the late 90’s was really fantastic.JL: Now I know that you have done some work with the Rockies what was it like working with Jeff Kingery who used to be with the Rockies, and Jack Corrigan and Jerry Schemmel?MR: I think with all 3 of our sports broadcasts the Rockies, the Bronco’s, and the CU Buffalos I think we are so fortunate to work with some of the best broadcasting crews in the whole country. I’m not just talking about Jack, or Jerry Jeff Kingery previously Dave and Ed, and now Rick Lewis and Tyler Polumbus, Mark Johnson and Larry Zimmer and Coach Barnett those guys are equally talented. Even the support staff for the broadcasts guys that no one knows that do an amazing job Reid Phisher, and Shannon Scott and Eric Hood, our entire technical staff we have the best. I’m just so proud to be apart of this wonderful team. Working with Jack and Jerry and Jeff in years past was really a thrill I remember my first Rockies game with Jeff Kingery it was against the Pirates How do you measure that? It was such a thrill to fill in with Jeff. The one thing I know about the Rockies is how good they can be and why can’t they be better the people that I have come to like the people that I have really come to respect and so I really pull for them as an organization. I just believe that they are going to get back to that level again really soon. I know that fans want it so badly. JL:My last question would be What would be your advice for someone wanting to get in to Colorado radio?MR: That is a great question. I think there are 2 things for young broadcasters that I point to. Number one have an idea of what you want to do. If you want to host a talk show or talk sports. Have an idea of what you want to do. Make every professional opportunity match that goal. For example if you want to call games which ever stations that you stop at make sure you get the opportunity to call some games.I really appreciate Mike sharing this time with me. Mike is truly a nice guy and a real gentleman. Thank you Mike!Thanks for tuning in.Jeremy Levy

2/25/18 2/25/18

Winter Update

Jeremy Levy back with you to give you updates about what is going on in Colorado radio and TV.February has a couple of big events every year. KALC (ALICE 105.9) radio has their radiothon for Children’s hospital. I really enjoy listening to this in the past. As I said in a previous post, the stories from the kids are really inspiring and touching. I missed it this year, as I was traveling (see previous Hawaii post and picture), but I heard they raised about a million dollars. I started listening to this radiothon in 2006 when Greg Thunder and Bo Reynolds were the morning hosts at KALC radio. Denise Plante was on KALC radio as well. Amy Freeze, who is now in New York, was on for a couple of years as well. My two favorite DJ’s that are on KALC now are Jamie White, from the morning show, and Slacker from Slacker and Steve in the afternoons.Another one of my favorite events in February is when Peter Boyles from 710 KNUS, and Ross Kaminsky from 630 KHOW, broadcast live from Winter Park for the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) cup at Winter Park Colorado. As a lot of you know, I have skied at Winter Park for many years with this program and will be going up this week in fact with Lucas. A couple of my highlights of this day is when Garry Defrange gets interviewed by Peter Boyles. A second highlight is Ross interviewing a visually impaired skier and the visually impaired skier is talking about how he skis This day is so moving to listen to and I am a huge supporter of this event. I really encourage you to give this a listen and maybe support this wonderful event. I am looking forward to going up to Winter Park this year to ski coming up next week. I will be sharing my experiences in a future blog post.Oh Boy! There are too many words to describe my love and enjoyment of Lois Melkonian. She has been a favorite of mine ever since January of 2006 when I first started to become a Bronco’s fan. Dave Logan and Lois first got me interested in Bronco’s football. Their show talked a lot of football plus other topics. I got hooked on the show that they did and have followed Lois throughout her career. Lois is one of my mentors in broadcasting. I have some excellent news to report that Lois has started a podcast with one of her friends, Faith Donaldson. “More to Life” is a podcast about how to accomplish your dreams. It is an inspirational podcast. I have listened to two episodes and hope to listen to more of them in March. Congratulations to you Lois! I really think that you have accomplished one of your dreams with this podcast and with your career in radio. I would really encourage readers and followers of my blog to check this podcast out. The only thing that is a little bit confusing is how to download the podcast to the computer. However you can listen on the website at Moretolifewithfaithandlois.com. The content will inspire you. It sure has with me.Jeff Matthews is joining KOAA tv as a new meteorologist. Jeff Matthews is originally from New Jersey. I got this from Terry Terrones, reporter for the Colorado Springs Gazette. Jeff has worked at stations in Maine and Wyoming tv stations. Congratulations to Jeff.There is a new morning show on 10.75 KQKS radio. It is the 107.5 morning show with Tony V. I don’t listen to this station because of the music they play (Hip Hop, Soul and R&B), but congratulations to Tony and his co-hosts.The next change that I would like to talk about is Steffan Tubbs. Earlier in 2017 I reported that Steffan Tubbs had left KOA radio after allegations, by a woman, saying that he sent threatening text messages to her. The charges were ultimately dropped. Steffan was hoping to get back on KOA radio, but KOA radio decided to go in a different direction. More on that direction a little bit later. Steffan is now on KNUS radio from 4-7 p.m. replacing Dan Caplis’s show. Stefan had filled in for Dan Caplis and the program director decided to replace Dan’s show with Stefan. Congratulations to Stefan! I am really happy for you. I flip back and forth from his show to Lewis and Logan on 850 KOA radio. Steffan has been on a vacation for the last couple of weeks, but he will be back on today. Randy Corporan has been doing a great job filling in for Stefan.This past January when it was announced that Steffan would not be returning to 850 KOA, they did a national search and they hired Marty Lenz. Marty has been in Minnesota and Sacramento and San Francisco. He worked at KCBS and KFBK radio in the past. He grew up in Colorado. One of my friends, Travis Sitler, said that he really enjoyed listening to him on KCBS. He mentioned in an e-mail to me that he is really great. I am excited by this change and I really enjoy the newly branded Colorado’s morning news with April Zesbaugh and Marty Lenz. Congratulations to Marty. I am thrilled to have you on 850 KOA.For those of you that have been tuning in to KBPI 106.7 wondering where the station has gone, well the station has moved to 107.9 which has a bigger and larger signal. What has replaced 106.7 you might ask? Well it is a new country radio station called 106.7 the Bull KBLL. The assistant program director is from the Bull in Sacramento named Brian Dub Washington. He will be working with JoJo Turnbeau to try and make the station great. Congratulations to this new country station. I will be a listener. I haven’t really listened yet, but when my friend Lucas comes to visit this week, we are going to be listening to a lot of the station. Lucas loves country.The first couple of weeks of February, Dave Logan has been on vacation. This week Rick Lewis has been on vacation. Yesterday Dave Logan wasn’t there. Robin Hart and Kathy Lee did the show yesterday. That show was fun to hear. Dave Logan was back yesterday February 23. And Kathy Lee was off yesterday. Susie Wargin filled in for the 5 o’clock hour. Also yesterday was the first pre-season game of the Colorado Rockies. I am looking forward to listening to the Rockies this season and I am really hoping that they do really well.Doug Kellett filled in last Monday for Mandy Connell. He did a good job. Kudo’s to him. His shows are more serious in nature than Mandy’s are. Doug has been a fill in before on KOA radio. He used to be a host on the now defunct KNRC radio1510. Doug has filled in on other radio stations across the country, so if you live in other parts of the country you might want to tune in.Casey Bloyer filled in on the Mike Boyle Restaurant show Saturday February 24. Casey is a wonderful substitute for Mike and he talks about some wonderful topics. He talked about Mom and Pop restaurants.A little bit of sports radio 104.3 The Fan news to report. Sandy Clough has been moved to the late evenings from 9 PM to 11PM. He is a great way to wind down the day. Also, Cecil Lammey and Michael Prichard have increased from 1 to 3 hours. Their show can now be heard from 9 AM to 12 PM. I like these changes for 104.3 The Fan.Thanks for tuning inJeremy Levy 27504022_10156081296279105_5512408865391491351_o

2/18/18 2/18/18

Hawaii radio

This week I am going to talk about my trip to Hawaii. At the beginning of February, I went to Hawaii. I had a wonderful trip! There was a lot of activity, but a lot of relaxing too. I would like to compare Hawaii radio and Colorado radio. There are a lot more Colorado radio stations than there are Hawaiian radio stations. I really enjoyed listening to KINE radio on Oahu. I also enjoyed listening to KHVH radio which is their news talk radio stations there. KHVH has only 1 local show in the mornings called the Rick Hamada show. If you ever visit Hawaii I would recommend you tuning into KINE radio. I really enjoyed listening to the Hawaiian music on that radio station. I also enjoyed listening to the Shannon Scott and Meli Opana morning show They really seem to have a fun time on that show. There is a lot of laughter on that show. I also enjoyed listening to 1500 KKEA radio sports radio they have an afternoon show called “The Sports Animals” which was very interesting. They interviewed a high school player quarterback that is going to the University of Hawaii this fall. Even though I liked some of the stations in Hawaii I think Colorado has more of a variety of shows and stations.I really tried to get an interview with at least one DJ or radio talk show host, but it didn’t work out this trip.The most fun day I had on this trip was surfing in Oahu with AccessSurf, which is an organization that teaches people with disabilities to surf. I would like to thank everyone at AccessSurf for being so accommodating to me. I had a great time surfing with Kristen Kelly. I surfed at the top of the board and Kristen was behind me. She would tell me when a wave was coming and I would try and stand up. I kneeled because the waves were a little bit rougher. The surf was a little bit tough, but I am a tough guy.At the different hotels on Oahu they have different activities that guests can take advantage of. My favorite activity was the Hula dancing. The Hula is a Hawaiian dance. I first thought that the Hula was done using a hula hoop. I found out later that it was just dancing. It was so much fun. I especially enjoyed a water aerobics class that I took. This is the rainy season in Hawaii, so if you go this time of year be prepared.The best burger that I tried was at a place that Mike Boyle recommended to me called Duke’s restaurant. The burger tasted scrumptious and the fries were crispy and crunchy just the way I like them. If you go in the evenings it might be a little bit noisy with music playing but, it was very entertaining music. This time I got a spa treatment at the hotel in Waikiki. The 2 ladies that did my spa and my facial did a great job. Their names were Colby and Paula. If you go, tell them Jeremy sent you.Thanks for tuning in.Jeremy Levy

11/24/17 11/24/17

Fall and Winter updates

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you all had a great turkey day!I am very thankful for all the people that follow my blog.I am also thankful for all of the wonderful radio personalities that Colorado has.When I was a young child I was a big listener to KOOL 105 in Colorado; especially on the weekends. Back then the DJ that was on during the weekends was Shawn Stevens. I met Shawn when I was 5 at the Easter Seals telethon where he was one of the hosts and I was the poster child. I have followed him over the years and I am very excited to report that Shawn has a new radio job in Las Vegas at KCYE radio. I haven’t listened yet to Shawn on his new station, but I am looking forward to listening soon. Some very big congratulations to Shawn!Congratulations to Rick Crandall He has signed a contract extension.Kendall Bee has joined 107.9 radio as the new morning show host. Congratulations to Kendall! I enjoy listening to his show.Friday November 17 marked the 31st anniversary of Jerry Bell being on KOA radio. Congratulations Jerry! Later this month I will be sharing my interview with Jerry.This year was another successful Peter Boyles Thanksgiving Day Imaginary parade on KNUS radio. Peter Boyles was in top form leading the parade and he and his callers did a great job filling us in on the people that were there and all the activity.Krista Kafer has been a fill in on KHOW radio 630 on a couple of mornings for Ross Kaminsky and Michael Brown. I really enjoyed listening to those shows.Jon Caldara has been filling in this week for Ross Kaminsky on Talk Radio 630 KHOW and doing a wonderful job.The Wednesday before Thanksgiving had Romi Bean and some other producers filling in on Orange and Blue 760.Rick Lewis is on vacation this week in Arizona and Kathy Lee has been doing a great job in his place. Dave Logan has been there for a couple of the shows. Dave is finished with coaching, so he will be a regular again on the Lewis and Logan show. I really enjoyed Susie Wargin filling in with Dave on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.Thanks for tuning in.Jeremy Levy

10/30/17 10/30/17

Random thoughts

Jeremy Levy back with you. Lately I have been posting a lot about Colorado radio. This week I am going to post something different. This week I am going to be sharing my thoughts about the Rockies season and a little about the Bronco’s season thus far. The third thing I am going to share is about a new piece of technology that I have discovered which is the Echo Dot. Finally, I will talk about one of the podcasts podcast I listen to.I thought it was wonderful that the Rockies went to the post season this year. I really liked how they put together the team. My 2 favorite pitchers this year were Jon Gray and Chad Bettis. Chad Bettis’s story is a very inspiring. Chad was diagnosed with testicular cancer in Spring Training. He wasn’t back until the end of July after surgery and chemo. Jack Corrigan did a very moving interview with him when he came back, and it was wonderful that he could return to playing the game he loved so much. I think the Rockies have started to do impressive things and I think they have some excellent building blocks to do some great things in future years. Next year I hope that they can play Tom Murphy more at catcher. I am also hoping that they can keep Johnathan Lucroy as a catcher as well. I don’t know what they are going to do with Carlos Gonzales yet. He was an excellent player when he first came to the Rockies. His performance this year was not very good. I think that the Rockies could trade him to another team.The Bronco’s season has had some good things and some disappointments. The Broncos are 3 and 3 on the season so far. I don’t think that Trevor Siemian is the right quarter back for this season or for this team. When I went to Bronco’s training camp Trevor Siemian looked very good. He is really struggling this season. I think they should try Brock Osweiler at quarter back. I really think that the offensive line needs to improve. It might be that the Bronco’s might be looking for a quarter back in the next football draft. I am not sure yet how the Bronco’s will do this season. My dad has told me that Trevor Siemian doesn’t look all that comfortable when he is trying to throw the ball. I do like the running backs that the Broncos have in Jamaal Charles and CJ Anderson. I am hoping that the Broncos will have a good game against the Chiefs tonight.Dave Logan, Rick Lewis, and Tyler Polumbus have been doing a great job calling the games this year. Rick Lewis has said that he is really enjoying calling the games with Dave Logan. In my opinion that was a superb decision for KOA radio. I am really enjoying this new radio team. Some people have told me that they have trouble recognizing who is talking between Dave and Rick. I do agree that their voices sound very similar, but I can tell them apart since I have been listening for so long.The next thing that I would like to talk about is the Amazon Echo Dot. I got this technology about 4 or 5 months ago and I really enjoy playing around with it. I enjoy listening to music on it. My friend Lucas and I enjoyed asking it to play different country artists songs. I also like to play Jeopardy with it. The dot asks me questions and I have to answer in the form of a question. It is a fun thing to do when my family and I are cleaning up from dinner. Alexa can tell you the weather and answer many other questions as well. I am glad that I was introduced to this piece of technology and learning the different things Alexa can do.The last thing I would like to talk about is a podcast that Mr. Buck (one of my professors when I went to Pikes Peak Community College) introduced me to called the Blind Geek Zone. This podcast is done by a blind gentleman named Rick Harman. The website is maintained by him and he does some of the podcasts as well. The other people that do podcasts on this website are also blind. There are a lot of great podcasts on there about different technology, and about different blind people. I would really encourage you to listen to these podcasts to get a better sense of the kinds of technology that are out there and all the different activities that blind people are involved in. Over the next couple of months I am considering putting some podcasts up on the website.Thank you for tuning in.Jeremy Levy

10/3/17 10/3/17

Jeremy’s fall TV/radio changes

Jeremy Levy back with you to write about what’s going on in Colorado radio and TV for the end of the summer and into the fall.First some TV news:Holly Gauntt left fox 31 news and Channel 2 news at the beginning of June. There might be some changes coming to fox 31 and Channel 2 with even more conservative commentary in their newscasts. What is the reason for the change? Tribune media might be bought out by Sinclair broadcasting. Sinclair broadcasting has the largest group of TV stations. There has not been any word yet if Sinclair is taking over. Where has Holly gone? She is in the same roll at Channel 7 news. Congratulations to Holly. What stations does Tribune media own? They own WGN TV in Chicago and WPIX TV in New York. Adele Arakawa has left channel 9 being replaced with Kim Christiansen. Good luck Adele, I will miss you. Congratulations to Kim.Joel Hillan has been named weekend anchor at CBS 4 in Denver. I am really a big fan of Joel’s, both on CBS 4 and 850 KOA. Some big congratulations to you Joel!In the Colorado Springs area, Kimberly Price has left TV to pursue a job outside TV. The woman whom has stepped in is none other than Abbie Burke. Abbie is no stranger to TV news and to the Colorado Springs area. She worked there before but took a job in providence Rhode Island. She is back in the morning anchor chair. Congratulations to Abbie. I am sure that she will do a great job.Stephen Bowers is leaving NBC’s Colorado Springs affiliate KOAA TV after 5 years with the station. Sept 18 was his last day. It will be very interesting to find out where he goes to.Mark Boyle is an investigative reporter who is now joining KOAA TV. The Denver native is a Colorado State University graduate and began his career as a weekend sports anchor/reporter for NBC affiliate KNOP-TV in North Platte, Nebraska. I hope that Mark Boyle does a great job on the station. Boyle last worked as a reporter at KMGH in Denver for two years before joining KOAA in July.There are two multimedia journalists also joining the station. Alasyn Zimmerman is one of the new multimedia journalist at KOAA. The Wichita, Kansas native graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. Zimmerman comes back to Colorado after spending two years at ABC affiliate KIFI in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Good luck to Alasyn. This is her second go around here in Colorado.The other multimedia journalist is Caiti Blasé. Caiti got her start at NBC affiliate KDLT in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as a reporter. From there Blasé took a position as a multimedia journalist at KPTM/Fox 42 in Omaha, Nebraska, before arriving in Colorado Springs in August. Welcome Katie. Fans of KOAA tv are glad to have you.Now to radio news:The weekday line up on 710 KNUS radio is different.Peter Boyles is still on from 5-9 a.m. Hugh Hewitt is on from 9-11 a.m. Dennis Prager is on from 11-1 p.m. Chuck and Julie are on from 1-4 p.m. and Dan Caplis is on from 4-7 p.m.Where are Steve Kelley and Krista Kafer you might ask? Steve and Krista’s show ended in the middle of July this year. I will really miss this show. I thought that Krista and Steve Kelley did a wonderful job as a team. I am not sure how this will work out for KNUS yet. We will have to find out in the months ahead.Speaking of political radio, Ross Kaminsky of 630 KHOW and Mandy Connell of 850 KOA have done some very fun remote broadcasts this past summer Ross Kaminsky broadcast from Nebraska for the solar eclipse. This was fun to listen to and learn what was happening with the eclipse.Mandy Connell did remotes from the Taste of Colorado and from the mountains of Colorado. It was fun to hear her these remote broadcasts and the different people that she interviewed.There is a new sports radio station in town on 760. It is called Orange and Blue 760 and it is all Bronco’s all the time. The schedule is as follows:Andy Lindahl and Tyler Polumbus from 7-10 AM.10-12 is 10 at 10 with Andrew Mason, Ryan Edwards, and Steve Atwater.Dave Logan has added a second show and hosts this show from 12 to 1 PM.Then it is Brandan Krisztal and Matt McChesney from 1-3 PM followed by the Ray Crocket show from 3-6 PM. I really enjoy this schedule with all of these former players. It is really nice to see Ryan Edwards doing work for Orange and Blue 760 radio. Ryan Edwards was most recently with mile high sports radio. He was also doing some fill ins on Altitude sports radio.In my opinion, this was an excellent move to Orange and Blue 760 radio.It is also nice to see Dave Logan having a second show on Orange and Blue 760.Mike Pritchard has joined sports radio 104.3 The Fan teaming with Cecil Lammey form 9 Am to 10 AM talking football.Speaking of Altitude Sports radio 950 and Mile High Sports radio, there are a couple of things to mention.First: Mark Moser and Julie Browman have split up. Tom Helmer is no longer with the station. Julie Browman has joined Scott Hastings from 10 AM to 1 PM. Mark Moser is hosting solo from 1-3 PM. I still like these shows, but I really think that Mark Moser needs to have a partner to help him during the shows when he is on the road with the Avalanche broadcasts. I really miss Tom Helmer, but Julie Browman seems to be having fun with Scott Hastings. Julie was the producer at one time for the Sports Zoo with Dave Logan and Scott Hastings.On Mile High sports radio a new owner has taken over that station. Nate Lundy has been in Denver since 2006 or 2007. Nate Lundy has gone from program director to Morning host and program director to manager of his own podcast sports show to now owner of Mile High Sports radio. Congratulations to Nate. I hope the station will become a better station with your leadership.Switching to KOA radio news. Steffan Tubs is no longer with the Colorado’s Morning news. He was arrested in July of this year. KOA radio said that they are investigating him, so for right now he is off the air. Ed Green has been hosting the show with April Zesbaugh for now, and for the time being other cohosts have been filling in as well. KOA hasn’t announced who is going to fill Steffan’s chair permanently on 850 KOA.My thoughts on this are I’m going to miss Steffan, but I am also enjoying the shows with April and the other hosts.Switching to some happier news I am so excited that the Colorado Rockies are in the playoffs. I am hoping that they do well. Jerry Schemmel did a bike race across Colorado and it went well. I will certainly be listening to the playoff games that the Rockies are involved in.Rosa Jad has been a part time music DJ for rhythmic contemporary music station 107.5 KQKS radio for a short time. Now she can be heard on evenings on the station. Jeremy Gold is no longer with the station. No Word yet on why Jeremy Gold left the station. Good luck to Rosa Jad. It is nice to see part time people getting full time work.Thanks for tuning in.Jeremy Levy

9/4/17 9/4/17

Murphy Huston Interview

Jeremy Levy back with you to talk about another person in Colorado radio.I would consider Murphy Huston a legend in Denver radio. I first started listening to Murphy in 1996 when he was teamed with Hal Moore. Hal Moore is another radio legend in Colorado radio. Hal and Murphy did the morning show on KHOW together for a long time. Their show was very fun to listen to and they had a lot of fun on the air together. The show was more of an entertaining show. They didn’t have many political guests AS they were just there to have a great time. This is what I think Morning talk radio should be.After KHOW, Murphy moved to KEZW and did mid days there by himself. Hal Moore ULTIMATELY joined him there as well to do afternoons. After that Murphy moved to Kosi 101. I found him there a couple of years later. He was doing the morning show with Jo Myers. They had a great time together. They would have Warren Byrne on with a restaurant tip on Friday mornings. Jo would always ask great questions and have great comments. Murphy was a wonderful host as well. I can still remember Murphy and Joe teaming up to do the Rocky Mountain PBS auction every April for years. A couple of years later Jo left the show to persue other hobbies/goals that she had and Denise Plante joined the show. One of my horse-back riding instructors is Murphy’s in-laws and she set me up to meet Murphy and Denise on a December morning. I have heard their show and I was thrilled and very excited to meet them.When I got into the studio with them they were very pleasant and they treated me like I was their guest. They encouraged me to ask questions of them. This was a very festive time at Kosi 101 because it was near Christmas time. They were playing Christmas music. I got to meet John Oates from Hall and Oates. They had him on as a guest. It was fun visiting Kosi 101 and meeting Murphy and Denise.A couple of years later Murphy semi-retired from the show. He is still on Kosi 101 doing weekend shifts. He also fills in on occasion on Kosi during the week.I really miss Murphy’s daily show.Here is my interview with Murphy.Jeremy Levy: How did you get your start in Colorado radio?Murphy Huston: I started on KHOW back in 1986. Hal and Charlie were doing mornings and Tom Kelley was doing mid-days and I was on in the afternoons.I was on KHOW from 1986 to 1996. KHOW was playing music when I first got there. Then a couple of years later they switched to talk and then I teamed up with Hal Moore and Charlie. Towards the end Charlie got fired. Then it was me and Hal. After 1996 I moved to KEZW. Then I was there for 3 months. Then I moved to Kosi 101. Kosi was owned by the same company as KEZW which it isn’t any more. The program director of Kosi 101 asked me if I would like to do mornings on KOSI and I said sure and I have been there ever since. My 20 year reunion is coming up in November.JL: Then I remember you were working with Jo Meyers for a couple of years. Is that right?”MH: When I started doing mornings on KOSI 101, my first partner was Melissa Moore. Melissa Moore is now working on KYGO radio. She got married and moved to Florida, so that’s why we broke up. Then I worked with Jo Meyers. She and I worked together for 7 or 8 years. Then she retired. Then I started working with Denise. We worked together for 10 years.JL: Now back to Hal Moore for just one second. What was it like working with such a legend in Hal Moore?MH: It was great! I heard about Hal and Charlie before I came out here. To got to work with Hal Moore one on one it was great! We had such a great time working together. He and I got along extremely well. I still see him a lot. He is still in town here in Colorado. He is doing well. It was just great working with him.JL: What would be your advice for someone wanting to get into Colorado radio?MH: It’s difficult getting into radio now compared to when I got into radio 20 years ago. I always advise people to go to college and learn from a college radio station. Because then you get a college degree. It’s very competitive.JL: What are 1 or 2 strengths and what are 1 or 2 weaknesses of Colorado radio today?MH: One weakness is that radio now isn’t DJ oriented anymore. It is more digitally oriented now. That’s because of the new rating systems. A strength is that Colorado has a really good radio market to get into. I have listened to stations over the country and Colorado is one of the best.JL: Do you have any favorite memories of some remotes that you have been a part of or any special broadcasts that you have been a part of?MH: Sure- sometimes we would broadcast from Disney World before the holidays. That was a lot of fun. Jo Meyers and I were on the air when 9-11 happened and that was a memorable time. That really changed radio because our show was more music driven and we started talking about 9-11. It is a great radio station and it is still doing well.I really appreciate Murphy doing this interview with me. He is a wonderful weekend DJ on Kosi 101. I would really encourage followers of my blog to give it a listen.Thanks for tuning in.Jeremy Levy

9/4/17 9/4/17

Murphy Huston interview

Jeremy Levy back with you to talk about another person in Colorado radio.I would consider Murphy Huston a legend in Denver radio. I first started listening to Murphy in 1996 when he was teamed with Hal Moore. Hal Moore is another radio legend in Colorado radio. Hal and Murphy did the morning show on KHOW together for a long time. Their show was very fun to listen to and they had a lot of fun on the air together. The show was more of an entertaining show. They didn’t have many political guests AS they were just there to have a great time. This is what I think Morning talk radio should be.After KHOW, Murphy moved to KEZW and did mid days there by himself. Hal Moore ULTIMATELY joined him there as well to do afternoons. After that Murphy moved to Kosi 101. I found him there a couple of years later. He was doing the morning show with Jo Myers. They had a great time together. They would have Warren Byrne on with a restaurant tip on Friday mornings. Jo would always ask great questions and have great comments. Murphy was a wonderful host as well. I can still remember Murphy and Joe teaming up to do the Rocky Mountain PBS auction every April for years. A couple of years later Jo left the show to persue other hobbies/goals that she had and Denise Plante joined the show. One of my horse-back riding instructors is Murphy’s in-laws and she set me up to meet Murphy and Denise on a December morning. I have heard their show and I was thrilled and very excited to meet them.When I got into the studio with them they were very pleasant and they treated me like I was their guest. They encouraged me to ask questions of them. This was a very festive time at Kosi 101 because it was near Christmas time. They were playing Christmas music. I got to meet John Oates from Hall and Oates. They had him on as a guest. It was fun visiting Kosi 101 and meeting Murphy and Denise.A couple of years later Murphy semi-retired from the show. He is still on Kosi 101 doing weekend shifts. He also fills in on occasion on Kosi during the week.I really miss Murphy’s daily show.Here is my interview with Murphy.Jeremy Levy: How did you get your start in Colorado radio?Murphy Houston: I started on KHOW back in 1986. Hal and Charlie were doing mornings and Tom Kelley was doing mid-days and I was on in the afternoons.I was on KHOW from 1986 to 1996. KHOW was playing music when I first got there. Then a couple of years later they switched to talk and then I teamed up with Hal Moore and Charlie. Towards the end Charlie got fired. Then it was me and Hal. After 1996 I moved to KEZW. Then I was there for 3 months. Then I moved to Kosi 101. Kosi was owned by the same company as KEZW which it isn’t any more. The program director of Kosi 101 asked me if I would like to do mornings on KOSI and I said sure and I have been there ever since. My 20 year reunion is coming up in November.JL: Then I remember you were working with Jo Meyers for a couple of years. Is that right?”MH: When I started doing mornings on KOSI 101, my first partner was Melissa Moore. Melissa Moore is now working on KYGO radio. She got married and moved to Florida, so that’s why we broke up. Then I worked with Jo Meyers. She and I worked together for 7 or 8 years. Then she retired. Then I started working with Denise. We worked together for 10 years.JL: Now back to Hal Moore for just one second. What was it like working with such a legend in Hal Moore?MH: It was great! I heard about Hal and Charlie before I came out here. To got to work with Hal Moore one on one it was great! We had such a great time working together. He and I got along extremely well. I still see him a lot. He is still in town here in Colorado. He is doing well. It was just great working with him.JL: What would be your advice for someone wanting to get into Colorado radio?MH: It’s difficult getting into radio now compared to when I got into radio 20 years ago. I always advise people to go to college and learn from a college radio station. Because then you get a college degree. It’s very competitive.JL: What are 1 or 2 strengths and what are 1 or 2 weaknesses of Colorado radio today?MH: One weakness is that radio now isn’t DJ oriented anymore. It is more digitally oriented now. That’s because of the new rating systems. A strength is that Colorado has a really good radio market to get into. I have listened to stations over the country and Colorado is one of the best.JL: Do you have any favorite memories of some remotes that you have been a part of or any special broadcasts that you have been a part of?MH: Sure- sometimes we would broadcast from Disney World before the holidays. That was a lot of fun. Jo Meyers and I were on the air when 9-11 happened and that was a memorable time. That really changed radio because our show was more music driven and we started talking about 9-11. It is a great radio station and it is still doing well.I really appreciate Murphy doing this interview with me. He is a wonderful weekend DJ on Kosi 101. I would really encourage followers of my blog to give it a listen.Thanks for tuning in.Jeremy Levy

7/4/17 7/4/17

Summer updates

Jeremy Levy back with you to tell you about another a couple of changes this early summer in Colorado Media.Congratulations to Tyler Polumbus and Rick Lewis. They will be paired with Dave Logan on Bronco’s broadcasts this season after Ed McCafrey’s departure from the station. Andy Lindahl will still be with the pregame show as a reporter. This will give Andy time to be with his family. Congratulations to Andy.BJ Harris and Jamie White have signed a contract extension to be on the air at KALC radio for another 5 years. This morning show started back in 2010.Dominic Garcia is coming home to anchor channel 4 KCNC evening news casts with Karen Lee. Dominic was with the station from 2010 to 2013 when he moved to San Diego California. Congratulations to Dominic. We are really glad to have you back in Colorado.Adele Arakawa retired from KUSA’s channel 9 news after almost 20 years. I will really miss Adele. She is moving to Arizona. I really thought that Adele was a wonderful news anchor. Kim Christiansen will be taking her place.Mark Moser and Julie Browman-I got to meet Julie and Mark a couple of weeks ago at the Stoney’s Bar and Grill. This was a thrill for me and I will be posting an interview with them sometime down the road.4th of July week, Jon Caldara will be filling in on KOA 850AM, 94.1 FM, and 630 KHOW. Jon will be on 850 KOA Monday and Tuesday from 1-4 p.m. substituting for Mandy Connell, and he will be on the rest of the week for Ross Kaminsky on 630 KHOW from 6-10 AM in the mornings.Thanks for tuning in.Jeremy Levy

6/15/17 6/15/17

Rick Crandall interview

Jeremy Levy back with you to write about another one of my interviews about Colorado radio.Rick Crandall is the program director of KEZW 1430 radio. The station is now called Cruisin 1430. Rick also hosts the 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. shift on the station. As I have talked about in some of my other blogs Cruisin 1430 plays 60’s and 70’s music during the week and on the weekends they have different talk shows.I first started listening to Crusin 1430 in 1997. Back then the station played 50’s music. Frank Sinatra was one of the singers that they played a lot of. My parents and I were at a friend’s house helping him move to another house and I was listening to a boom box that I had brought to the house with me. I didn’t know that there were other radio stations besides 630 KHOW. I started flicking around the dial and came across 1430. The show that was on was the Warren Byrne restaurant show. I thought that the only restaurant show out there was Mike Boyle and the Mike Boyle Restaurant Show.The first time I heard Rick Crandall was him doing commercials for the Warren Byrne Restaurant Show. I found out later he did the morning show at the station and I found out that he did the Health show called the St. Joseph’s health Show on Thursday evenings from 6-7. This show had guests that were doctors for the St. Joseph’s Hospital to come on and talk about different topics. I learned a lot of things from listening to this show and I am sure the other listeners did as well. In the fall of 1997 I heard the station grow and have more talk shows including The cooking show with Nancy Merrill, The Mr. fix-it show, and Ask the Garden Pros. Another show I remember was the Cherry Creek Travel show. There also was another talk shows about pets plus retirement investing shows. During the week Rick has brought on such talent as Pat Mcnolte, Murphy Huston, the legendary Hal Moore, and Wayne Yafee. These DJ’s have brought great things to the station and I really appreciate Rick bringing these wonderful talented people to the station. Rick has also brought on some great producers to the station such as Rick Keading, and Janine and Mark Archer. Now they have more talk shows on Sundays as well. My favorite show on Sundays is the Real estate new show hosted by Lane Lion. I would describe the station as being around friends and great conversation.Here is my interview from Rick.Jeremy Levy: Rick, how did you get started in Colorado radio and how did you start with Cruisin 1430?Rick Crandall: My first shift in Colorado radio was on Christmas Day in 1987 on Kosi 101 FM. I put up the real to real tapes. Later in 1988 I was hired as program director of KOSI radio. I was doing mid-days back then.JL: When did you start being the program director of Cruisin 1430?RC: That started back in 1991. In June of 1991 I took over mornings on what was then KEZW 1430. This was the adult’s standards station. I have been the program director ever since.JL: Do you have any memorable broadcasts that you have done or any memorable events that you have been a part of?RC: Yes On Memorial day of 2000 I did my show from Normandy Beach in Normandy France. Then a year and a half later I did my show from Pearl Harbor. The point of this was to pay tribute to all of the Colorado’s World War 2 veterans that have served in the war. These 2 broadcasts really had a big impact on the people living in Colorado. A lot of the veterans got to share their story which was a big thing. Those 2 broadcasts were fun and emotional at the same time.JL: I bet they were. The reason why I started listening to Cruisin 1430 is because of the Saturday morning programming. My favorite show is the Mr. fix-it show. How has that show been doing in the ratings?RC: It’s been doing okay. Saturday morning shows like the Mr. fix-it show get all grouped up together. The station gets a ton of phone calls and the Restaurant Show does as well. Both Paul and Warren have been doing it for so long people trust them to give them the answers to their questions. They offer great advice. Since they have been around for so long it really speaks to their ability to connect with the listener.JL: What would be your advice for someone wanting to get into Colorado radio?RC:Radio has changed so much you need to be up to date on facebook and all of the newest technology. All of the new technology is very important in social media. The other would be find out what is unique about you. What can you do that no one else can do What can you offer that no one else can offer and be that person. Just be yourself.JL: What are one or two strengths and what are 1 or 2 weaknesses in Colorado radio today?RC: That there are people here that have been doing radio for a long long time like Peter Boyles and Hal Moore. Denver is one of the big radio markets People can get pretty protective of their space and that would be a weakness.We don’t do as good of a job working on more community events as a radio stations.I really appreciate Rick Crandall doing the interview with me. This interview is coming at a perfect time because this upcoming week is Rick’s anniversary at the station.Happy anniversary to you Rick Crandall! I always enjoy listening to you and Crusin 1430.Thanks for tuning in.Jeremy Levy

6/2/17 6/2/17

Colorado Radio/TV changes for the Spring 2017

Jeremy Levy back with you to give you some changes that have occurred in Colorado radio and TV.Guy David is moving to KYGO radio after doing radio on WFOn Radio in Wisconson. He will be teamed with Tracy Dickson. The show with Tracy has been without a co-host since last Spring, When Tracy’s co-host Ryno moved to Texas radio.A new host, Rob Karson, substituted on KHOW for a couple of days this March 28-29. I really think he did a good job. His show was interesting because he used sound effects for some of the topics on his show. He reminded me of Dan Daru’s show. I hope that he might get his own show in Colorado soon.Dan Jackson is no longer with Sunny106.3 radio in Colorado Springs. Sunny 106.3 radio is owned by Iheart media. Dan Jackson was with Sunny radio for a long time. He was paired with Paul Richards for years. When Paul left sunny 106.3 radio Dan was paired with Tammy Oakland and was until Dan’s departure from the station. I will Miss Dan’s show in Colorado Springs. He was a wonderful DJ.Ed McCaffrey is no longer with the Bronco’s broadcasts or with 760 radio. Ed wants to spend more time with his 4 sons who play football. There is no word yet about who will replace Ed on the Andy and Ed show on 760 or who will replace him on Bronco’s broadcasts. Good luck to Ed in whatever his next adventures will be.KS107.5 has not renewed the morning show contracts with Kathy J and Larry Ulaberry. KS107.5 is owned by Entercom communications. The station is searching for their next morning show. Good luck to them in finding a new show. Kathy J is still with Fox 31 in Denver. I haven’t heard what Larry is doing.Mark Johnson who is the Sports director of 850 KOA has been cut from Iheart Media doing sports in the mornings. Mark started at KOA back in 2004. I always enjoyed Mark’s sports anchoring. I have always enjoyed him on the shows he was on as a substitute host as well wheather it was the Dave Logan show, or the Ride Home or the Sports zoo or even Colorado’s morning news with April Zesbaugh when Steffan Tubs was on vacation. . Mike Rice has been doing the morning sports updates. There is no word, yet, on who will be filling the position of Sports Director for KOA.Jessica Lebell is joining Fox 31 in Denver. She was recently with CBS channel 11 in Colorado Springs. Good luck to Jessica.Ed Green is no longer with CBS 4 in Denver in the evenings or afternoons. Lauren Witney has now taken over this responsibility.Ed is somewhat retiring. He might fill in on occasion. I really enjoyed Ed’s style of reporting the weather.Thanks for tuning in.Jeremy Levy

5/31/17 5/31/17

Jim Berry Interview

The first memories I have of Jim Berry is listening to him in Colorado Springs at 92.9 KSPZ radio. This station played oldies music from the 60’s 70’s and 80’s music, which is my favorite kind of music. This kind of music has a lot of songs that I enjoy listening to. I used to get up on school mornings at the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind and listen to KSPZ radio,Jim Berry and his partner Tammy Oakland. Their morning show was fun to listen to and it had some good sense of humor. I remember one show on a Friday when we had a snow delay and they had Mike Boyle with a restaurant tip. This was good for the listener because if you were looking for a restaurant to go to over the weekend, then that tip might give just help.After KSPZ, Jim Berry moved to Kool 105 radio and he is also the program director of Kool 105.Jim Berry’s show can be heard from 3-7 p.m. on week days.Here is my interview with Jim.Jeremy Levy: I first started listening to you on KSPZ back in 2005 or 2006, but is this how you got your start in Colorado and where did you get your start?Jim Berry: I grew up in Trinidad, Colorado. I started radio there back in 1985. From there I went to Canyon City, Colorado. From there I went to Colorado Springs. From there I went to Fort Collins Colorado. I did sports there for the first time. I moved to Nebraska which was my first programming job. Then I moved to Lincoln, Nebraska. Then I became operations manager in Alcon, Nevada. Then I went back to Colorado Springs and became the program director and the morning guy there. Then I became the general manager. Then I went to Salida, Colorado at a radio station there. Then I went back to the Springs and got sick with cancer so I needed to recover from that. Then that’s how I ended up at Kool 105 as the program director and afternoon host.Jl: What memories do you have of working in Colorado Springs radio or Denver radio?JB: In Colorado Springs radio I took the station to number one in the ratings book. I did some wonderful promotions down there. The Charity things I remember the most.There was one time I ate some jello for charity. I broadcast from a roof one day. I putted a golf ball through town to raise money. Another thing that was fun was giving away prizes, for example, trips for the listener. When 911 happened, the whole group of radio stations pitched in to help to raise money.JL:What would be your advice for someone wanting to get into Colorado radio?JB: A lot of people wanting to get into radio think that they are going to start in an on air position and that’s not going to happen right away. You need to start in a small market and then work your way up. You need to do this so someone can give you a chance. You also need to hone your craft. Denver is where I always wanted to work. Denver is my New York.I really appreciated Jim Berry sharing the time with me. I enjoy listening to Jim Berry on Kool 105 radio. He and I knew some of the same people from Colorado Springs. I always appreciate his quick responses to questions I have at the station. Thanks for tuning in.Jeremy Levy

4/9/17 4/9/17

Jeremy’s Mark Crowley interview

Today I am going to share my Mark Crowley interview.I first remember Mark from his radio show called Success Radio. Mark Crowley’s show was on 710 KNUS Sundays from 12-2 p.m. I liked this show because it talked about people that were successful and some of the things that they had found out to make them this way. I remember he had a one person on to talk about real estate, named Armen Feldman. I found this interview fascinating. 710 KNUS had a great Sunday line up at the time. They had Mr. fix-it Paul McGregor from 8-10 AM, followed by Mike Boyle’s Restaurant show from 10-12, and then Success radio from 12-2. This meant that KNUS had local programming for 6 hours on Sundays! I love local programming!I also remember Mark Crowley doing some fill-ins on the Mike Boyle Restaurant show. One time Mike was stuck on a trip in California and he asked Mark to fill in. Mark did an outstanding job- as usual. This was an interesting show because Mark was doing a live remote show from a restaurant called the Atlanta Bread Company. Mike got there right at the end of the broadcast.Unfortunately, Success Radio came to an end in 2008. Mark still wanted to be involved with the radio station. He became the digital programming coordinator for 710 KNUS. This means that he takes care of the podcasts that are on the station. I am very thankful for Mark taking the time doing this interview with me.Jeremy Levy: How did you get your start in radio? How did that help you get your start being the digital program coordinator at 710 KNUS?Mark Crowley: I have been interested in radio ever since I was a young kid. I used to have a transistor radio. I used to listen to the Denver Bears baseball games. I loved it because the announcers painted such great pictures. I could see the games without seeing them. In the 80’s I came across a friend of mine who I was in a play with back in 10 years earlier. This person was Bob Lee who was Peter Boyles mentor and who got Peter Boyles into radio. He was a true legend in Denver radio. 20 years later in 2001, a guy by the name of Mike Lipton who was in New York at the time the station was WGBB radio. No one listened to that station because it was a low powered radio station. He would record it and post it on his website. Which was neat. I contacted with him. Then my wife Lynn was a big fan of Mike Boyle. I got introduced to him through her. Then Mike introduced me to Brian Taylor who is the general manager of KNUS. I started Success Radio back in 2002. I used Mike Lipton’s model. I put it up on my website for people to listen to. Podcasting was very new at the time. That really got me interested in technology. This is where radio is going. I just made it my business to be a steward of that and learn all I could about podcasting. Then I started with face book, then video, and then you tube.Jl: So do you think that’s where radio is going?MC: Yes, I do. Radio is becoming more digital now. A lot of times it is difficult for people to tune into the show they like at the specific time that it is on. That’s where the podcasting comes in. Podcasts you can listen to any time you would like to. I tell people all of the time that radio is becoming more and more like TV. You tube and face book live are allowing people to pull back the curtain on radio shows.JL: Do you have any great memories from doing Success Radio and being in the radio business?MC: Yes, there are some great memories around that. One of the interviews that I remember was interviewing Donald Trump’s attorney. He wrote a book and was on my show. John Maxwell was also on my show. Tony Robbins was another interview. The author that wrote QBQ, John Miller- The question behind the question. He was a regular guest on my show. That was fun. You name it anyone that was involved with personal development I interviewed them.I have now moved behind the scenes of radio and that is even more enjoyable than the on- air things I was doing. I get to do so many things in my current radio role. Attending the republican national convention in Tampa in 2012 and then again in 2016, was just an amazing opportunity and a personal highlight. My daughter traveled with me to Tampa in 2012. She had sort of become my assistant. We get to meet some amazing people. She had her picture taken with John Voight. He was in Midnight Cowboy and in other big time movies. He would sit down with my daughter and I and we just had a great conversation.Jl: What would be your advice for someone wanting to get in to radio?MC: It is a difficult business to get in to. There are not a lot of opportunities. I have discovered a hidden jewel In Denver. It’s 104.7 FM community radio. And they are in the Denver open media foundation. They have community television and radio. What I would recommend is for people to start there and gain some experience there. They have internships where you can intern and learn the skills that you need. You do everything. You can produce shows, you can be a host on the station, you learn how to be a sales person, loading audio, direct programming. That allows you to build a resume. You can take all of the classes for free television and radio. . You can come out of there with the same experiences that you would get at a broadcasting school but for less money.I really appreciate Mark Crowley sharing the time with me today. Next week I will share my Jim Berry interview.Thank you for tuning in.Jeremy Levy

3/31/17 3/31/17

Colorado Broadcasters Awards of Excellence Dinner

Today I am going to share my experience at the Colorado radio broadcasters dinner. This dinner was held on the second Saturday of March. It was wonderful going to this dinner and I am very appreciative and thankful to Mark Crowley from 710 KNUS for inviting me to come and be their guest! This event is where Colorado radio and TV stations get awards for excellence. When Mark Crowley invited me to this dinner I thought I would get to meet and socialize with more radio hosts. Salem Communications had 1 table and there were 5 or 6 people from the Salem stations. I thought there might be other radio personalities there. Most of the people there were nominated for or supporting others who were nominated for awards. I got to meet Tom Moller, who is the morning news personality on 710 KNUs. He and I had a wonderful time together. Tom has been in radio for a long time- about 50 years total. I am looking forward to doing an interview with Tom down the road. Salem Communications, which owns 710 KNUS, also has a Spanish radio station 1650 RadioLuz - Denver. They won an award for best Midday show! I wanted to say a big congratulations to 850 KOA for getting the best morning news program in the mornings award. I was really happy for Steffan Tubs and April Zesbaugh. I also wanted to say congratulations to the Fox KRFX 103.5 fm for getting best radio station of the year. One thing that really surprised me was how many awards went to Spanish stations. I guess that Spanish stations are getting biggerin Colorado.Congratulations to Kyle Clark for getting best news reporter of the year. Also congratulations to KUSa TV for getting best news station of the year.This was a super fun event for me to be apart of! Stay tuned next week when I will be sharing my Mark Crowley interview.Thanks for tuning in.Jeremy Levy

3/19/17 3/19/17

Changes happening in Colorado radio and TV

Jeremy Levy back with you to tell you about some interesting changes that are happening in Colorado radio and TV.Ryan Harris has now joined Nate Kreckman on the afternoon show from 3-6 PM weekdays on Altitude Sports Radio 950 AM. Tom Nalen has left the station.TJ Carpenter has now joined Sean Walsh on 1340-Mile-High sports radio. TJ Carpenter comes from WHB radio in Kansas City. Sean and TJ can now be heard from 2-4 p.m. weekdays.Starting on March 31, Brandon Stokley will now have a new radio partner named Zach Bye. Zach comes from 104.5 The Team in New York. Zach and Brandon can now be heard on the 104.3 the fan from 12-3 PM on weekday afternoons. I am looking forward to hearing this show.Be on the lookout for a blog interview with Zach in the next couple of months!Sticking with the sports end of radio; Jack Corrigan and Jerry Schemmel have both signed extensions with the Colorado Rockies broadcasts. I think the article I read from Jason Barrett’s sports media said that their contract was for 5 years. Jack has been with the KOA radio broadcast since 2004 while Jerry started with the broadcasts in 2011. Jack and Jerry can be heard calling Colorado Rockies games on KOA news radio 850 a.m. and 94.1 fm.Congratulations to Slacker and Steve from KALC 105.9. They just got a contract extension for another 5 years. Slacker and Steve have been on the station since the early 2000’s. They always do such a wonderful job with the Children’s hospital radiothon every Valentine’s Day. Slacker and Steve can be heard from 3-7 on Alice 105.9 FM.Keefer can now be heard on 93.3 KTCL FM on week day afternoons from 3-7 PM. Keefer used to be with some other radio stations in Denver, so it is good to see him back on the air.Good luck to Tom Green who will be leaving Denver’s Channel 2 TV in Denver in the month of May. Tom anchors the morning on Channel 2. Tom doesn’t know what his plan will be after he leaves. Ernie Bjorkman is taking Tom Green’s spot after May. Good luck to Ernie. I am hoping that this will be a good move for him.Thanks for tuning in.Jeremy Levy

2/23/17 2/23/17

Directly from 104.3 The Fan website

Denver — In the spirit of NFL free agency beginning in less than two weeks, Sports Radio 104.3 The Fan (KKFN-FM) announced today the signing of two talented free-agent personalities to join the team. Former Denver Broncos offensive lineman Tyler Polumbus and current Fan Broncos Insider Cecil Lammey will host, weekdays from 9-10 a.m., beginning immediately.“We’ve made it a challenge internally for almost a year now to get both of these guys more involved with our daily Broncos coverage,” said program director Armen Williams. “Tyler and Cecil have hosted shows together since last spring, discovering instant chemistry since day one. We’re excited to give our listeners even more local Denver sports talk throughout the day.”Polumbus, a Denver native, attended Cherry Creek High School and played football at the University of Colorado from 2003 to 2007. His eight-year NFL career finished with a Super Bowl 50 championship as a member of the Broncos.Lammey is one of the most respected football analysts in not just Denver, but nationwide. He will continue to serve as the Fan Broncos Insider, reporting from UCHealth Training Center daily during football season. Amazingly, Lammey travels to every major college football all-star game, the NFL Scouting Combine, the NFL Draft, and is a valued source for NFL prospects across the country. He is also a senior writer at FootballGuys.com.Lammey and Polumbus have been contributors for The Fan and will continue to host on the weekends and also in a fill-in capacity. In addition, both individuals will provide exclusive digital content, both in written and multimedia form, at 1043TheFan.com.

2/14/17 2/14/17

February"s Blog

Jeremy Levy here with you again for another blog for 2017. The reason why I haven’t been posting more regularly is because my computer hasn’t been working. Anyway here are some notes that I have missed.• Jacqueline Crea to exit KHOU 11 in HoustonThe reason I put this up is because Jacqueline is joining ABC 7 here in Colorado.Jacqueline starts sometime at the end of this month. I got this tip from Mike McGuff who writes a Houston radio and TV blog. I am looking forward to watching her. I think she will be a good edition to ABC 7.Last week the radio station called Alice 105.9 or KALC radio did their annual radiothon raising money for Children’s Hospital. I always look forward to this every year, and I think the stories are very touching and very inspiring. I always enjoy hearing Jamie White on this radiothon because she does a great job encouraging people to call in with their donations.I also went to the Colorado Garden and home show at the Colorado convention center last Friday and got to meet Steve Kelley and Krista Kafer. It was a real pleasure meeting them, and I want to thank Mark Crowley for giving us tickets for me to meet Steve and Krista and Casey Bloyer. Be on the lookout for an interview with Steve down the road, and my interview with Krista as well.At Winter Park a couple of weeks ago I also got to meet Peter Boyles. That's right, Colorado radio legend Peter Boyles. Garry DeFrange, the CEO of Winter Park, introduced me, and I so appreciate him for doing that. It was a real honor meeting Peter and I am looking forward to co-hosting a show with him sometime down the road.Thanks for tuning in.Jeremy Levy

1/6/17 1/6/17

2017 New Year's blog

Happy New Year to everyone. I hope that all of my followers have had a wonderful Holiday season and are ready for a great 2017.There are many Colorado radio and TV station moves and/or additions this first week of 2017 I am going to go through them all first and I will give my opinions on the changes afterward.Andy Lindahl and Ed McCaffrey have moved on KDSP radio 760 radio from 3 to 6 PM to 10 AM to 1 PM.Mike Rice is on KDSP from 1 pm-3pm. Susie Wargin is on KRFX radio 103.5 radio from 10 a.m. 3- p.m.Uncle Nasty Greg Stone is on 103.5 KRFX radio from 3-7 PM.Dave Logan is back on 850 KOA during the 4 PM –7 PM slot. Dave Logan has a new partner Rick Lewis. Rick is still doing mornings on The FOX with Kathy Lee.Corey Lopez is on from 7-8 PM hosting Prime Time Sports. Cheryl Preheim has left Channel 9 news. Drew Soicher has also left 9 news.Here are my opinions on these changes.I will really miss Cheryl Preheim. Cheryl was a big part of KUSA 9 news and will join sister-station WXIA in Atlanta as a morning news anchor starting in January. KUSA and WXIA are both owned by TEGNA Media.Susie Wargin has been one of my favorite personalities since 2004. I wasn’t a big fan of hers back when she was doing music radio, but I listened to her on Monday for a little bit, and she seemed happy. Good luck to her in this new adventure.I always enjoy listening to Andy Lindahl and Ed. I liked the 3-6 PM time slot for them, but I understand KDSP wanting to make some changes. I will miss them on their old time slot. I flip back and forth now from Tom Martino's 630 KHOW to Scott Hastings and Tom Helmer on Altitude Sports radio 950, and now I squeeze in Andy and Ed on KDSP.Mike Rice has been hosting the Bronco’s pregame and post-game shows since 2010 or 2011. I think he is a wonderful host and it’s nice to see that he has his own show on KDSP radio. I will certainly be a loyal listener to this show. I will also be flipping back and forth to Mandy Connell 850 KOA, and to Mark Moser and Julie Browman on Altitude Sports 950 during this time slot.Uncle Nasty has been with I heart media for a long time He was let go in 2011 or 2012 due to budget cuts. It’s nice to see that IHeart media has brought him back. He has a very distinctive voice, and I think he will bring in great ratings for The FOX.Rick Lewis has been a staple on The FOX for many years. He was partners with Michael Floorwax, but Floorwax had some health concerns a couple of years ago, and he is no longer on the show. I never really got into their show a whole lot. After Floorwax’s departure, Rick Lewis brought in Kathy Lee to host the show. This morning show has brought in strong ratings. KOA radio wants to bring in strong ratings, and Dave Logan’s shows have done that over the years. Dave Logan and Rick Lewis sound really good together. Kathy Lee is on this show as well, and is part of the banter back and forth. This show is fun and entertaining. Some of the humor might be a little intense if you are a younger listener, but I think that Dave Logan will help Rick Lewis with what is appropriate and what isn’t. I like fun and entertaining shows on the radio. Koa has said that it’s looking for a younger audience, and I think they have hit a home run with putting two popular personalities together.Cory Lopez has been a host for KOA radio, and hosted the Rockies pregame show. He is a good host, but I’m not sure if he would make a great host of a talk radio show. I like his voice, and I like it when he fills in on sports shows. I think that KOA should have fun locally at night. For example, in the good old days at KOA they had a popular show called the Sports Zoo hosted by Dave Logan and Scott Hastings. This was a raucous, fun show. It was followed by a host such as Russ Johnson or Ken Sasso to have more fun at night after Dave and Scott were finished.I haven’t heard a whole lot from Drew Soicher, but I wish him luck in whatever his next goals are.Thanks for tuning in.Jeremy Levy

1/6/17 1/6/17

2017 New Year’s radio blog

11/28/16 11/28/16

April Zesbaugh interview

Back in 2003- or 2004, I started tuning into KOA radio in the mornings. The show was called Colorado’s Morning News, and was hosted by Steve Kelley and April Zesbaugh. This show was very informative, and kept me updated on the different news events both around Colorado and around the world. In 2005 Steve Kelley left the show and now the show is hosted by April Zesbaugh and Steffan Tubbs. I like the stories that April reads on the air, and I like the news stories that she covers. The show is on from 5-10 Am on 850 and 94.1 KOA radio.Here is my interview with April.Jeremy Levy: I first started listening to you back in 2003 or 2004, but is KOA radio where you got your start in radio if not, where, and how did you get your start in radio?April Zesbaugh: I got my start in radio in College at UNC in Greeley. I worked for the public radio station on campus, KUNC. I worked there throughout college and then got a job in Laramie, Wyoming at KUWR radio which was on the UW campus. Then I came to Denver for a radio job inside KCNC-TV. They owned a radio station for a couple of years as an experiment. Then I auditioned for the job at KOA on the morning show and got it! I recently had my 20th anniversary. I've been working there since 1996.JL: I know that you have done some remote broadcasts with the Rockies, and the Bronco’s, but are there any special broadcasts, and or interviews that are memorable for you?AZ: We've had so many special broadcasts and interviews it's tough to narrow it down. I remember watching Steve Kelly sit in every seat at the new mile high Stadium when it was built. He showed such grit, it was so inspiring. Yes, most of the remote broadcasts we do are in sports venues like Coors Field or Mile Hi stadium. I had a fun time on St. Patrick's Day at 'kegs and eggs' this year in a Lodo bar. And years ago before Colorado had Powerball, we took a group of listeners to Ogallala, Nebraska to play Powerball. That was a fun road trip. Both Steffan and I felt so honored to broadcast live from the Democratic National Convention when I was in Denver in 2008. And that same year we went to the Republican national convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. We interview a lot of politicians on a regular basis: the governor, our senators, all of our Congress people and local legislators. We also regularly interview nationally renowned comics like Norm MacDonald, Pete Davidson, and Caroline Rhea to name a few. I really liked talking with the creators of South Park, because they're from Colorado and funny. Just last week I got to interview Cyndi Lauper, a favorite of mine from the 1980s. That was pretty exciting. She told a funny story about how she used to wear real paint in her hair and it would flake off like orange dandruff.And of course we always talk to current and former athletes like John Elway, Pat Bowlen, Gary Kubiak, CJ Anderson, Charlie Blackmon, Tim Tebow, etc. It's always refreshing to find many of these rich, famous and powerful people who seem so down to earth.JL: What would be your advice for someone wanting to get into Colorado radio?What are one or two strengths, and what are one or two weaknesses of Colorado radio today?AZ: My advice for anyone getting into any broadcast field would be to get an internship. Typically you won't get paid for it, but the experience you get will be invaluable. I had an internship at a cable television station during college and of course at the radio station I worked at on campus. And then I also did an internship before I got my job at KCNC TV.Any radio station you work at will want to hear a tape of your on air work. So if you can get some studio time to put a tape together, that would be a great idea.I think Colorado radio right now is very diverse, which is great. People have a lot of listening choices. But I think it's very difficult for music radio in particular to compete with satellite radio and the 100+ channels of music and entertainment. Fortunately for us in the news business, people want to hear local news and traffic/weather and they're not going to get that on satellite radio. It is also good to be the big dog on the block. And I Heart Radio is definitely that. For instance, KOA is the only radio station in the Denver metro area that has a helicopter traffic reporter. One challenge for all radio stations is to provide compelling content around more and more commercials.JL: For me, I am very interested and passionate about getting into Colorado radio. I have done an internship at a radio station in Colorado Springs, and I really enjoyed being in the environment of a radio station. Would you have any advice for me, and would you have any connections for me?AZ: I am glad to hear that you're interested in pursuing radio as a career. Because of the advent of satellite radio and the internet, I feel like there are more opportunities for voice talent now then there were when I was coming up in the business. I don't know much about internships at KOA, but I know our news director sometimes has openings for weekend and overnite fill-in people. You are welcome to send me an mp3 of your work and I'd be happy to critique it.Good luck!April Z.