Gold & Silver Circle Biographies A-K
Silver Circle Honoree
Luan Akin
Luan Akin is the weekday helicopter reporter for CBS4 in Denver, covering stories ranging from spot-news in nature to assignment reporting, to (her favorite) spectacular weather stories. A Colorado native, she joined KCNC in 1979 as a general assignment reporter and soon began specializing in helicopter reporting. Her colleagues and associates speak of her as a professional broadcast journalist, and it's clear that she loves her work and her "flying TV studio."
But as many lives as have been touched by her work on television, Luan plays a role in several communities that is worthy of recognition. Her love of animals is well-known: she works with the Denver Dumb Friends League, Max Fund, the Bat Conservation Society, and the Delta Society (matching therapy dogs with the people who need them). In addition, the Persian Rescue and the Burro Rescue have a variety of paws and hooves in her home, and she has rescued several goats for the Douglas County 4H group.
Luan has provided the personal and financial commitment to have a well dug at a remote village in Uganda, East Africa, in order to provide sanitary drinking water for orphanage kids there. She gives generously of her time and resources to the Loyola school and the Ronald McDonald House; the state's major universities and college journalism programs know her as a guest speaker and student mentor.
In her spare time, Luan is a Master Gardener and an avid beekeeper. She and her husband, Skip, live in Parker.
Silver Circle Honoree
Adele Arakawa
Adele jumped into broadcasting at age 16 as a radio disc jockey and anchor in Tennessee, her home state. She was the first female DJ in Knoxville, working a Top 40 format for 5 years. She made the transition to television news in 1981, first in Knoxville, then in Raleigh, and then in Chicago at WBBM. In 1993, Adele came to Denver and KUSA, where she’s anchored the weekday evening newscast for nearly 18 years, working with co-anchors Ed Sardella, Jim Benneman, Bob Kendrick, and now Mark Koebrich. A recipient of 7 regional Emmy® awards, Adele sets the standard in the newsroom for pure ethics, strong writing, and great storytelling. She is known for fairness, for getting the whole story, and for her relentless and thorough fact-checking. She has made it her business, both on-camera and off, to give a voice to those who find themselves with just cause but no hero.
Over the years, Adele has made it a priority to serve meals to the homeless through the Denver Rescue Mission’s Great Thanksgiving and Christmas Banquets. For 18 years, Adele has volunteered her time with the Capuchin Franciscans, who value her professionalism and her humanity working with the friars and their ministries. For over a decade, she has worked with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation and with the Morgan Adams Foundation, which funds research into the causes and treatment of pediatric cancer. She’s been known to bring her family along for a long day in the cold, unloading truck beds for the 9Cares-Colorado Shares food, clothing, and toy drive. Adele is a member of the Japanese American Citizens League and the Japanese American Service Committee, and is a past-president of the Asian American Journalists Association.
Adele and her husband, Barry, have been married for 35 years. They have two grown children. Adele and her husband are avid golfers, and the entire family enjoys racing cars. In fact, Adele holds a Club Racing license with PCA and is a certified instructor for the Rocky Mountain Region Porsche Club and the Colorado Exoticar Association. She has raced in venues from the Daytona International Speedway to the Pikes Peak International Raceway to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Silver Circle Honoree
Darrell Barton
Before television, Darrell Barton was a combat marine in Vietnam. He began his career at KAKE in Wichita, then was hired in 1969 by WKY/KTVY in Oklahoma City where he worked for the next 14 years. As Chief Photographer, he inspired a consistently award-winning staff that received two National Press Photographer's Association Station of the Year titles. He was named NPPA Photographer of the Year in 1974 and again in 1981.
In 1983, Darrell established Barton Productions and has worked as a freelancer for all major networks. When 48 Hours was created, Darrell quickly became a charter member of the cadre of shooters used on the show. He is widely regarded as one of the finest television cameramen ever, pioneering that fluid, invisible hand-held camera technique.
Throughout his career, Darrell has maintained a close relationship with the NPPA television workshop held annually in Norman, OK; he has been a faculty member for 30 years despite his globetrotting schedule. Darrell teaches storytelling with compassion and is a vocal proponent of words married to pictures and sound; such basic concepts as "beginning, middle, end" are woven into the fabric of his shooting style. He is a recipient of the NPPA's Morris Berman citation and the prestigious Joseph Sprague Memorial Award, a national Emmy® nomination and a Gold Medal from the Chicago Film Festival.
Darrell and his wife, Marilyn, reside on a farm in rural Logan County, Oklahoma. He is the father of two grown children and spends his spare time tooling around in his old trucks, riding his Harley, and hitting golf balls at passing trains from his back porch.
Silver Circle Honoree
Carl Bilek
It is not often we meet someone who truly makes a difference in the lives of others, but Carl Bilek is one of those people. He started on the desk when he was barely 20. His giggle was infectious; his work ethic contagious. Beginning as an intern, Carl inhaled every job description assigned to him at KWGN from 1989 to 2008: part-time writer, full-time associate producer, weekend producer, weekday producer, executive producer, assistant news director, and finally, news director.
His skill sets in television news grew rapidly. Strong on both the content and production sides, Carl could switch on a dime and give you nine cents change. He was the most consistent performer in the newsroom every day, with every job assigned to him. The consummate team player, the teacher, the glue. Carl made everyone on the team, both in the newsroom and in the studio, feel their jobs were essential to the success of the project at hand.
Watching Carl interact with reporters to bring out their best work was the best show in the newsroom. He worked with reporters, novice and seasoned professionals, helping them craft sometimes challenging assignments into well-thought-out stories. Occasionally, this was as simple as encouraging them to call someone else for information that could help them delve deeper into the story. Other times he would blow up their scripts and help them rebuild their packages from scratch. The reporters didn't mind because Carl always did it with a smile and explained why he was doing it in a way that was never condescending.
Carl took the time to make certain the person he was working with knew he wasn't just changing their script for the sake of change. He used every opportunity as a teaching moment, and the product was always better on that night and subsequent nights. While each story in a newscast stands out on its own, Carl was directing the story the newscast would tell as a whole, and the best way to do that was to start with the initial story selection.
Leading the news gathering operation at KMGH beginning in 2008, Carl became the nexus point in the newsroom. People gravitated to him. Journalists sought his guidance, direction, sensibilities, and compassion. Carl's innate ability to see the world as a positive place and instinctively put things in perspective gave life and force to the newsroom. As a news leader, Carl guided the reporting and editorial spirit. Under his direction, KMGH won numerous awards and distinctions. He was fair and thoughtful. Appropriately skeptical. Inquisitive and curious. And always understood and embraced the importance of our role in the community and democracy.
Carl's sense of dedication to family is always forefront. His oldest son fondly remembers car trips with Dad joyfully singing along to the newest song from Disney Channel. Taking an active role in the lives of five children, helping lug a tuba to and from band class, taking the girls to ballet, helping with homework, his perseverance feels like an overflowing pot of love and pride for his children.
Carl has served his community and the television industry with honor throughout his career. In addition, his service to the Heartland Chapter of NATAS and the National Board of Trustees has been exemplary. The level of respect that Carl has earned from his colleagues is a testament to not only the kind of professional Carl is but the kind of representative the television industry has in Carl.
It is how someone acts when the chips are down that you find who they really are. Carl has proven to colleagues both inside television stations and within NATAS that he can be relied upon for steady guidance and strong moral fiber, even in the most difficult of times.
Currently, as National Director of Content for Scripps, Carl steers daily national news coverage for more than a dozen television stations. In 2016, Carl also led Scripps coverage of two political conventions, several Presidential debates, the 2016 Presidential election, and the inauguration. His presence and leadership brought balance, credibility, and organization to those important moments in television. While leading the team, he is also a mentor to reporters and photographers. With his decades of experience, Carl coaches the reporters to become better storytellers and to always focus on facts and accuracy. On a daily basis, with each reporter he coaches, Carl continues to raise the standard of our industry.
Silver Circle Honoree
Allan Bisset
No bio available at this time.
Silver Circle Honoree
Ernie Bjorkman
They call him the Dean of News Anchors in the Denver market, and at 26 years and counting, the title is well-deserved. Since 1982, he has reported the events – big and small – that make up the evening news. Currently the main anchor at KWGN CW2, Ernie started as a field reporter/anchor for KMGH in Denver and has worked at both stations twice in his career.
Originally from St. Augustine, Florida, Ernie's first job after college was with WPEC-TV in West Palm Beach in 1972, "serving time" as a reporter and photographer. In 1976, he moved his growing family to Atlanta and WSB where he worked as a reporter for 6 years. There he covered Jimmy Carter's rise to the White House and the Atlanta Child Murders. In Denver, he has worked as a reporter, field anchor, main anchor, and managing editor, covering diverse stories such as airline crashes, the Columbine shootings, World Youth Day, the Pope's visit, the Summit of the 8, and the opening of DIA. He has further connected with viewers through features such as "Trading Places" in which he switched roles with trash collectors, donut makers, and the people who change the hockey rink to the basketball court at the Pepsi Center.
Through it all, his genuine interest in people, especially children, shines brightly. He volunteers with Mount St. Vincent home for children, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the Boys and Girls Club, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Volunteers of America, and Easter Seals. He also reads to visually-impaired children at the Anchor Center for the Blind.
Married to Susan for 37 years and the father of two grown children, Ernie started Vet Tech school last year so he can open a free spay/neuter clinic in southern Colorado someday.
Silver Circle Honoree
Melissa Brunner
Melissa Brunner is the news director, managing editor and an anchor at WIBW in Topeka, Kansas. She began her television broadcast career 31 years ago as a producer at WFRV in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Melissa realized a deeper desire to tell stories firsthand and directly connect with the people she serves, and thus embarked on a new career trajectory as a reporter and ultimately to her current leadership position.
She has received numerous awards including a regional Edward R. Murrow for her series of reports on childhood cancer. Melissa has also distinguished herself as someone who gives back to the public she serves. She has been recognized for her service to the greater Kansas community in different organizations and nonprofits. Among her community service honors, the Junior League of Topeka awarded Melissa its Community Volunteer Award and “Go Topeka” named Melissa one of the area’s distinguished “Women of Influence.” Today she helps to shape, guide, and educate students from various Kansas universities through the WIBW/Gray Media internship program.
Silver Circle Honoree
Bob Burke
No bio available at this time.
Silver Circle Honoree
Susan Cadot
A broadcast journalist with 30 years of experience, some of the best assets Susan Cadot has brought to her broadcasting career are a creative vision for packaging a story and a remarkable talent for writing. She is an amazing storyteller who can weave a tale using just the right words to mesh with well-chosen images. When creating her segments, she also has the good sense to know when to be quiet and let the video tell the story. Photographers love to work with her. The result is a top-notch catalog of enticing television programs that will last for years in rebroadcast.
Susan began her career at Oklahoma City’s ABC Affiliate, KOCO TV 5 in 1989 where she worked on-air on "Good Morning, Oklahoma". After 18 months at KOCO, Susan moved to northeast Tennessee where she stayed for ten years at a network affiliate anchoring the prime-time evening newscasts and reporting from the field covering everything from ribbon cuttings to mass murders, natural disasters, and national political figures. While in Tennessee, Susan discovered a passion for documentary work when she wrote, edited, and produced a one-hour documentary about the mass murder of a family. She covered the story over the course of a year for her newscast but felt there was more to say about the heinous crime. That one-hour show ended up winning the best documentary from the Tennessee Associated Press.
In 2000, Susan returned home to Oklahoma and began her dream job producing documentaries full-time for the state’s PBS affiliate. During her first 7 years at OETA, Susan produced content for the hour-long, issues-oriented program "Stateline" where she and the rest of the station’s documentary team won an Emmy® for two years of work on a special program chronicling the construction of a dome on the Oklahoma State Capitol. Susan’s portion of the program dealt with the dome’s structure and how it was made. Alongside the photographer, Susan climbed the dizzying 8 stories to the top of the dome scaffolding to interview the workers who were putting the limestone pieces into place. Back on the ground, she was equally comfortable interviewing the Oklahoma Governor and the supervisors of the crews building the dome. When the documentary was completed, it went on to win an Emmy® for Susan and the others who worked on it. In 2017, at the request of the Governor of Oklahoma, on the 100th anniversary of the capitol building dedication, the documentary "Oklahoma Rising" was broadcast again.
Susan continued to work on dozens of significant and diverse "Stateline" documentary topics, including unusual religions in Oklahoma, the decline of newspapers, the crisis at county jails, career opportunities for the mentally challenged, families dealing with autism, the status of transplants for patients with life-threatening ailments, and unsolved crimes. In each instance, Susan used her interviewing skills blended with likability and empathy for those who shared their information with her. Her work built an ever-growing network of friends and officials who trusted her.
In 2008, Susan changed the content of her storytelling to pursue a long-time ambition of sharing stories about the arts, covering the Oklahoma arts scene for OETA. Susan gave OETA viewers a comprehensive tour of the extraordinary artwork that fills the walls of the State Capitol, took them to a ringside seat at the National Cake Decorators’ competition, let them hear what motivates someone who has happily made a career out of acting, even though Broadway is more than a thousand miles away, showed the inner workings and dedication of the musicians who make up the state’s two major University marching bands (Emmy® winner), and opened everyone’s eyes about what it takes to raise farm animals destined for intense livestock competition at the Oklahoma State Fair (Emmy® winner). Along the way, Susan showcased dozens of individual artists and performers. Amber Sharples, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Arts Council, says: "Susan’s efforts on 'Gallery America' and other programs for the arts and more highlight her determination to give viewers compelling perspectives into rich and nuanced issues that are too often rarely given the spotlight but are nonetheless vital for an educated, democratically-governed society."
She has won 4 Emmy® awards for her work and a Best of Show and First place award from the National Educational Telecommunications Association; a National Clarion Award from Women in Communication, along with several awards from state journalism organizations, OBA, SPJ, and the Associated Press. In December of 2016, Susan received the prestigious Governor’s Arts Award in Media.
Silver Circle Honoree
Linda Cavanaugh
During her twenty-five years in broadcast journalism, KFOR-TV's Linda Cavanaugh has become nationally known for her accomplishments. This year, Linda was inducted into the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame as "one of the most distinguished journalists in the history of the state." Through her leadership and innovation, she has set, and in many instances, raised the standards for broadcast journalists.
She began her career as a reporter/photographer. In a short time, she became the first female co-anchor of the evening newscasts at KFOR-TV and continues to anchor the 4:30 p.m., 6 p.m., and 10 p.m. newscasts. But while taking a seat behind the anchor desk, she never left the reporter's field. During her career, she has earned more than thirty national awards for her reporting, as well as twice that many state and regional awards, in addition to eleven Emmys® from the Heartland Chapter of NATAS.
Her most recent national recognitions include the 1997 Headliner's Award, the 1997 Public Service Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, and the Freedom Foundation's George Washington Medal of Honor. Linda Cavanaugh's career has been marked by a number of firsts. Her investigative reports on health conditions inside Oklahoma restaurants resulted in changes in the law. "Behind Kitchen Doors" moved lawmakers to open the inspection records of the health department so that consumers, for the first time, could be aware of violations.
She was the first non-network journalist from the United States allowed in the Soviet Union under that country's new "glasnost" policy. Linda reported on how much of Oklahoma's wheat crop was ending up on the tables of Russian families. George Washington University honored the project with its Weintal Prize for Diplomatic Reporting.
In 1995, she traveled to Vietnam to become the first American journalist allowed in the infamous Hanoi Hilton, a prisoner of war camp where many American officers spent their last days. She was accompanied by former POW Dan Glenn, a Navy pilot who spent six years as a prisoner. Through her series, "Remember the Dragon," she told the story of a war that many Americans would like to forget, as seen through the eyes of a man who never will.
Linda Cavanaugh's humanitarianism is as impressive as her journalism. An Oklahoma native, she has worked throughout her career to better her community and the state she calls home. It was through her efforts that support was spearheaded for the first hospice in Oklahoma. Her documentary, "A Time to Die," raised the seed money that was used to start Hospice of Oklahoma County – a non-profit organization that brought home care to the terminally ill.
Linda Cavanaugh approaches projects with an honesty and warmth that enables stories to be told that have never before been recorded. In the early nineties, she became the first journalist allowed to photograph ancient Indian rituals that had been closed to all except tribal members. Her resulting twelve-part series, "Strangers In Their Own Land," brought a sense of understanding and pride to Oklahoma's thirty-seven Indian tribes. Her documentary was later recognized with Delta Chi's national Distinguished Service Award, as well as ten other national awards.
Silver Circle Honoree
Rodolfo Cardenas
A native of Venezuela, Rodolfo Cárdenas began his television career in 1984, producing the first weekly Spanish TV show in Colorado, "My Family," in Windsor. He moved on to be the News Director/Anchor of KUBD Channel 59, a Telemundo affiliate, and he also translated the evening news on KCNC at 6:30 in simulcast. He is a graduate of the University of Colorado.
In 1995, Rodolfo created the KCEC (Univision) news department in Denver, where he was the News Director and Anchor for almost 14 years. He was recognized as the first Hispanic journalist Broadcaster of the Year by the CBA in 2003. Highlighting his outstanding career are exclusive interviews with two Presidents of the United States, a vast number of North American and Latin American politicians, and celebrated members of the entertainment world. He has been recognized as a true role model to the Hispanic Youth for his successful and dedicated efforts on their behalf and is the recipient of awards from the Hispanic Salute Organization and Escuela Tlatelolco.
He is a regular speaker at Denver area high schools to help promote the future of Hispanic students in Colorado and years ago established the "Hispanic Student of the Month" program, which features outstanding Latino students and provides scholarships. He initiated the project, "Periodistas de Manana," to motivate Hispanic students to stay in school and pursue careers in journalism. He is a highly dedicated professional who uses his expertise and knowledge to educate and motivate. His peers speak of him as a person of high integrity whose good name and responsible work ethic provide an invaluable service to the community. In 2007, Rodolfo received the "Community Service Volunteer Award" from the Hispanic Annual Salute for his many charitable efforts.
Rodolfo has worked hard to maintain the highest journalistic standards in his newsroom and in his newscasts and also to reach out to his viewers in a very human way, to mentor, to serve, and to assist. He is married with two sons.
2025 Silver Circle Inductee
Silver Circle Honoree
Eddie Castro
Eddie Castro has made his mark as a dedicated, focused and skilled photojournalist whose images tell the stories of people throughout the Heartland region. He began his broadcast television career in 1980 at KOLD in Tucson, Arizona. He’s spent the last 31 years at KCNC CBS News Colorado in Denver. In 2024, he was Inducted into the Denver Press Club Hall of Fame for 30 years of covering Colorado's history, news, and events.
While he loves being a photographer, Eddie loves mentoring the next generation of journalists even more, taking immense pride in sharing his knowledge and expertise with aspiring reporters and photographers. His philosophy is that a great journalist must not only be skillful, but also compassionate and resourceful. But it is love of family that is his north star. In his words, I have always strived to be a role model, not only in my career but also in my personal life. My love for my family and devotion to being a good husband, father, and grandfather are what allow me to be a good photojournalist.
Silver Circle Honoree
Kim Christiansen
That kind woman who anchors the 4 & 9 PM news on KUSA, the one who gets tears in her eyes reporting a difficult story, and who sounds so genuinely happy when the story's a positive one? That's Kim: she loves her job, and it shows. She cares, and it shows. She is devoted to her community, and it shows.
Kim is not only a Colorado native, but she's never lived outside the state. And she has only ever worked at one place: KUSA 9News in Denver. A graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder, with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, Kim started work in 1985 as a behind-the-scenes news writer. She crafted stories for air for almost 4 years before becoming a reporter, which may be one of the reasons that her co-workers still look for those "Kim Stories" in the lineup. Kim moved from writer to producer, to reporter, and now, a respected anchor. She always has a long list of story ideas and is a leader in the newsroom. In this age of fast-moving technology, Kim is known for her handwritten notes, her empathy, and her kind spirit.
Kim has a unique bond with her viewers, both on and off the air. She has covered many of the headline-inducing tragedies over the last quarter-century and still checks-in with the families that she interviewed; they trust her. She also covers stories about individuals facing difficult circumstances, especially kids: she remembers their names years later. A local children's hospital will turn to Kim first when they have a particularly tender story to share; they trust her. Kim may get a little emotional in front of the camera, but it comes from her heart – and that's her connection.
Volunteering is important to Kim, and she is very active as a spokesperson and advocate for breast cancer research and awareness. She has been passionate about this cause for 20 years, back when the Race for the Cure, and Komen, were in their infancy. She dedicates hundreds of hours a year to volunteering in the community and is happy to lend her talent and name to motivate others to help.
An award-winning journalist and former Miss Colorado, Kim will tell you that her most important job is being a mom to her son, Tanner. She is also a proud daughter, sister, and wife and enjoys spending time with her family — here in her Colorado.
Gold & Silver Circle Honoree
Tom Cook
W. Thomas Cook was born in McCook, Nebraska. He received his BA and Master's Degrees from Colorado State College of Education (now the University of Northern Colorado). Tom began his career in radio at KBRL-AM-1450 in 1948. He was a member of the Council for Public Broadcasting at KRMA-TV in Denver starting in 1965; he served on the Board of Directors for Rocky Mountain PBS for 32 years. Tom was also the host of "Denver Showcase" on KOA-TV (now KCNC) from 1979 to 1991. During this time, Tom interviewed leading figures in politics, the arts, sciences, and sports.
With the opening of Metropolitan State College in 1965, Professor Cook became a charter member of the Faculty, and he established the first broadcasting curriculum in the state. This led to the first Broadcasting/Telecommunications major program, leading to a Baccalaureate degree in 1976. It was during this time that Tom, working with his good friend Carl Akers, started the first internship at KBTV-TV and radio in 1968. Today, Metro students are participating in 140 telecommunications internships throughout the region and the U.S.
Tom has received many honors during his career, including the Distinguished Faculty Award from Metro State College in 1983 and the Distinguished Service award in 1988. The Colorado/Heartland Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences inducted him into the Silver Circle in 1999 – the first educator to be so honored. And in March of 2002, the Colorado Broadcast Pioneers inducted him into their Hall of Fame. Tom served on the Board of Governors for the Colorado/Heartland Chapter and was an enthusiastic member of the Education and Scholarship committees. In his honor, the Chapter has established the W. Thomas Cook Scholarship.
The good works of Tom's life will carry on in the hearts of all who knew him.
Silver Circle Inductee: 1999
For the past 50 years, W. Thomas Cook has been involved in Broadcasting Telecommunications. A native of Nebraska, Tom began his career in radio at KBRL-AM-1450, McCook, Nebraska, in 1948. He has been active in radio, television, film, and electronic media from 1948 to the present. He is very proud of the fact that he was able to combine what he calls the "best of two worlds" throughout his career, mainly the real world of broadcasting and the academic world of education. Professor Cook became a member of the Council for Public Broadcasting at KRMA-TV in Denver, Colorado, in 1965 and served on the Board of Directors and the advisory council for Rocky Mountain PBS for 32 years. During this time, he worked on the air in a variety of capacities at KRMA-TV. In 1979, Tom became the host of Denver Showcase on KOA-TV (now KCNC).
During those years, he interviewed leading figures in politics, arts, economies, sciences, and sports. He continued that series until illness forced him to leave Denver Showcase in 1991. With the opening of Metropolitan State College in 1965, Professor Cook established the first broadcasting curriculum in the state, which in turn led to the first broadcasting-telecommunications major program leading to a baccalaureate degree in 1976. It was during this time that Tom, working with his good friend, Carl Akers, started the first internship at KBTV-TV and radio in 1968. Today, Metro students are participating in 140 telecommunications internships throughout the region and the United States. Thousands of students have taken part in the program since 1968, many of whom are current leaders in the broadcasting industry.
W. Thomas Cook has received several honors during his long career, including the Distinguished Faculty award from Metro State College in Denver in 1983, the Distinguished Service Award for establishing the broadcasting internship program in 1988. As a charter member of the Colorado chapter of NATAS, he was instrumental in the establishment of the scholarship program for future television leaders and was honored with a distinguished service award by the chapter. When asked about what pleased him most about his 50 years in the industry, he replied, "Seeing my students succeed and benefit from the life experiences that I have been able to impart to them. I am so very proud of their many accomplishments."
Gold Circle Inductee: 2002
Silver Circle Honoree
Mark Cornetta
Mark Cornetta, Senior Vice President of VP TEGNA and President and General Manager of KUSA/KTVD-TV, began his television career at KCNC-TV Denver in the early 1980’s. While becoming a top account executive, he was recruited by KUSA-TV in 1987, becoming their General Sales Manager in 1992. He became President and General Manager of KUSA, while assuming the role of Senior Vice President of TEGNA, currently overseeing three other TEGNA stations. He is considered one of the leaders in television in Colorado. As one of his long-time coworkers, Patti Dennis, noted, “He is often the first one in the office and often the last one to leave. If there is a news crisis, Mark is always at the station making sure the journalists have all they need to cover breaking news.” He has also made significant contributions to the Denver community. Under his leadership, 9News has helped raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for local nonprofits that include among others, Food Bank of the Rockies and Dumb Friends League, and he was one of the founders of Colorado Succeeds, a statewide business advocacy organization focused on improving Colorado’s education and workforce development systems. He worked with Trinity United Methodist Church Senior Pastor Ken Brown in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death in 2020 to create forums to confront longstanding divides regarding racial perspectives. Pastor Brown said, “Mark lives the values 9News espouses – community bravery, inclusivity, passion and integrity.”
Silver Circle Honoree
Roger Cornish
Roger Cornish is currently the main news anchor at KWCH-TV in Wichita, Kansas. He started in the business in 1972 as a camera operator in KTVH in Hutchinson, moving to anchor/producer, and in 1980, making the move to KWCH. Roger not only anchors the evening newscasts but also reports from the field whenever the story requires it. His peers speak of his ability to adlib and handle the chaos of breaking news, and his sense of humor and ability to think on his feet makes him a model for many – he has always been the "master of extended live coverage." He is not a news reader but involved in the stories; he loves writing and can take complicated facts and boil them down to a few sentences. His professionalism, reputation, and integrity are bywords throughout the western two-thirds of the state; he provides leadership through example. KWCH has been named Station of the Year several times by the Kansas Association of Broadcasters, and Roger has anchored coverage that has won regional and national Edward R. Murrow awards. He has a close connection with the community: bringing news to the East Side Rotary Club's weekly lunch, logging hours of time for Goodwill Easter Seals, the Kansas Food Bank, and telethons to raise money after natural disasters. Every year he anchors from the Kansas State Fair and takes time to meet and greet the crowds. Roger is a Kansas native, born and raised in Hutchinson, and is the recipient of numerous Kansas Association of Broadcasters Awards as well as awards from the RTNDA and Associated Press. He is married to his high school sweetheart, and they have a daughter attending Wichita State University and a son who is a Wichita police officer.
Silver Circle Honoree
Patti Dennis
We know her as the News Director for 9News in Denver, as a highly respected news professional with a healthy sense of competition and a keen eye for talent, who has helped keep her station at the top of the ratings for decades. She is the definition of relentless hard work, leading by example, and inspiring peers and coworkers with the motivation to exceed their own best efforts.
Patti Dennis grew up in Oklahoma, graduating from the University of Oklahoma, where she likes to point out that she took two years of meteorology – giving her just enough information to be dangerous. She started her broadcast career over 30 years ago at KOCO, as a studio camera operator and weather map-cleaner. From there, she moved to KDFW in Dallas. In 1981, she came to KUSA where her energy and vision, and complete commitment to news, has moved her to the position she now holds: Vice President/News Director.
As both the head of the newsroom and a member of management, Patti's coworkers speak highly of her ability to respond to the challenges faced by the industry today: contracting budgets, shrinking staff, buyouts, furloughs, and emerging technologies. Patti embraces change and continues to lead her organization into the future. She is a graceful and respectful competitor, quick to initiate cooperation among the local news stations when it will serve the greater good.
Her most important job is outside the station, as she and her husband, Tim, raise two teenage-plus daughters. During their school years, she managed her time meticulously, leaving work to attend an important game with them, then rushing back to the newsroom.
A long list of adjectives describes Patti: smart, aggressive, tough, fair, compassionate, creative, ethical, reliable, organized, combined with a seemingly endless supply of energy, and that rare ability to keep a staff of one hundred people headed in the same direction every day. Her legacy also includes a reputation for wise-cracks and snappy comebacks, and a suspicion that her DNA may be made up almost entirely of news genes.
Silver Circle Honoree
Dominic Dezzutti
Dominic Dezzutti began his television career at Colorado Public Television PBS 12 in 1996 as a production intern and was quickly hired as the production assistant for their public affairs show, "Colorado Inside Out." In his 26-year career, he advanced to Director of Production and finally to Station Manager, living by the motto that to truly lead, one must serve others.
He initiated multiple Colorado content partnerships with AARP, Colorado OEDIT, and JVA, as well as negotiating exclusive international broadcast partnerships with NHK World Japan and Deutsche Welle. Key programs developed under his leadership include "Colorado Inside Out" as both host and executive producer, an election debate series partnership with CBS4 - "Colorado Decides" - as both host and executive producer, and "High School Debate Series," building debate skills in community youth, especially underserved communities.
His work has garnered six regional Emmy® Awards, eight Colorado Broadcasters Association Awards of Excellence, and was the recipient of the Board of Governors Award from the Heartland Emmy® Chapter. His work extends to supporting the Colorado community. He is on the Executive Committee and is the External Committee Chair for Brent’s Place, sustaining families in long-term medical crises, as well as supporting the Metro Caring Food Bank and the Anti-Hunger Center. Past service includes serving as President and National Trustee of the Heartland Emmy® Chapter from 1998-2015.
Editor of Westword and frequent "Colorado Inside Out" panelist Patricia Calhoun believes Dominic plays "a key role in this state, expanding community involvement by keeping important discussions entertaining, intelligent, and, above all, civil."
Silver Circle Honoree
Tim Dietz
Forty two years. From film to video tape; analog to digital; broadcast to online; desktop to mobile. During his extraordinary 42 year (and counting) career, Tim Dietz has been at the center of every revolution in our industry, quietly influencing how generations of Coloradoans receive and enjoy news, entertainment and sports programming.
Tim’s contributions began as a news photographer, working with 16 millimeter film and evolved to Tim’s current position as KUSA’s vice president of interactive services, a key station leadership position overseeing a variety of TEGNA and KUSA projects including ever more important digital platforms like 9NEWS.com and 9NEWS mobile.
Tim joined the 9NEWS family in July 1974, when Channel 9 was still KBTV. At the time he was a junior at Regis University and came to 9NEWS as an intern. The internship was supposed to last a year, but somehow, Tim talked his way into two, and then another 40.
Tim has done it all. He has met five U.S. Presidents and countless star athletes and celebrities. He met Pope John Paul II during World Youth Day in Colorado in 1993. KUSA’s coverage of that historic event garnered national attention. He has been to four Super Bowls and is the Denver Broncos programming guru. Beginning with the Summer Olympics in Atlanta in 1996, Tim has covered nine Olympic Games by organizing for 9NEWS and Gannet (now TEGNA) coverage in Sydney (2000) Salt Lake City (2002) Athens (2004) Torino (2006) Beijing (2008) Vancouver (2010) London (2012) and Sochi (2014). He is currently planning coverage for Rio de Janeiro 2016. Tim’s commitment to this project is largely responsible for the extraordinary level of coverage viewers in Colorado have come to expect.
In the mid-90s Tim was responsible for launching 9NEWS.com, the state’s local news and information website. Today that platform and a few new ones that Tim oversees deliver over 50 million impressions monthly. At the time this was seen as a distraction, but Tim championed the online importance and as we all know it has become the preferred way that many of us get our information, when , where and how we want it. The technological change and workflow that have overwhelmed many an organization were simply just another obstacle that Tim so adroitly navigated. He helped to launch and pioneer HD Television putting the first HD Helicopter in the air in the early 2000s.
Gold Circle Honoree
Jerry Dishong
No bio available at this time.
Silver Circle Honoree
Brad Edwards
Brad Edwards (1947-2006) started his television career in 1971 in Wichita Falls, Texas, prior to moving to KFOR and Oklahoma City in 1973, where he grew from a rookie street reporter to a respected news anchor. Since 1981, when Brad began his series of consumer-oriented reports, he has received between 300-500 calls every week from viewers asking for his assistance. Through his investigative In Your Corner franchise, Brad earned the reputation as a tough, fair champion of the folks who couldn't fight for themselves and became one of the most recognizable faces in the market. He exposed rip-offs and scams, and viewers loved him. He has worked to change access for the handicapped at public buildings, uncovered toxins in well water, and conducted fundraisers for Oklahoma children needing organ transplants in the early 1980s – back when insurance didn't cover such "experimental" surgeries. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame this year. Brad is an Emmy® award recipient, as well as receiving awards from the AP and UPI, and has earned recognition from La Tremeda Radio Mexico for his work aiding Hispanic citizens and from the VFW for work on behalf of servicemen and women dealing with drug addiction. Brad started the Warmth for Winter program in 1982, providing coats to those in need, and Fans for Oklahoma in the summer which, through cash donations, provides relief to the elderly and poor from Oklahoma's scorching summers. He was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal in 1970 for his work as television news director with American Forces Thailand Network.
Silver Circle Honoree
Gary England
In a state where the weather is quickly changing and life-threatening, Gary England, Chief Meteorologist at KWTV in Oklahoma City, is literally a lifesaver. Viewers trust him, and they know that he knows what he is talking about. His innovations, developed for Oklahoma, are now common tools for weather prediction and safety throughout the entire United States. If you want to see for yourself what Gary has initiated, simply turn on your TV during a severe storm.
In 1981, Gary became the first meteorologist in history to use Doppler radar for direct warnings to the public. Official warnings at that time usually came after the storm or with too little time to take shelter. In 1990, he developed First Warning, an automated severe weather warning computer system, which provides viewers with instantaneous weather warnings from the National Weather Service.
In 1991, Gary developed StormTracker, a severe weather tracking and projection computer system now in use nationwide. In 1999, he developed Storm Signal, a computer-based severe weather warning system that allows a person to receive warnings at the same time as the warning is appearing on a television screen.
On May 3, 1999, the most powerful and devastating tornado ever recorded slammed into Oklahoma, an event that could have resulted in hundreds of deaths. Due to Gary England’s efforts and innovations, Oklahomans had ample time either to flee their homes or properly prepare themselves for what was to hit. Over the years, Gary has become an institution in Oklahoma, but his impact reaches far beyond. There is not a person reading this who has not in some way or another been the beneficial recipient of all that he has introduced into electronic weather forecasting.
Board of Governors Award Recipient: 1997
Gold & Silver Circle Honoree
John Ferrugia
John Ferrugia came to KMGH in 1992, continuing an award-winning career that has taken him from the Great Wall in China to war-torn Beirut to Vatican City. He has experience covering stories involving Prime Ministers, the Pope, and the President, many times on Air Force One. John has been honored with television journalism's most prestigious awards, including the Dupont-Columbia Award, two George Foster Peabody Awards, and a national Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) Award.
His investigation into the sexual assaults of female cadets at the US Air Force Academy has brought national recognition, Congressional hearings, and a complete change of leadership at one of the world's most prestigious military institutions.
In 1980, John was a Washington correspondent for CBS News, covering the presidential inauguration of Ronald Reagan. Later, he was named a White House correspondent and traveled with the President, covering the 40th anniversary of the D-Day invasion in Normandy and the economic summits in London and Williamsburg. In 1985, he was the principal anchor for "West 57th" news magazine, reporting from around the world to cover issues including the Soviet war in Afghanistan.
John came to Denver in 1989 to anchor the news at KCNC; three years later, he joined KMGH where he developed his signature report: "The Ferrugia File." He has a longstanding and undisputed record of seeking and reporting the truth, of setting the highest journalistic standards, and of personal integrity. He says, "I feel I have an obligation to use my talents in some way to improve the community I work and live in."
Silver Circle--2007
John Ferrugia began his distinguished 50 year career in broadcast television journalism at KOMU in Columbia, Missouri. He would go on to work as a network correspondent for CBS News, covering the White House and significant domestic and international stories before spending more than three decades as a highly-acclaimed investigative journalist in Colorado, most recently as a journalist, trainer and coach with the non-profit Colorado News Collaborative focused on journalism, civic engagement and accountability. John worked at KCNC CBS News Colorado for three years followed by 24 years at KMGH Denver7. He has been honored with 26 regional Emmys®, three Peabodys, two duPont-Columbia Silver Batons and a National Murrow for his investigative reporting.
John's contributions extend far beyond the newsroom. He has generously volunteered his time to support numerous nonprofit organizations, serving as an emcee and volunteer for causes that improve lives. He has also mentored aspiring journalists at the University of Colorado and his alma mater, the University of Missouri, imparting wisdom gained from decades in the field.
Gold Circle--2025
Silver Circle Honoree
Al Flanagan
It's no exaggeration to suggest that Al Flanagan has influenced the careers of hundreds of broadcast professionals across the country as a programmer, station manager, and corporate leader. His reputation is that of a tough but honest and compassionate broadcaster with a passion for making the best television programs. Flanagan grew up in California but went to college at the University of Florida where he caught the broadcasting bug at the campus radio station. Before he graduated in 1942, Flanagan had already been the station's program manager for three years. After a distinguished career in the US Marines during World War II, Flanagan resumed his broadcasting career in California by directing Emmy® Award-winning programs.
In 1962, Al became the general manager of KBTV and KBTR Radio in Denver. He led the stations to prominence in news and programming. He pioneered community events like the 9Health Fair and 9Who Care. These community-based programs represented an abiding belief by Flanagan that the absolute key to success for local broadcasters is understanding and serving their local viewers. He put this belief into practice throughout his career, even when he became a corporate executive. When Combined Communications Corp. bought KBTV (now KUSA), Flanagan became the company's president. He went on to become the president of Gannett Broadcasting when that company bought CCC in 1979. In that role, he oversaw television and radio stations across the country. Flanagan retired from Gannett in 1984.
Silver Circle Honoree
Trudy Fowler
Trudy Fowler is an institution throughout Colorado, and indeed, throughout the United States and Russia. She began her career in 1965, volunteering for Colorado’s first PBS station, KRMA-TV, and embarked on a lifelong journey of nonprofit awareness. For more than 30 years, she played a key role in the development of a small, under-funded local public television station, which today is known as Rocky Mountain PBS, a statewide network. She has raised funds, recruited volunteers, lobbied extensively, established cooperative community relations, and become one of the most recognized personalities in Denver. Through her devotion to Rocky Mountain PBS, she has contributed the gift of public television to the community — helping to educate and entertain all of Colorado’s communities. Her gifts do not stop within the confines of Colorado’s borders. They extend to the far reaches of Novgorod, Russia, where she visited and sponsored producers of a fledgling public television system in that country. She instructed them in all aspects of fundraising, in building a volunteer corps, and developing steering committees to help them along their journey. In 1998, Trudy received the Citizen’s Democracy Corporation Certificate of Appreciation for serving as an advisor to Public TV in Novgorod, Russia. She has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Colorado Federation of the Arts, the Advisory Board and Marketing Committee for Denver Metro Gives, the Executive Committee of the Denver Partnership Executive Network, the Colorado Tennis Association Board of Directors, and the Executive Committee of the Colorado Potter’s Guild. She was instrumental in the creation and development of The Hospice of St. John, helping to develop their bylaws, a board of directors, and initiating a fundraising campaign, calling upon all her resources to help this hospice. She has helped unify people with mission; mission with vision, and throughout has not overlooked the basic principles of the community. Her respect and love for the community are responsible for her success, and it is that which drives her.
Silver Circle Honoree
Doug Fox
An old advertising campaign at WFAA-TV once boasted, "If it touches your life, it's on News 8." Veteran journalist Doug Fox has been reporting the news and touching lives for 38 years. Fox has covered news as a working street reporter for one station in Dallas-Fort Worth for almost four decades, a record unparalleled in a business where jumping from job to job, from market to market is so often mistaken for professional accomplishment.
Fox was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and grew up in Dallas. He is a graduate of the University of Texas in Austin. Out of college, he worked for several years in news radio before joining KWTV-TV in Oklahoma City, where he worked as a weekend anchor, political reporter, and director of special projects. In 1974, he returned to Texas. Currently, the Chief Political Reporter at WFAA-TV, Doug is known as a "reporter's reporter." He has the remarkable ability to encapsulate the moment, to capture the tone and emotion of a situation, and to translate it into words and pictures understood by all.
Over his distinguished career, Fox mentored a veritable "Who's Who" of broadcasting professionals, including (to name only a few) CBS's Scott Pelley, former ABC correspondent Peggy Wehmeyer, CBS anchor Russ Mitchell, and CNN's Paula Zahn. Doug also touched the lives of countless other young journalists by always having both the time and the patience to guide interns through what, for most, was their first professional experience.
Doug is married and has three children. They live in Richardson, Texas, where they are active in local neighborhood and church activities.
Silver Circle Honoree
Dave Fraser
Dave Fraser has distinguished himself as one of Colorado’s most trusted meteorologists in his 24 years as the chief meteorologist at KDVR FOX31 and KWGN Colorado’s Own Channel 2. Dave began his career forecasting at KAAL in Austin, Minnesota in 1987. Dave has provided life-saving coverage of the biggest weather stories in Colorado from blizzards to tornadoes to wildfires. Dave has been independently certified as Colorado’s Most Accurate Weathercaster by Weatherate, Inc. for the last eight years. In addition, he was the first Colorado meteorologist to create in-studio virtual reality forecasts.
Dave has also been a leader, mentor and advisor to countless aspiring interns and up-and-coming meteorologists. He also led a school-based program called “Mile High Skies,” traveling thousands of miles over a seven year period, reaching thousands of school-age students through classroom visits. Through demonstrations and experiments, he shared his love of weather and science with children all over the state of Colorado. And his spirit of volunteerism has helped raise money and awareness for a slew of Colorado charities including the Salvation Army, Easter Seals, and as a co-host of the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.
Silver Circle Honoree
Bruce Friddle
Bruce Friddle began his career in the mid-1960s working for SWAV-TV in Savannah, Georgia, as the only news photographer. Highlights of his career include working on the Grand Ole Opry, serving on the crew of the first live telecast of the Masters Golf Tournament, being invited to join the "Wide, Wide, World," and working on the Dinah Shore "Chevy Show."
While in Peru for 15 years, Friddle produced 36 documentaries for the U.S. Information Service and produced two daily soap operas in Spanish. He was part of the location crew for the movie "The Old Man and the Sea" and was an associate producer for the Academy Award-nominated feature film "The Gallant One" from Disney.
In 1988, Friddle joined the City of Plano to launch the Plano Television Network. In little more than a decade, he grew a staff of three to a staff of twelve. During his tenure, Friddle took pride in recruiting and training volunteers to form the backbone of the fledgling network. Many of these volunteers have gone on to successful careers at major-market broadcast stations. As a visionary in the ever-changing world of television technology, Friddle assisted Collin County Community College in creating their Applied Graphic Design Technology program. The curriculum trains today's artists and designers in computer-aided communication design.
When he retired in May of 2001, he left the Plano Television Network staff with a legacy of almost 200 awards, including 4 regional Emmy® nominations, 13 Cable Ace nominations, and 3 Cable Ace winners. Friddle's staff credits him with encouraging them to beat the odds to prove that a municipal cable access station can be competitive in the "real world TV."
Silver Circle Honoree
Holly Gauntt
Denver 7 News Director Holly Gaunt leads their newsroom and production of news on all platforms, including television, streaming, and digital. She oversees 100 journalists who comprise the teams producing newscasts, providing editorial decisions required to give viewers news coverage in the Denver metro market. Her career began in the early 1980s at two Denver television stations, working as a production assistant, writer, and producer before taking a producer role in New Orleans. Other opportunities beckoned at KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City, as Managing Editor; WBAL-TV in Baltimore as Executive Producer; Assistant News Director at WTTG-TV in Washington, D.C.; Vice President/News Director at WTXF-TV in Philadelphia; News Director at Seattle's KOMO-TV, KUNS-TV, KOMONEWS.Com; and back to Denver as Vice President of News and Digital Content/News Director at KDVR-TV, KWGN-TV.
Through her leadership roles in the newsroom, she covered the Oklahoma City bombings, the 9/11 attacks, the D.C. area snipers, school shootings, and historic wildfires. She has won eight Edward R. Murrow Awards, 10 Regional Emmy® Awards, and one national Emmy® Award for Investigative Journalism. She believes stations have the unique ability and resources to help people in need and created two consumer investigative series called "Problem Solvers" at KOMO-TV and KDVR-TV. She has now implemented "Denver7 Gives," the charitable fund designed to help people who have been victimized by criminals or impacted by disasters. As Denver 7 Vice President and General Manager Dean Littleton notes, "Holly's true north is her heart for people."
Silver Circle Honoree
Byron Grandy
Byron Grandy is the Vice-President & General Manager at KDVR FOX31 and KWGN Colorado’s Own Channel 2 in Denver, Colorado. Byron started his career in broadcast television as a reporter at KBTX in Bryan, Texas in 1982. He has worked in the Denver market as both a news director and general manager for 19 years and has been a steadfast leader in helping bring journalistic integrity to investigations that have changed laws and regulations.
Byron is respected as a good human being, professionally and personally, truly caring about the people in his sphere. He has served on boards and in organizations that have contributed greatly to improving the lives of those in his community including the American Red Cross and Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Bryon is a man who treasures his family, his friends, his professional colleagues and his community and is always ready to work on their behalf to promote their success.
Silver Circle Honoree
John Goheen
To say that John Goheen is an award-winning photojournalist, a pioneer in the industry, a visionary producer, and a gifted storyteller is simply a warm-up exercise in describing a man whose work continues to awe and inspire us. The best video journalists in the country want his way with a camera, news outlets clamor for his features, students choose an independent study so they can continue learning from him after they've taken all his classes, and people around the world in tragic circumstances have seen their lives become just a little less bleak because John has brought their story to light. For 37 years, he's been shaping the way video communicates, in news, programs, films, and in the classroom. "I just like strong visuals, always have," he says.
John has been a resident of Denver since 1977 when he was a reporter/photographer with KMGH Channel 7; he's been freelancing, speaking, and teaching since 1993. He was the NPPA's Television News Photographer of the Year for three consecutive years, has earned 12 regional Emmy® awards – including Journalistic Enterprise – and is the recipient of the Joseph A. Sprague Memorial Award, the highest honor in the field of journalism. He is reputed to be the King of Nat Sound. Name a network or news organization, and he's worked with them; name a major story, and he's been on the scene, in 85 countries and 6 continents; and he's produced award-winning documentaries. Back in 1997, John helped create the NPPA's Advanced StoryTelling Workshop, and since then, he's never missed it, donating a week of his time each year to work with the students. Currently, he is a full-time instructor at Loyola University's School of Communications in Chicago.
John understands the power of television to do good and change lives; he's not just a journalist, he's a human being who cares about people. His stories typify a sense of social consciousness and responsibility. He volunteered years of his time on a project to honor veterans, soliciting video from around the country to craft a program called 'V-Day 11/11/11.' He took a solo trip to Somalia to help focus attention on the horrendous conditions there, and his stories were the first to air on US network television. Last year he traveled to Kiberia, the largest slum in Africa, to tell a heartbreaking story of poverty through the eyes of the young. His work often points the way for humanitarians to follow and for viewers to become involved. Decades of work, thousands of stories, and millions of lives touched: John is a treasure.
Silver Circle Honoree
Dave Grant
Long-time co-worker, Larry Hatteberg, sums up the career of Silver Circle Honoree Dave Grant succinctly. “If you had to design a newsroom leader, it would be Dave Grant. He has held nearly every position in the newsroom. For the staff, he is the rock, he is the calm and he is your friend. To those in upper management, he is a truth-teller. He won’t always tell them what they want to hear, but he will tell him what they “need” to hear.” Dave Grant has been a reporter, anchor, producer, assistant news director, news director, web wizard and a bureau chief for western Kansas. Currently producer and assistant news director at KAKE since 1995, he manages dozens of reporters, photographers and producers for the daily news operation, even filling in for the web and producer team when needed. He mentors the next generation of broadcasters by organizing the station’s internship and job shadow program, giving high school and college students hands-on experience through mock storytelling and newscasts. His prior experience included stints at KWCH-TV as a reporter, producer and news anchor as well as anchor/reporter for KAYS-TV. He believes in supporting the Wichita community through a remarkable group of non-profit organizations that include serving on the board of directors for the Greater Wichita YMCA, being a Cub Scout Leader with the Boy Scouts of America’s Quivira Council and President of the Wichita Heights High School Booster Club. The Heartland Chapter is proud to welcome Dave Grant to our distinguished Silver Circle Roster.
Silver Circle Honoree
Larry Green
Born in Greeley, Colorado, Larry has two children, Andy and Whitney, and is married to Amy Thompson Green. He graduated from Arvada West High School in 1967 and attended Northern Arizona University from 1967 to 1969. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech from Colorado State University in 1971.
Larry worked as a reporter, photographer, anchor, sportscaster, and Assistant News Director of KGUN-TV in Tucson before moving to KVOA-TV in Tucson to handle promotion and weather duties. While in Tucson, he also worked as the Advertising and Promotion Director at Nordensson Advertising. Before joining KCNC News4 in May of 1982, Larry was the weathercaster at KMGH-TV Channel 7 in Denver.
Currently, Larry co-anchors "First news" with Stephanie Riggs and takes on the weathercasting duties of News4 at 5 and News4 at 10, Sunday through Thursday evenings. He has received two Emmy® Awards for his 1988 tornado coverage and his 1989 science reporting with Professor John Taylor of the University of Colorado.
Outside his regular duties, Larry participates in several community projects, including the annual Salvation Army Share the Spirit Drive, and activities with Cystic Fibrosis, YMCA, and others. He was named the 1995 Broadcast Citizen of the Year by the Colorado Broadcasters Association. In his spare time, fishing, fly-fishing, sports, and woodworking are his favorite activities.
Silver Circle Honoree
Tom Green
Tom is one of the most recognized people in Denver television, having spent more than 35 years just in that city alone. First in sports, he has now been the face of morning TV on Channel 2 for more than 15 years. In addition to 10 Emmy® awards, Tom was named the Colorado Sportscaster of the Year 4 times by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Associations.
Tom grew up in New York City, attended Ithaca College, and then started his TV career at a station in New Haven, Connecticut. He joined ESPN in the early days and was honored to work with and learn from big sports names: Bob Ley, Chris Berman, Greg Gumbel, Tom Mees, and Sal Marchiano.
Tom drove across the country to Colorado in 1982 to start his Denver career as a sportscaster at KUSA, where he says his mentors were Mike Nolan, Gary Cruz, and Corey McPherrin. Later, Tom became the main sports anchor at KMGH.
His experience also includes play-by-play, color, and sideline reporting for ABC and Fox Sports. Tom spent time in Hollywood hosting game shows, including a show called "Sports on Tap," a fast-paced, funny quiz show on ESPN.
Tom uses his standing as a respected journalist to raise awareness for a variety of good causes. Since 2001, he has promoted the "9/11 Day of Giving," raising nearly 1 million dollars in donations for the New York firefighters fund. In the past three years, he has helped raise an average $120,000 per year for Colorado cancer charities. For sixteen years, he has served as a board member of the Gold Crown Foundation, educating youth and community through sports and enrichment.
In 2002, Tom decided he wanted to try news and made the jump to be the anchor for KWGN's morning show, making his mark with that dry sense of humor and quick wit that sets the show apart. He is excellent with breaking news. He's the person you want at the desk when news is unfolding, and there's no time to write it. He has the ability to interpret the pictures and new information and deliver it on the air with perfect tone, pacing, and most of all, to be calm and organized with it the whole time.
Tom has a unique connection with viewers. He is one of the most recognizable and likable people on Denver TV. He has great respect for the viewer, reminding us often that the work we do is for them, that it's a privilege that people invite him and our show into their homes. He reminds us that our relationships with viewers should be respected.
While Tom is a serious newsman, many viewers and co-workers know him for his quick wit and smart-alecky sense of humor. It's what many viewers know him best for, always being there for a smart laugh. And he transitions from news to humor and back to news so easily and flawlessly; it just feels so natural and comfortable. Tom is simply a pleasure to watch.
Tom has given his heart and soul to covering sports and news in Denver for the past 32 years. He's part of the fabric here. There is no doubt that Tom has made a great contribution to the broadcast industry in Denver, both in sports and news: he is the ultimate newsroom quarterback – a leader with talent beyond measure with a humble nature. He guides young newsroom employees, teaching while cracking a joke that lightens every meeting.
Silver Circle Honoree
Ed Greene
Ed Greene, News4 weather and news anchor, has called Colorado home since the early 1970s. His first on-air broadcast journalism job was in radio at KIMN in 1972. Ed began appearing on television in 1976 as weather and news anchor at KMGH. He joined KCNC in 1981 and has worked with the crew at News4 for most of his broadcast career. He loves his job and Colorado's always-changing weather. In the newsroom, Ed is a leader who sets a positive example for his co-workers and a mentor who takes time and energy for the dozens of students who have worked under his tutelage.
Outside the newsroom, Ed is one of the most recognizable and involved TV personalities in the community. He donates his time to emcee upwards of 70 events a year for local non-profit organizations and is a prominent figure at many local functions. Ed says, "I feel a responsibility to give back to the community. Doing that is what has kept me going all these years. The community has been good to me and in return I donate my time so that local non-profit organizations can raise money and awareness for good causes. I feel it's the right thing to do." Ed is the chairman for Men for the Cure, a fundraising effort for breast cancer research. As a survivor of heart disease, Ed has made hundreds of visits on behalf of the cause and has served as the spokesperson and honorary chair for the American Heart Association. He has been the Spokesperson and Emcee for the Adoption Exchange and the Day for Wednesday's Child, and has served on the Boards for the Colorado Symphony and the Volunteers of America.
Silver Circle Honoree
Cathy Grieve
Dr. Cathy A. Grieve is an assistant professor and Director of Internships for the School of Communication (SOC) at the University of Denver. In her over 30 years of teaching, Dr. Grieve has received numerous honors for teaching and service, including the University of Denver Distinguished Teaching Award, the William T. Driscoll Master Educator Award, the University of Denver Kynewisbok Pioneer Award, the Colorado nominee for the National Partnership in Education, Inc. Award, and the Seton Tradition Award from the Archdiocese of Denver.
While her area of expertise is in public relations, corporate communication, and crisis management, Grieve has assisted hundreds of students in exploring television and broadcasting through the SOC internship program. Her students have interned at the major network affiliates and the public and community stations in Denver in positions ranging from reporting to production to community affairs. Her students have also interned for such successful series as "The Late Show with David Letterman" and "The Conan O'Brien Show" and have interned for CNN, ESPN, MTV, Telemundo, and Rocket Pictures, producers for Animal Planet and Discovery.
Grieve is also active in various community organizations and serves on numerous boards and committees. Her recent involvements include the Colorado Mental Health Association, Project Cure, CASA, and chair of the Archdiocese of Denver's tuition assistance program Seeds of Hope.
Grieve received her B.A. in Speech Communication from Mount St. Joseph-on-the-Ohio and an M.A. in Mass Communication and a Ph.D. in Speech Communication from the University of Denver. Cathy has been married to Joe for 29 years, and they have three children, two sons who graduated from DU and a daughter who will graduate from DU in 2004.
Silver Circle Honoree
Larry Hatteberg
For 36 years, Larry Hatteberg has brought a special kind of television to Kansas. His constant search for ordinary people, whose stories illuminate larger issues, puts him in a position to develop a personal relationship with Kansas viewers. Throughout the nation, he is known as a video storyteller who can "touch" people with his television journalism. His "Hatteberg's People" series is the longest-running television feature in Kansas. His recently published book "Larry Hatteberg's Kansas People," based on the television series, is a best-seller. It profiles 75 Kansans who make the state a unique place to live. His second book, a sequel called "More Larry Hatteberg's Kansas People," profiles 85 additional Kansas people and was published in 1994.
Larry’s television career began at KAKE in 1963 when he started as a part-time film lab technician. He has been a photographer, chief photographer, assistant news director, executive news director, and is now the Managing Editor of KAKE News and the prime-time co-anchor of KAKE News at Five. He is also the co-host of the local segments of the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Labor Day Telethon. There are few major awards Larry hasn't won. Twice he was named National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) Television News Cameraman of the Year. He is one of only a select few to have received the award twice. He has also received three additional awards from the NPPA. In addition, Larry has received over 85 local, state, and national awards for television news photography, reporting, and for helping to set broadcast journalism standards. He was also a national semi-finalist for NASA's Journalist in Space program.
A native of Kansas, Larry's interest in photography began in high school where he was the photo-editor of the school newspaper and yearbook. He went on to attend Kansas State Teachers College and Wichita State University. He and his wife live in Wichita.
Silver Circle Honoree
Cynthia Hessin
A love of words and language has defined Cynthia since grade school, where writing became her passion. With a degree in journalism, she got her foot in the door as a receptionist at KBOL radio and was asked to 'try' reading copy. From there, she moved to KHOW radio in Denver, handling drive-time newscasts for two years. When KOA-TV asked her to do on-camera cut-ins for The Today Show, a television career was born. Cynthia joined KCNC in 1979 as a reporter, fill-in anchor, and host before moving to KMGH in 1984. For 11 years, she worked as a reporter, anchor, and producer, excelling in covering stories involving politics, government, and public policy. A profound shift in her career came in 1995 with a move to Rocky Mountain PBS, where she became the station's sole executive producer responsible for creating original programming for a statewide network. She currently holds the position of Executive Producer, Public Affairs, and hosts the weekly series Colorado State of Mind.
Cynthia is the recipient of 5 regional Emmy® awards, ranging from News reporting to Narration to Documentary, which is a testament to her versatility. She has served on the Heartland Chapter Board of Governors as 1st VP and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Denver Press Club, including past president (the first female!). She also serves on the regional board of the Society of Professional Journalists. Cynthia generously volunteers her time to community and industry events and is a regular member of the Press Club's annual Gridiron Show.
While her list of awards and accolades is long, Cynthia's peers and coworkers commend her team spirit and can-do attitude. No matter how the industry changes, she is always willing to learn something new. Whether she's producing a special about women's issues, water rights, immigrants, or local philanthropists, everyone knows that Cynthia will put her energy and heart into every project. Cynthia considers it a privilege and a huge responsibility to pass along information, and she's known for going to great lengths to get it right. In fact, three Governors of the state of Colorado enthusiastically attest to her fair and balanced work, her understanding of critical issues and their impact on people in the state, and her integrity as a journalist. She is an outstanding example of what journalism should be.
Gold Circle Honoree
Ned Hockman
Charles Nedwin “Ned” Hockman’s career spans 59 years, starting in 1947 as a combat cameraman in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operation. An Oklahoma native, Ned attended Cameron College and the University of Oklahoma before being drafted into the Army in 1942, where he served with the Air Corp’s First Motion Picture Unit. He helped photograph and produce hundreds of training films under the supervision of unit commander Ronald Reagan. In 1949 he became Director of Motion Picture Production at OU, and helped establish film production studies there. He was the official cinematographer for the OU Athletic Department from 1949-1985, and began producing a weekly highlight reel that was distributed nationally to publicize college football in a brand new way. Students, peers and journalism professionals agree that Ned always advocated the basics of journalism: Pictures Tell the Story, and Learn to Write Well. He directed the film “Stark Fear” a New York Times Critic’s Pick in 1963, and was a US delegate to the Cannes Film Festival in 1965. He served as the president of the Oklahoma Motion Picture Hall of Fame for 20 years until 2005.
Ned Hockman is one of the founders of the National Press Photographers Association workshop in Norman, Oklahoma, and for 30 years was its host and co-director (31 years on the faculty). Today the NPPA workshops draw hundreds of television professionals from around the world. Ned is the recipient of the prestigious Joseph A. Sprague Memorial Award, and has been inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame. He has produced over 200 films and television programs and has received numerous awards and accolades – and still maintains that the best reward is the phrase, “...oh, I see what you mean!” Ned and his wife, Loretta Mae, reside in Norman.
Gold Circle Honoree
Harry Hoth
For more than fifty years, Harry W. Hoth has demonstrated what it means to be a local broadcaster committed to community service. Hoth started at KRDO radio while studying at Colorado College. The former Marine gained the respect of station ownership, and they followed his advice to add a television signal to their radio property. KRDO TV went on the air in 1953, and Hoth became President and General Manager. The Pikes Peak Broadcasting Company now includes two TV stations – KRDO-TV in Colorado Springs and KJCT-TV in Grand Junction, and three radio stations – KRDO AM and FM, and KSKX FM in Colorado Springs.
From the early days of black and white cameras and vacuum tube transmitters, his station provided live coverage of news and community events. His station was the first in the market to telecast live pictures from the top of Pikes Peak, first with local telecasts in color, and first to deliver television programming to Southern Colorado residents through an extensive network of mountaintop translators. It was the first with live coverage of fairs, parades, and graduations and the first to use modern Electronic News Gathering. But his concept of community service also extends beyond dedicated news reporting.
Hoth served as Mayor of Colorado Springs from 1963 to 1967. His foresight and leadership resulted in an ambitious pipeline project, bringing snowmelt to front-range reservoirs. He is the former Chairman of the Air Service Task Force and is a former Chairman and Life Member of the Chamber of Commerce Military Affairs Council.
Harry W. Hoth was named Broadcaster of the Year by the Colorado Broadcasters Association in 1969 and again in 1985, and the CBA's Harry W. Hoth Community Service Award is given to the broadcaster who demonstrates sustained commitment to community service.
Gold & Silver Circle Honoree
Gold Circle Honoree
Ron Hull
The career of Ron Hull spans decades, and his influence crosses international boundaries. Hull, 91, shaped Nebraska Public Media into a statewide network with four television and two radio channels. When he joined the fledgling organization 68 years ago to produce a creative writing series, it was only the eighth educational television station in the country: KUON-TV at the University of Nebraska.
In 1966, President Johnson tapped him to act as a television programming advisor to the government of South Vietnam, and that was only the beginning of Hull's international broadcasting work. He returned to Vietnam years later to film a PBS documentary, "Beyond the Fury." When he returned from Vietnam in 1968, he served as the program manager of the Nebraska ETV Network.
From 1982-88, he directed the Program Fund at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, funding "Nova," "The American Experience," "The Metropolitan Opera," and "Reading Rainbow." Returning to NET in 1989, he became the station manager, then transitioned to working for both PBS and NETV while earning a Ph.D. in Education from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. In 1999, he received a Fulbright Scholarship to teach international broadcasting at Cheng Chi University in Taipei, Taiwan, then returned to NET and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln several years later.
He is on the advisory Committee on the Arts for the John F. Kennedy Center, the boards of the Nebraska Broadcasters Association, and the Nebraska Hall of Fame Commission. He is a special advisor to Nebraska Public Media and a Professor Emeritus at the University of Nebraska.
Gold Circle Honoree
Jon Janes
The television news career of Jon Janes began in the summer of 1969, when he won a major WMT (now KGAN) scholarship to cover news at the University of Iowa, where he worked numerous hours covering the Vietnam War protests at the University through May of 1970.
After graduation, and in the space of 14 months, Jon earned a Master of Science in Mass Communications from San Diego State University. While working on his degree, Jon was hired as a full time News Photographer at CBS affiliate KFMB in San Diego. In 1971, Jon began three years in the Air Force, and after his Air Force service, Jon returned to KFMB for a year, then moved to KWWL in Waterloo, Iowa, as a Statehouse Bureau reporter and eventually Bureau Chief covering the Iowa Statehouse. Other roles include News Director, KAAL TV in Austin, Minnesota (1978), news management positions in Cape Girardeau, Missouri; St. Louis; Davenport and Des Moines, Iowa; and Minneapolis, Corporate Vice President for news with the News Press-Gazette company in St. Joseph, Missouri, News Director, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Jon made his final career move to WIBW-TV in Topeka, in August 1999 and was the longest-tenured News Director in the history of WIBW-TV, with 23 years at the helm of the newsroom when he retired July 1, 2023. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the WIBW team has had one-fourth of the staff out on various occasions, but Jon never missed a day at the helm. He led the department through eight staff changes, a major election, and the Chiefs second Super Bowl Season, while also directing coverage of numerous major stories in the 17-county designated viewing area. During his 51-year career in broadcasting, Jon has led more than 700 news people is his 43 years as a News Manager. He has helped, worked for, or assisted 33 General Managers at 19 different news stations, as well as two United States Air Force agencies. Most of Jon’s career has involved maximizing the abilities of young reporters by allowing them to develop their skills in their first real-world experience.
His WIBW community work includes Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Topeka; Helping Hands Humane Society; the Topeka Zoo; the Salvation Army; the annual Red Cross Battle of the Badges Blood Drive; Salute Our Heroes, featuring law enforcement, first responders, and civilians who have done heroic actions; and Wednesday’s Child, highlighting children in need of adoption. Welcome to the Heartland Gold Circle, Jon Janes.
Silver Circle Honoree
Mitch Jelniker
Mitch Jelniker has served the Heartland region for over 28 years, not only with his dedication to high standards of journalistic integrity on camera and in the newsroom but also with a remarkable commitment to integrity in his relationship with his community. He chooses to be involved, to be engaged, and to value each person as an individual in all his endeavors. His reputation exemplifies the utmost in caring and trust.
A graduate of Colorado State University, Mitch started work at KWTV in Oklahoma City in 1982. He moved back home to Denver in 1995 with KMGH, where he continues in a variety of functions: anchor, reporter, and producer. His body of work includes some of the most horrific news stories in recent history – the Oklahoma City bombing and the subsequent trial coverage, the massacre at Columbine High School, the tragedy at Platte Canyon High School. His desire to report "on the scene" at these events is an illustration of his willingness to be involved, always with accuracy and truth. His coworkers tell of his passion, his breadth of understanding, his leadership, enthusiasm, and sense of humor.
Many viewers know Mitch as the 7Everyday Hero guy. This weekly program highlights someone in the community who volunteers his or her time to make other people's lives a bit brighter. Since its inception in 1999, the 7Everyday Hero award has recognized over 550 deserving individuals, and Mitch hasn't missed a week. He treats each person not as "just another story" but as an opportunity to make a difference.
Volunteering is important to Mitch, and he is known for this – from the Governor's office to non-profit agencies, to neighbors and friends. He donates his free time and support to many of the causes that he covers and isn't afraid to roll up his sleeves to get the work done. He inspires others to do better and give more.
Gold & Silver Circle Honoree
Sam Jones
Sam Jones is a television legend in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He began his career working in radio and television in Arkansas, eventually in production, as a reporter, and weekend anchor for KTHV-TV, the CBS affiliate in Little Rock. His beat became state government with a focus on the Governor's office. In 1976, he was promoted to the Monday through Friday prime anchor spot. After six months, he was offered the additional duties of Assistant News Director.
Not long after this promotion, news came of the American Embassy takeover in Iran. Three military personnel and one political prisoner were from Arkansas. The station sent Sam to what was then West Germany to cover their pending release. The first time was a false alarm, but the second time they were released, and he was there for their arrival. In addition to stories he sent to his home state by satellite, he soon found himself a junior member of the CBS news team as a stringer. He filed stories for both his station in Little Rock and for CBS news. He was sent to Washington, D.C. to cover the official "welcome home" ceremonies at the White House.
Sam Jones was recruited to work at KJRH-TV Tulsa in 1981 as their evening anchor. He started covering city and county government. His goals were evident: to tell stories about the treasures of Oklahoma, the people and their day-to-day accomplishments. Sam quickly became known as a man who not only anchored the news but as a skilled reporter who knew how to ask tough questions and find answers. He spent many years both in front of and behind the camera and continues to pass his knowledge on to those wanting to learn about true journalism.
Sam has spent his life working to tell the stories of others and advocate for those who may not have had a voice. His career has put him in the room with everyone from civil rights activist Rosa Parks to former President Bill Clinton. Long before he ever moved to the Heartland market, he had established himself as a journalist who knew the value of good storytelling and the importance of giving others a voice.
Many still talk about a documentary it took a year for him to write and produce called "Spirit of The Fire." Working virtually every weekend in the Cookson Hills of Western Oklahoma, Sam was allowed to take cameras into the Keetoowah society and document their way of life and ceremonies. He took viewers on a journey and gave them a glimpse of things never seen before by the outside world. Many of the interviews and conversations were translated from Cherokee so viewers could understand the processes and words. The historic piece is now housed in the Smithsonian and is still used today as a marker for the right way to share the story of a people and their journey. A second documentary, "The Little Giant from Little Dixie," on the life of former Speaker of the House Carl Albert, is also in the Smithsonian collection.
Sam used his "Traveling 2 Country" series to introduce viewers to people like Charles Banks Wilson, an Oklahoma artist whose works hang in the Smithsonian, Washington's Library of Congress, and the Oklahoma State Capitol.
In 1990, he was offered the dual role of anchor/producer of "Oklahoma Forum," a daily public affairs show on KTFO-TV. In 1992, management asked him to host "Open Line," a nightly one-hour show that involved Sam fielding live phone calls. He also wrote, produced, and anchored hour and half-hour specials. A few years later, in 1994, KOTV-TV, the CBS affiliate, called, offering Sam the chance to do his call-in show there. Plus, they wanted him to have live music, to hire a band of his choice, and to expand the content. Sam added humorous news headlines, interviews, and guest musicians. He hired the Sonny Gray Trio, all members of the Jazz Hall of Fame and well known across the country and in Tulsa. In its first year, the new show, "You're On," with Sam Jones, earned an Emmy® nomination in the interview and discussion category.
In 1996, Sam broke the story of an ongoing shooting situation in which Tulsa Police Officer Dick Hobson was killed and officer Steve Downey was injured. His coverage received an Emmy® nomination.
Sam has a way of telling the stories of the hidden and sometimes forgotten people of this state. From young elementary school-aged kids competing in the Special Olympics to a young man scratching out a life on the streets and living in a dumpster.
Since 2006, Sam has hosted and helped produce a weekly public affairs show, "Green Country Perspectives," at RSU-TV, where he also mentors young broadcast and writing students. He received two Emmys® for programs "Not in My Family" on domestic abuse, and a half-hour special on country music legend "Jana Jae".
His integrity and the ability to look into the souls of the people in the stories he tells have always shone through his work. This also tells what kind of person he is. Honest, listening, proud, with his eyes always open to what and who is around him and the stories they have to share.
While the broadcast career of Sam Jones began in 1970 in Ft. Smith, Ark., he is a legend today in Tulsa, Okla. He started working in radio and television in Arkansas. He was a reporter and weekend anchor for KTHV-TV, then promoted as the prime anchor and assistant news director. He eventually began to file stories for both KTHV-TV and CBS News and was then recruited to work at KJRH-TV Tulsa in 1981 as an evening anchor.
He covered city and county government with a goal to tell stories about the treasures of Oklahoma and their people. Sam quickly became known as a man who not only anchored the news but as a skilled reporter who knew how to ask tough questions and find answers. He continues to pass his knowledge on to those wanting to learn about true journalism.
His documentary, "Spirit of the Fire," chronicled the Western Oklahoma life of the Native American Keetoowah society, with interviews and conversations translated from Cherokee so viewers could understand the processes and words. The Smithsonian museum houses this and another of his documentaries, "Little Giant from Little Dixie."
In 1990, he became anchor/producer of "Oklahoma Forum" on KTFO-TV and "Open Line" in 1992. He also wrote, produced, and anchored hour and half-hour specials. In 1994, he moved his live call-in show to KOTV-TV. Currently, he hosts and produces "Green Country Perspectives" at RSU-TV, where he received two Emmys® for his programs.
Gold Circle Honoree
Noel Jordan
In 1937, Mr. Jordan graduated from Harvard with honors and headed straight for the National Broadcasting Company in New York, where he started as a page. In 1939, he was transferred to the newly formed Television Department where he worked as a property man, floor manager, and, in a crisis, spare announcer and any other position that needed filling. He was part of the original station staff when NBC inaugurated the first regular TV broadcast service in the U.S. After a 4-year tour with the U.S. Army Air Force during WWII, he returned to the NBC Television Department and became a Producer/Director on numerous programs during one of the most exciting times our industry has seen. He directed the first live telecast of the NBC Symphony with Toscanini, the first live telecast from the United Nations, the first live telecast from a submarine, the first live telecast from an aircraft carrier, and the Republican, Democratic, and Progressive Political Conventions from Philadelphia. He was also an accomplished writer for the network, handling genres from documentaries to dramas.
In 1948, Mr. Jordan moved to Denver and began teaching radio, TV, and film at the University of Denver. He taught television to students when there was no working TV station in Denver; so effective were his methods that students were able not only to identify TV equipment when visiting other cities but also describe how and why it functioned, just from having been in Mr. Jordan's classes!
In 1952, Mr. Jordan joined John Newell and Herman Urshell to form Western Cine Service, Inc., for years the largest film-processing lab between Kansas City and L.A. He hosted "The Right to Talk" on KWGN-TV and was appointed to the Colorado Education Television Commission in 1962 by Governor McNichols.
Mr. Jordan's intelligence, commitment to high standards, and passion for radio, television, and film have influenced several generations of broadcast students, as well as many of our leaders and colleagues in the industry.
Silver Circle Honoree
Don Kinney
Emmy® award-winning journalist Don Kinney has delivered in-depth television reporting to the people of Colorado for nearly 30 years. January 1998 marked his 20th year with "The State of Colorado," a weekly televised discussion of news events which airs on Rocky Mountain PBS, Channel 6 in Denver and Channel 18 in Grand Junction.
Don's career began at a small radio station in Montana, taking him to Idaho and on to CBS News in New York. As a radio reporter, a CBS Evening News researcher & writer for Walter Cronkite, and a reporter/producer covering the Gemini and Apollo space programs, Don filled a variety of roles at the network level.
In 1969, Don entered the Denver market as producer of TV News at KLZ-TV (now KMGH). In the next decade, he also served as Medical Science Reporter for KLZ-TV and Radio, as well as KOA-TV (now KCNC), before coming to KRMA-TV, Rocky Mountain PBS. Kinney also owns his own production company, Rocky Mountain Reflections.
Don's programs have received awards from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Heartland Chapter; the New York Film Festival; the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; the Colorado Broadcaster's Association, and numerous others. Over the years, Don has devoted himself to training journalists through mentoring and internship programs and helps to raise funds for journalism scholarships. For instance, as an avid marathon runner, Don, in 1994, raised $29,000 for journalism scholarships by running across the state of Montana (a total of 666 miles in 15 1/2 days).
Silver Circle Honoree
Cindy Klose
Cindy Klose Cindy Klose has been a news anchor at KWCH-12 Wichita, KS for 25 years, a former anchor for CNN Headline News, and a reporter/anchor for almost 40 years. She is a staple in the Wichita market. Viewers have voted her Wichita's favorite anchor time and time again for good reason. They trust her. Credibility is more important to Cindy than anything else. It's something she won't compromise in the newsroom, on the set, or with her storytelling.
Although Cindy is in front of the camera each night, she believes the role of the journalist is to be behind the scenes, asking the questions, checking the facts, and holding people accountable. She doesn't believe journalists should be the focus of any story. She teaches the newsroom that journalists are there to inform viewers of how things will impact them, so viewers can make informed decisions.
In the newsroom, Cindy is an advocate for the viewer. She is not afraid to go against what's popular or what some consider "good TV". She believes in putting the viewer first, making sure the newsroom selects stories that impact the residents of Kansas. In return, the viewers trust her. The ratings show how much the viewers trust Cindy. Every show she anchors is number one in household ratings.
Throughout her career, and particularly her time with SBI, Cindy has helped develop many broadcast journalists who now work across the country. She has been a mentor to countless producers and reporters over the years. She is honorable, hardworking, and mindful of her role in our community and our democracy. She is an educator to everyone in the newsroom and across the station. Cindy pushes everyone around her to be a better journalist and to serve the public.
Cindy has helped with numerous non-profit organizations. She has given her time as the Master of Ceremonies for the Susan G. Komen Race and the American Heart Association – Go Red for Women initiative. Cindy has visited hundreds of classrooms, reading to elementary children or speaking about the importance of journalism to high school and college classes. She uses her powerful voice in support of the Fundamental Learning Center and the Child Advocacy Center of Sedgwick County.
The Silver Circle welcomes a top-rated anchor, journalist, and mentor.
Silver Circle Honoree
Mark Koebrich
Mark Koebrich launched his career in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1974, then in 1978 moved to Louisville, Kentucky, and WLKY before moving to KUSA in 1981 as the Southern Bureau reporter in Colorado Springs. Since then, he's handled a variety of jobs. In 1988, he was loaned to USA TODAY-The Television Show as a national correspondent, from 1992-’94 he hosted "Good Afternoon Colorado," has been involved in the coverage of two Olympics Games for 9News and NBC, and he has covered four Denver Bronco Super Bowl appearances. He has anchored mornings, days, and evenings with aplomb; he is well-known as the Consumer Reporter for 9News. He writes in ways that help the viewer understand. Mark has done it all, and he is known as a good storyteller with an eye for detail. What is remarkable is his positive attitude and can-do spirit, which is legendary among his peers. He carries his professional integrity and big heart into everything he does – both on and off the air. Whether he's hosting a high-profile event or talking to a star-struck fan in the grocery store, Mark is genuinely nice and generous with his time. Each interaction is a chance to win a viewer for life, or what Mark likes to call "job security." Currently, Mark is the co-anchor for the 4pm news on KUSA and the 9pm news on KTVD in Denver, also owned by Gannett Broadcasting as is KUSA. Mark and his wife, Cathy, have two children.
Silver Circle Honoree
Tony Kovaleski
"Stories produce stories," Tony Kovaleski often says. He's right. If Tony didn't live by that principle, he wouldn't be the stellar journalist, mentor, and everyday person Colorado knows well today.
Tony's story as a journalist began in Eureka, California in 1983. He held nearly every job title at the tiny KIEM-TV. He then moved to Reno, Nevada, where he worked for roughly five years at KTVN-TV, leaving the station as assistant news director.
Like anyone who has a large, infectious personality, Tony eventually outgrew the confines of small-market television. His career began to flourish after he accepted a general assignment and investigative reporting job at KNXV-TV in Phoenix, Arizona, where we have documented proof that his signature suspenders were born into his wardrobe long before his time in Denver!
Tony has earned some of the highest honors in television journalism – deservedly so. Just in the last decade, he picked up a National Emmy® Award, a Sigma Delta Chi Award, and an Alfred I. du Pont-Columbia University Award. He's also collected more than two dozen local and regional awards.
Tony's work has had a profound impact on the communities he's served. In 2008, he uncovered emergency response failures at Denver International Airport, which forced the City of Denver to position a full-time ambulance there. In 2010, he exposed Governor-appointed directors for the state's largest worker's compensation insurance provider on a junket to Pebble Beach. Both stories have made Tony's name synonymous with high-quality investigative journalism.
Just last year, Tony's work changed how law enforcement agencies respond to domestic violence calls. Some of those agencies didn't prioritize the calls, which may have contributed to the deaths of a number of women.
This year, Tony's work has Colorado lawmakers addressing why schools are failing to tell parents about school employees who are accused of crimes. In one case, there's evidence that leaders at one of the most high-profile public school districts in the state covered up allegations of sexual misconduct by a teacher. Their actions led to criminal charges against them and likely contributed to the teacher victimizing other students for years.
Unquestionably, Tony's reputation has made him one of the most trusted people in Colorado – even among people who had to answer some of his toughest questions in the field. Former longtime Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey said, "Without exception, my interactions with Mr. Kovaleski have shown him to be forthright and direct – he might ask hard questions, but I always knew he would report honestly." Former Denver District Attorney Communications Director Lynn Kimbrough said, "In all the years I have known Tony, he has repeatedly proven that he is a tenacious searcher of the truth, a patient researcher of documents, and a fair reporter of facts that his searching uncovers."
Colleagues – past and present – laud Tony for having a profound impact on the television news industry on the whole. "Tony's reporting is courageous," former KMGH-TV News Director Jeff Harris said. "He has guts. I've been with him as he's stood up to the most powerful people and organizations. Most importantly, his reporting has stood up."
Anne Trujillo recalls working with Tony on several Columbine High School stories: "One night on Denver7, our station was airing an exclusive interview with the mother of one of the Columbine shooters, and we knew this would be a tough night of television for our Colorado families. Tony was instrumental in working with the 10pm team to create a compassionate newscast with personal stories of impact that did not sensationalize the event. That newscast won an Emmy® for Best 10pm Newscast.
Tony is also a mentor. He regularly interacts with young, aspiring journalists to share the tricks of the trade – to help their work stand out in a way that will benefit the communities they'll serve in their careers.
At a time when our critics are questioning the very nature of free speech and the free press, Tony is not stopping his hard-hitting reporting on issues of transparency, public corruption, and open government. He is laying the groundwork for the next generation of reporters. He is a dedicated teacher, coach, and mentor for investigative journalism – not only in his newsroom but in his company and amongst his professional colleagues. Reporters from cubs to veterans look up to Tony.
Silver Circle Honoree
John Kuhrt
There are a few people who embody what it means to be a television professional more than John Kuhrt. This is interesting given the fact that John was actually a music major at the University of Denver, graduating in 1981. But when he started working at Channel 9 in 1983, it was clear that video became John's art form.
His Heartland Emmy® Awards alone are startling: 39, beginning with the chapter's first year in 1987. He is a sports photographer and editor, gifted in both of these respects. During the football season, John produces whole programs that involve the work of only a few people, like Sideline Stories with Jim Saccomano, Broncos Tonight, and the Broncos Huddle. He is a photographer and editing machine who can edit long-form segments with effects and music. He's been involved with coverage of seven Broncos Super Bowls from 1987 to 2016.
We are a nation obsessed with "Super Star Athletes." We know them by one name only – Elway, Manning, Brady, LeBron, Jeter, and so on. At 9News and at the Denver Broncos, just one journalist has earned that status: his name is Johnny – even though his official security ID reads John Kuhrt.
Johnny is a Superstar in every way possible, in everything he touches. He is passionate, devoted, creative, tireless, fiercely competitive, and demanding of excellence. He has made a sport of photojournalism, editing, and storytelling. He is our MVP.
Johnny shows his unique skills in countless ways. Watch him shoot a Broncos game, and you will see his athleticism on display and his knowledge of the game. Like a coach, he can sense where the game is going and where the action will be within seconds. Johnny's passion for his work is only surpassed by his pursuit of perfection. Just like the athlete who shows up hours before the rest of the team or stays late watching film, Johnny puts in many, many extra hours to shoot, edit, or gather one more element for a story or a special project.
Covering a team like the Broncos is intensively competitive in this media market with an on-site crowd of more than 50 local reporters and frequent national visitors. John's unmatched work ethic and positive demeanor in this very demanding environment have earned the praise of his co-workers, competitors, and many members of the Broncos team.
In addition to working with the Broncos, John has easily covered at least 250 University of Colorado sporting events, mainly football and basketball. If you add up the total for Colorado's professional and collegiate teams, he has covered over 3,000 games.
John is known for his talent and dedication, someone who truly cares about his work, whether it's standing on the sidelines in cold weather, negotiating space on a crowded basketball floor, or arriving an hour ahead of a photoshoot to set the background so the mood for the piece will be just right. He has always been accommodating and easy to work with, and one you hope is assigned to your story.
John is very talented and able to bring stories to life and make them have the greatest impact. In addition, he is extremely kind and considerate to those he works with on stories. John is relentless and focused on producing excellent television, but whether he's working with people going through difficult medical problems or highly paid professional athletes, he treats everyone with the same kind of professionalism and respect.
He practices his craft with integrity and honesty. When he does a story about a person , he genuinely cares about them, and it shows in his work. He can't and won't do anything less than his best because he doesn't want to let them or the viewer down. If there is a trust issue right now in journalism, it is not because of John Kuhrt. He represents the standard by which we all ought to be measured.