2013 Hall of Fame Inductees
Rick Barber
Rick Barber grew up in New York and Rhode Island and got in to radio early, going on-air when he was just 16. After high school,
he went to BYU for a year. As a long-haired beer-drinking musician, it wasn’t a good fit. He entered the US Army, first stationed at Ft. Carson in Colorado Springs. He advanced to the rank of Seargent at Ft. Dix in New Jersey with his last duty station at Ft. Bragg.
He earned a journalism degree at Metro State. He then joined KLOV, Loveland, as News Director then worked at Channel 2. He was a newsman for 71 KBTR (1971-1973) and 1340 KDEN (1973- 1976). He took a “hiatus” in Wyoming, where he co-anchored an evening TV newscast and served as weatherman.
He returned to Denver as evening talk host at KWBZ, working with Alan Berg, Peter Boyles and others. From 1978 to 1981 he was as a DJ, talk show host and program director in Albuquerque. He also was a TV booth announcer.
In 1982, Rick returned to Denver to stay joining KOA Radio and TV as the newsman on “All Night Live with Joey Reynolds,” simulcast on both stations. Rick was the straight man to Reynolds antics. When budget realities ended the show in 1984, Rick continued on KOA Radio. He would stay for almost 30 years.
He interviewed guests including President Gerald Ford, Les Paul, Tommy Chong, Carl Sagan and hundreds of authors. He engaged his listeners and callers in conversation and was, for many, overnight radio in Denver.
In January 2012, corporate programming changes brought an end to Rick’s show. He called it “Thirty years of radio talk show interviews and telephone talk that tried to be the last rational interchange on an increasingly irrational radio format.” In February 2013, he learned he had ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. He died June 28, 2013 at the age of 67.
Allan Bissett
Allan Bisset has been at KCNC Channel 4 for 42 years, longer than any other current staff member.
During the Vietnam War, was stationed in Thailand as a Motion Picture Laboratory Specialist with the Air Force. While at Lowry, he served at their Photography school and served as an instructor. After leaving the Air Force, he worked at Western Cine Labs in Denver and earned a degree in Marketing and Sociology at Metro State.
He was hired by KCNC (then KOA) in 1971 to run their Motion Picture Film Lab. As film transitioned to videotape, Allan became a news photographer. Over the decades, he has covered tragedies and triumphs, natural disasters and everyday events.
For 18 years, he has returned to Metro State as guest speaker in the Sociology department, and has mentored journalism and communications students.
He has received the Iris Award for photography and editing for Channel 4’s coverage of the Coors International Bicycle Classic. He has received numerous regional Emmy nominations including one for music composition. He is a member of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Heartland Chapter Silver Circle.
Jack Carver
Jack Carver had thoughts of becoming a radio announcer. While a student at the University of Denver, he went to work for KLZ radio in the mail room at the Shirley Savoy Hotel. He had an opportunity to move to TV when Channel 7 signed on and ran camera on the first broadcast day in November 1953. He was producer-director on popular KLZ programs such as “Sheriff Scotty” and on the top-rated late newscast from 1954 to 1957.
Jack was an early pioneer in remote broadcasts. In 1955, he was Producer/Director for CBS News feeds during President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s hospitalization in Denver. He directed sports programming including the 1961 NCAA hockey playoffs for CBS from the DU arena and the first NFL game played and telecast in Colorado. He directed several original dramatic programs featuring the ‘KLZ Aladdin Players”.
In 1962 he became the Broadcast Liaison for the University of Denver Centennial. He wrote and directed television specials using DU students as the production staff which were produced at and aired on KLZ-TV.
He wrote and produced the DuPont Award- winning “Land of Legend” TV series.
Forming JPI and Associates, he produced numerous coprorate films. In the 1980s, he traveled the country producing “America’s Horse,” a series broadcast on the Nashville Network and ESPN. Jack served as Senior Vice-President of Cowles Magazines and wrote monthly essays for “Western Styles.”
Jack Carver died January 21, 2013 at the age of 81.
Noell Custer
Noell Custer was born and raised in Denver. She graduated from East High School in 1957. In 1959, she graduated from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, returned to Denver and graduated from the University of Denver in 1965 with a BFA in Advertising Design.
She went to work at KLZ-TV, where she would spend nearly 20 years. From 1965 to 1967 she worked with Hall of Famers Fred & Fae Taylor as a production assistant on their children’s program. She handled birthday club reservations and greeted the children arriving for the program.
In 1968 she created Noell and Andy, a morning show for children that ran five days a week for nearly 15 years. Noell and her dragon hand puppet Andy became one of the most watched children’s show on Denver television. Noell and Andy not only entertained grade school age children, but created expanded areas of interest to the young viewers.
Noell made frequent appearances in school classrooms and served as a regular host on both the Channel 6 Auction and the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon. She was recognized by the Association for Children’s Television (ACT) and the Colorado Coalition for Children” for her work providing positive entertainment for youth.
As Colorado approached its centennial year in a 1976, Noell researched, wrote and produced a series of 65 Five minute Colorado History features titled “Centennial Colorado,” an ambitious project that aired on KMGH-TV.
Known for her drawing on TV, Noell left TV to focus on her art. She is a signature member of the Colorado Watercolor Society.
Morey DaVolt
Maurice “Morey” DaVolt moved to Colorado when he was just two. After graduating from South High School, he entertained as a cowboy singer on KOA, KFEL, KLZ, KVOD and KFKA. In 1937, he went to work for the Bureau of Engraving in Washington DC, where he met his wife Julia, a classical violinist. He became a Junior Engineer Draftsman at the Naval Gun Factory while continuing to entertain on the radio. In 1950 he returned to Denver as an Industrial Engineer at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal.
He applied for a part-time job as a DJ at KGMC, but when told to “get lost” he decided to start his own station! He quickly learned what it took to create a new radio station. On his FCC application, he explained he “has for the past 40 weeks been a cowboy singer on top local TV show on station KBTV Channel 9 Denver.”
He built Denver’s first country format station, KLAK, for $13,500, turning it in to a profitable business broadcasting out of an old house in Lakewood. He was “Boss Man,” Julia was “Boss Lady,” and the DJs were “Ranch Hands.” The band that played at hundreds of station appearances was also “The Ranch Hands.”
KLAK was sold in 1961 to Ed Scott.
In 1967, Morey signed-on KKEP Estes Park. That same year he and Julia were thrown out of a broadcasters meeting at the Broadmoor for wearing their western garb. In 1977 he was inducted into the Colorado Country Music Hall of Fame, and in 1978 he signed-on his third country radio station, KMJD in Castle Rock.
Morey died July 11, 2002 at the age of 87.
Bill Pierson
Bill Pierson had a 40 year career in broadcasting, as announcer, newsman, owner and instructor. For a decade, he was staff announcer at stations including WRIG Odessa (Texas), KFKA Greeley, KMAN Manhattan (Kansas), KRDO Colorado Springs and KVOD Denver.
For nearly 20 years he was a newsman. He joined Denver’s KTLN radio as a news reporter then news director, creating and hosting “Controversy,” one of the first call-in topic driven talk shows. He did news and weather on KTVR (later KTCO) Channel 2 and was on KBTR radio and KBTV Channel 9 as a news reporter and editor. He also was on KOA radio as Morning News Reporter/Editor. He founded the Signal Radio-Television Career School in 1961, which he ran for 15 years.
In 1965 he put radio station KBPI (Bill Pierson Incorporated) on the air, serving as President, General Manager and News Director. The station played R&B and jazz early on before moving to rock. The KBPI studios were on the 20th floor of the D&F Tower in downtown Denver and the broadcast tower was on top of the clock tower. Shortly after signing on, the landlord decided to evict the station so the historic tower could be demolished and turned off the power. Bill fought back and kept the station on-air, even bringing in his own power. Though he sold the station in the 70s, the D&F Tower remains in Denver.
In 1977 he became News Director and reporter at KOSI, and from 1981-1987 hosted a weekly public affairs program on Channel 4. He also hosted shows on KRMA TV for over 20 years.