Kama Celebrates Her 20th Year in Northern Colorado Radio

How could she be that old? That's the question I hope you're asking. Ha! Turns out that 20 years of doing something I have always loved, doesn't make me feel old. I instead, feel incredibly blessed.

I love the radio. As a little girl, there was excitement in turning the knob past the static to see what the next voice or the next song would be. Like a friend in the darkness. My roots run deep in local radio. Growing up it was my dad I listened to on the radio. He brought NPR and rock music to the 4 Corners area of Southwest Colorado, managing public radio station KSUT in the 80s. Many days began and ended with my brother and I sitting next to the radio hearing our dad introduce the newest release from Michael Jackson or Dire Straits.

For the last 20 years, I myself have had the pleasure of bringing music and entertainment to radio listeners in Northern Colorado. 20 years ago this month I made the leap from a real estate career to a radio career.

The parent companies have changed, the formats have changed, the logos have changed, and my hair has changed(a lot of times), but I have remained excited to be the one behind the microphone of local radio.

I owe much of my success to my coworkers along the way. We grew up together and gave a lot of time and energy to the events, contests, and music. Thanks go to Paul Wozniak, Beano, Jessie B., Derek Brown, Cain, Shawn Patrick, Dave Jensen and several amazing part-timers and interns.

Would you believe when I first started there were only 5 breweries in Fort Collins? In the early days, we use to put on local concerts and Odell Brewing would sell .99 cent pints of Easy Street and 90 Schilling. What?!? The good ol' days for sure.

Certain memorable moments stand out more than others.

• Living in a human-sized dog house on the Old Town Square stage to raise money for Larimer Humane Society. We slept there for 4 nights.
• Being chased by a monster truck in our tiny radio van around the arena at the then brand new Budweiser Events Center.
• Every year the Taste of Fort Collins leaves me remembering why I love what I do.
• The chance to emcee the 2016 Colorado Broadcasters Associations Awards of Excellence was such an honor. Nothing quite like standing in front of all those television and radio broadcasters from all over the state.

Interviews are a part of the job. I've talked to a lot of neat people and a few not so neat.

• My first radio interview was adult film star Ron Jeremy, the music format on that station was much different. I had to start somewhere I guess. I was so uncomfortable.
• My least favorite interview was with Adam Levine of Maroon 5. He wasn't listening and definitely believed he had better things to do. Wish I wouldn't have spent so much time preparing my questions.
• My favorite interview was with singer/songwriter Sara Bareilles. A bird pooped on her head during our interview and we couldn't stop laughing or manage to stay on topic. It was an awesome "celebrities are real people" moment.

In Northern Colorado people take action and people work hard for great causes. My mission with my local platform has always been to help local non-profits when they need it. Sometimes that means hosting a gala or sometimes that means high-fiving kids after a fun run.

Here are a few photos to prove it all happened.

Radio is the only thing I ever knew I wanted to be a part of and it's been awesome. Thank you for listening to song after song and hair color after hair color. It brings me joy when I remember the purpose of my job is to serve music and a little entertainment to make your day better.

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