Irv Brown
Irv Brown was an unlikely broadcaster. A graduate of Denver’s North High and the University of Northern Colorado, Brown initially pursued a career coaching baseball, first at the junior high school level, and then at the University of Colorado, where he was also an assistant football coach under Eddie Crowder.
Brown also was a renowned basketball referee who became director of officiating for the Western Athletic Conference and officiated six NCAA Final Fours.
He started his radio career doing color commentary of CU football on the radio, which led to a regular slot doing sports reports during KHOW’s Hal and Charley morning show in 1974. His radio sports talk career began at the pioneering 1970s Denver talk station KWBZ, co-hosting with sports columnist Woody Paige. At one point, after being fired by KWBZ, he brokered airtime on the station and kept his show on the air.
Throughout a career spanning over 40 years, Brown hosted sports talk at numerous stations…KLAK, KYBG, The Zone, The Fan and Mile High Sports Radio. For most of his career, he teamed with Joe Williams, a former caller who became his broadcasting partner. Irv & Joe also hosted a television version of their show for Comcast.
Brown was on ESPN’s first live sporting event at a softball tournament in Wichita in 1979. He also called ESPN’s first college football broadcast between Colorado and Oregon at Folsom Field. At ESPN, he announced college football and basketball, bowling, body building and billiards competitions.
Brown finally retired from the air in 2016 and passed away in February, 2019.
Lillian Helling
Lillian Helling was one of the first women to appear regularly on Denver television.
The daughter of Polish immigrants, she received a Speech Communications degree at Montclair State Teachers College. She came west to get her Masters degree at the University of Denver. There, she met her husband Jack Helling who would become prominent in the Denver advertising community.
When television hit Denver in the early 1950s, everything was live, including many of the commercials. Helling worked in the studios at all of Denver’s TV stations doing live commercials, without teleprompters, for the Marshall Robertson Advertising Agency whose clients included Miller’s Supermarkets. Her specialty was the ability to present clearly and connect with viewers, often while conducting cooking demonstrations.
In addition to TV and radio commercial work, she appeared as Miss Lillian on Channel 2’s Romper Room. She also hosted “Sugar and Spice” on Channel 2. Helling hosted a series of womens’ oriented radio programs for KTLN, KBTR, KFML, and KHOW. She continued to do freelance commercial voice work.
Outside of broadcasting, Helling was 2nd runner up in the 1962 Mrs. America pageant and wrote a consumer advice column for the Denver Post. In her later years, she explored her family’s Polish heritage. One one trip to Poland she met Lech Walesa. She passed away in 2010 at the age of 84.
John McGuinness
A native New Yorker, John McGuinness first experience with broadcasting was with Ted Bates Ad Agency. He worked on ads for the Martin and Lewis show and other early live TV shows.
In 1959, he moved to Denver and went to work at KTVR Channel 2. In the early 1960s, he joined the sales staff at KDEN.
He then became a station owner and operator of KADX. McGuiness created a strong format for the FM station occasionally going on air under the pseudonym “George Spelvin” to discuss current events.
In 1972, he sold KADX to become KIMN’s General Sales Manager, advancing to General Manager in 1973. At KIMN, he negotiated the purchase of what is now KYGO-FM (then KIMN-FM) establishing a separate rock format from the AM side, He left KIMN at the end of 1976.
Throughout the late 70s and 80s, he was involved with advertising and public relations at the McGuinness-Brock Agency and McGuinness & Associates
In 1989, he was hired to operate KDEN, an all-news station then in financial receivership, eventually buying the station in 1991. It was then the only locally owned station in the Denver market and later became part of a joint operating agreement with KNUS. He sold KDEN in 1993.
In 1983 Governor Roy Romer appointed McGuinness to the State Fair commission. In 1996, John took over the day to day management of the Fair and served as the acting director until December, 1999.
John McGuinness passed away in January, 2000.
Charley Samson
Nebraska native Charley Samson grew to love classical music in his childhood. A visit to radio station KDEN-FM during his teenage years set him on a course to combine his love of music with broadcasting.
He began on-air work at the University of Colorado’s classical station KRNW, abandoning plans for a teaching career when he got a job after college at KTGM. He then joined the air staff at Gene Amole and Ed Koepke’s KDEN, where a career highlight was Beethoven’s 200th birthday party in 1970. Samson worked at KDEN (later KVOD) for 19 years.
After a few years out of radio, Samson returned to the air at Colorado Public Radio’s KCFR. A need for more local programming there led to Samson hosting “Colorado Spotlight’ featuring the talents of Colorado classical musicians. He also hosted the feature “Charley Chats” which provided often lighthearted historical perspectives on the greats of classical music. Samson retired from KCFR in 2016 after 24 years there.
In addition to his broadcasting career, Samson has taught music appreciation, written liner notes for albums, hosted concerts for the Denver Brass, local orchestras and chamber ensembles and serves as pronouncer for the Colorado State Spelling Bee. He remains an active and enthusiastic contributor to the Colorado arts community today.