Vic Lombardi
2024
SILVER CIRCLE INDUCTEE
"And that's how we DO IT on the west side!" That was just one of Vic Lombardi's signature calls as he delivered the highlights and other sports news and insights on the CBS4 5, 6 and 10PM newscasts every weeknight for years. He grew up on the west side of Denver, was a fan of all Denver sports and became a ball boy for the Denver Nuggets, tossing the ball to NBA greats such as Bill Hanzlik, Alex English, and to a coach named Doug Moe.
It was that passion for sports at an early age that pushed him to a career in broadcasting and he got his first sports broadcasting job in Elkhart, Indiana in 1991, leading to jobs in Austin, Texas, and Phoenix, Arizona, before going back home to the sports world and community he knew best at KCNC-TV in 1998, where he took home 28 regional Emmy® awards. In 2015, he moved on to Altitude Sports & Entertainment, hosting Nuggets pre-game and post-game shows. In late 2017, Vic turned to another form of media – the radio waves. He was part of the launch of Altitude Sports Radio, and in 2019 the morning show “Moser, Lombardi & Kane” was formed and four years later, that morning show became the #1 morning sports show in Denver.
He also understands his standing in the community and emcees 40-50 charity events around Colorado. Denver has seen multiple championships by the Denver Broncos, Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets, and Vic has been there the entire way, reporting on every championship. The term “legend” is not a term used for many, but when all is said and done, Vic Lombardi will be remembered for being a sports broadcasting legend in Denver.
Rob Quirk
2024
SILVER CIRCLE INDUCTEE
When he began his career in 1980 as a daily newscast researcher at KAET in Tempe, Arizona, Rob Quirk could not have predicted how the broadcast industry would change. But what never changed was his professionalism, reliability, integrity and desire to serve the viewers.
He was an anchor, producer, writer, editor and producer (KAET), a one-man band journalist (KUSK), executive producer, news anchor and reporter (KPTX), weeknight news reporter (KCNC). But it was at KOAA, where he began in 1989 as weekend anchor and weekday reporter, then on to weekday evening news anchor, where he covered some of Colorado’s and the nation’s biggest stories, including United Flight 585 Crash, the Tim McVeigh trial, New Life Church shooting, Columbine, the Democratic National Convention, Waldo Canyon Fire, Black Forest Fire and many more. Working with crews in the field and back at the station, Rob clearly was a journalist who cared deeply about covering these unforgettable events - at the same time, helping, teaching and mentoring young reporters, producers and photographers who had never been this close to what would ultimately be monumental and historic times.
Dedicating 35 years to KOAA, he has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership, innovation and a steadfast commitment to excellence. And his work took him outside of the newsroom, where he emceed and hosted hundreds of nonprofit occasions, including the Air Force Academy Graduation, the MDA Telethon, the MS Walk, the State Fair, the Charity Cancer Ball and the D-11 Crystal Apple Awards, honoring outstanding teachers, as well as moderating multiple widely broadcast debates among Mayoral, Senate, and Gubernatorial candidates. We welcome Rob Quirk to the Heartland Silver Circle!
Manny Sotelo
2024
SILVER CIRCLE INDUCTEE
Photojournalist Manny Sotelo has been in the middle of Colorado and national news for 40 years at KUSA-TV, leading a team of photojournalists, recruiting, hiring, training, and guiding them to extraordinary performance as one of the best teams of news photographers in America, as evidenced by being named the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) Large Market Station of the Year for what is now a record 14 times. An expert at lighting, composition, audio and editing, his projects have influenced generations of Colorado news viewers. His friends and co-workers describe him as a photographer, journalist, lighting expert, teacher, mentor, and leader. When the community is mourning, Manny offers support. He’s shown that so many times, through so many heart-breaking stories: fires and floods, the Columbine and Aurora Theater shootings, and the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger, as well as national events such as the Pope’s visit, Super Bowls, Presidential elections, and the Olympics.
In 1986, 9News sent a team to Cape Canaveral, Florida to do features on the Challenger Mission, one that had several Colorado ties including a CU Boulder satellite on board. A group of teachers and students from elementary schools in Boulder County were also there to watch “history in the making” and on the morning of the launch, Manny focused on them. When the Shuttle exploded, Manny recorded the most emotional, yet professional story, working in silence, from a short distance away from people so he wouldn’t upset them or affect the scene. Manny was not only a journalist covering those kids, but he was also their friend.
Manny befriends many of the people in his stories, including Randle Loeb, a man living on the streets and working for the Denver Voice – a newspaper that empowers people experiencing homelessness. He still keeps in touch with him. He interviewed a historian about the Greeley Grays, a Latino semi-professional baseball team in the 1940’s in northern Colorado, a story that only he could have told with his characteristic empathy and became his friend. Over the past 40 years, Manny has covered big stories important to the fabric of Colorado. His care for each story is unmatched and even after four decades of work, his love for his craft has never wavered.