Jim Lannon
James Lannon found a home at Denver’s Channel 7 where he stayed for 27 years.
After his graduation with honors from the University of Denver in 1952, he joined KLZ-TV. He started there just before it went on the air in 1953 and stayed until his retirement from KMGH-TV in 1980.
He began as a camera operator and then was promoted to full time producer/director. He produced the acclaimed series “Panorama,” hosted by Gene Amole, which earned Channel 7 a George Foster Peabody award in 1957.
Lannon directed many local TV firsts: the first live Denver Symphony telecast, the first video-tape of a heart transplant, the first film coverage of NORAD and the first time cameras were allowed in the Denver FBI Office.
James has been a member of both the Colorado Speliological Society and the Littleton Gem and Mineral Society. He’s been recognized by the Colorado Heart Association, the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the Colorado School of Mines.
Lee Larsen
Lee Larsen’s 48 year career in broadcasting started as an announcer at a small radio station in Southern California. After work at stations including KFI and KLOS in Los Angeles, he came to Denver.
In 1983 he joined KOA-KOAQ radio stations as General Manager and never left, spending 23 years as a leader in Colorado broadcasting. He retired as President and Market Manager of Clear Channel Colorado in December 2010.
He was twice President of the Colorado Broadcasters Association and has been recognized as Larsen Colorado Broadcaster of the Year multiple times. He was also named one of the Top 50 Best Managers in Radio by Radio Ink Magazine.
Larsen founded the “Never Forgotten Fund” and served on numerous boards including the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Elway Foundation, Craig Hospital, the Pepperdine University Alumni Association and the Denver Broncos Charities.
Ed Sardella
Ed Sardella broadcast for over 32 years in Denver. After graduating from Occidental College in Los Angeles, Ed served as Communications Officer in the US Marine Corps. Upon completing his service in 1966 he worked first in radio and then TV in Oregon.
After moving to Denver in 1972 to become a news and sports reporter and anchor at KLZ-TV, he moved to KBTV (now KUSA) as the primary sports anchor. He was soon promoted to the news anchor desk. A year later Channel 9 became a market leader in Denver and remained so for the rest of his career.
9News named him one of the two recipients of its Half Century Award in recognition of his contribution to the station’s success in its first 50 years, Sardella has been honored with Emmy Awards for excellence in news and is a member of the Heartland Chapter of the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences Silver Circle. He retired as primary anchor and senior editor in May of 2004.
Evan Slack
Evan Slack’s broadcasting career has lasted for nearly six decades and he is still on the air doing what he loves.
His work as a farm and ranch reporter began in 1952 in Springfield, Missouri. After a three year enlistment in the US Marine Corps, he earned a degree in Agriculture from the University of Missouri.
In 1958 he moved west and soon joined KHOW where he stayed for five years before moving to KLZ for the next eight years.
In 1967 he earned his pilot’s license and began flying to report on agricultural stories. Slack did network broadcasting for the Intermountain Network (IMN) and then spent many years on-air at KOA.
Since 1985 he has owned the Evan Slack Network where he is currently reporting for over 40 radio stations in nine states and Canada. He was awarded lifetime membership by the Colorado Cattleman’s Association and is a past president of the National Association of Farm Broadcasters and a member of the NAFB Hall of Fame.