Don Johnson
From Junior High School teacher to the Denver Public School administrative area where he started working with KRMA-TV, Don Johnson developed a unique series of on-air summer school courses that were place into national distribution. He soon became supervisor of station operations and was charged with staging a fund-raising auction.
Johnson was named General Manager of the station in 1983 and convinced the school board the station could better serve the public if it was independent of the DPS. His project them became finding better facilities and he put together a complicated financial and land swap arrangement with Channel 9 that acquired the Channel 9 property on Bannock Street.
Under his leadership, Channel 6 was consistently in the top 10 of public TV stations in audience-share and community support. Johnson received the NATAS Board of Governor’s Award in 1992-93 and was named 1993 Broadcaster of the Year by the Colorado Broadcasters Association, the year he retired from KRMA-TV.
Don Martin
Don Martin carved a unique, long and successful career in Denver radio stations. These included KTLN, KHOW, KOA, KMYR, KFML, KLAJ, KJAE, KICN, and KIMN. It began at KDFM, when as a junior at South High School; Martin built and programmed his own station, using his own initials for call letters. It was licensed by the FCC and covered only his immediate neighborhood. Don’s career as a broadcaster was officially launched.
For much of that career, Don not only was on the air but IN the air as Denver’s first traffic reporter, flying over the skies of the metro area. It was Don Martin who coined the still-used “Mousetrap” to describe the traffic clogged intersection of I-25 and I-70.
A commanding voice and presence in Denver radio news, Martin built an outstanding news operation as News Director of KIMN radio. When the station was sold Martin moved the equipment and staff to KLAK/KJAE-FM. Soon, KIMN was resold and Martin was invited back and once again, KIMN News became a news force in Denver.
Because of his talent, leadership and innovation in the business, Don was the recipient of numerous honors and public service commendations during his broadcasting career. The accolades include an award of excellence from Sigma Delta Chi Journalistic Fraternity, today the Society of Professional Journalists. In 1982, he formed Don Martin Productions, providing audio and video production services for clients locally and nationally.
Jack Miller
Jack Miller is an outstanding example of a successful community broadcaster…serving his stations’ listeners and supporting worthwhile community needs.
In 1956, he started his broadcast career in his hometown, Norfolk, Nebraska as an announcer and salesman at WJAG.
Three years later, Jack was named general manager at KCSR radio in Chadron, Nebraska, where for more than a decade he was a leader in key service organizations and activities while successfully guiding tahe
It was Miller’s move to Fort Collins in 1971 that signaled the beginning of a 32-year span of achievement in broadcasting. As vice president and general manager of KCOL- AM and FM, Jack led the stations’ successful programming and sales efforts resulting in countless awards and listener accolades. KCOL editorialized three days weekly with time for citizen response to the opinions expressed.
The stations aired numerous public service announcements and programs. Miller’s philosophy: “Service to the community must be an integral part of every broadcast day.” He was a long and loyal supporter of Colorado State University and especially CSU’s annual student “Broadcast Day.”
Under Jack’s tutelage, KCOL developed an award-winning news operation, receiving extra special commendations for the stations’ extensive around the clock coverage of the disastrous Big Thompson flood in 1976.
Throughout his career, Miller has remained active in broadcast industry issues and activities. He was named Colorado Broadcaster of the Year in 1981 and served two terms as president of the Colorado Broadcasters Association in 1977-78 and again in 1982-83. He was featured in the 1986 edition of Builders in Broadcasting.
Prior to his retirement in 2003, Jack was involved in business development and sales a KUAD-FM in Windsor. As to his concerns about broadcasting , Miller offered this thought in a publication back in 1977. “That broadcasting remains the free system that is the envy of the entire world.”
Merwin Smith
From his appearances as a member of the campus broadcasting club at Colorado State College of Education in Greeley in 1948, Smith was hired by a brand new radio station at the time…KYOU, announcing news and farm reports, hosting a record show, providing color commentary on live sports broadcasts and other on-air assignments.
In the early 1950’s and Smith was drafted into the army. He was stationed at Armed Forces Radio’s Far East Network in Tokyo, where he served as staff announcer, chief announcer and program director. After his military service was over, Smith wanted to work in Denver, but no openings were available then so a Far East Network alum talked him into moving to Buffalo, New York where he worked at WKBW as announcer and board op.
Smith, like most Coloradans, decided to come home. He was hired by KFEL-AM and also became Denver’s second TV booth announcer when KFEL-TV, Channel 2 went on the air. The radio station was sold shortly thereafter and became the legendary KIMN…KIM. At about the same time, Channel 2 cutback its hours of operation after losing its three network affiliations to new Denver TV stations and Smith was let go. KIMN snapped him up and he became the evening DJ…the Tune Smith.
Smith’s next broadcast stop in Denver was a long and very successful one at KLZ radio and television, where he first served as staff announcer, news and weather caster, and actor and producer on the radio station’s Funny Paper Show. On KLZ-TV, Channel 7, Smith was featured on weather shows as well as commercials and on-air interviews in an eleven year stint. Later, he became the station’s sales service manager, then program director and pioneered in a new division of the station…Time Life 7 Productions, which produced commercials, industrial and educational videos and films. Over a long period, Smith was the voice of commercials for Coors, brewed with pure Rocky Mountain spring water! Another sale and another switch brought Smith back to the radio side for two years.
Smith crowned his long and successful career with his renowned voice talent applied to the Talking Book program of the Library of Congress National Library Service. He was honored with the prestigious Alexander Scourby Narrator of the Year Award from the American Foundation for the Blind. And, upon his retirement in 1998, Smith also received the Didymus Award for his “excellence, diligence and perseverance” in narrating more than 465 talking books.