Most prominent among them: Cruisin' Oldies' Hal Moore, a local radio icon, member of the Broadcast Professionals of Colorado Hall of Fame as well as the current holder of Westword's coveted Best DJ award.
We've been unable to reach Moore at this writing, and a pair of interview requests to Bob Call, senior vice president and general manager of Lincoln Financial's Denver outlets (Cruisin' Oldies, KYGO, KS-107.5, 104.3 The Fan and 1600 AM), have not been returned thus far. However, Moore is no longer listed in the "on air" section of the Cruisin' Oldies website.Not that every reference to Moore has been stripped from the site. His page continues to linger, with references to his Best of Denver award and induction into the Hall of Fame, which features an excellent roundup of his singular broadcasting career:
Legendary Denver broadcaster Hal Moore has achieved what few ever will: a lifelong career in radio.Moore's 40 plus years in radio include evening-show host and music director at KIMN in Denver, drive-time show host and music director at Cleveland's WKYC and an unheard of 28 years on Denver's KHOW, much of that time as co-host of the "Hal and Charley" morning show with Charley Martin.
In addition to his unique on-air work and roles as music and program director, Moore has also held the positions of operations and station manager. He has received the Gavin Music Director of the Year and Billboard's AC Personality of the Year awards and been nominated for the Radio Hall of Fame.
Moore says, "Now I'm doing mornings playing 1950s and 1960s songs on the old KIMN 950 frequency; it seems so crazy to be back on the station that brought me to Denver in 1964, KRWZ (Cruisin' 950) and the reaction has really been unbelievable...so many listeners missed hearing these songs...lots of fun for me. I'm continuing voicetracking the morning show on the True Country format for Dial-Global, formerly Jones Radio Oldies format."
Stations where Moore has worked include: KSO, Des Moines, IA, 1959; KIOA, Des Moines, 1961; KIMN, Denver, 1964; WHK, Cleveland, OH, 1967; WKYC, Cleveland, 1968; and Denver stations KHOW, 1969; KEZW, 1996; KCKK, 1998; KXKL, 2001; Jones/Dial-Global Net, 2002; and KRWZ, 2008.
According to our sources, the others laid off at Lincoln Financial stations worked behind the scenes. We hear one was a promotion director and another an engineer.
Such downsizing is yet another sign of the times for terrestrial broadcasting, which continues to face massive challenges in this age of digital entertainment. And no veteran is safe. Just last month, KOA bid farewell to Rick Barber's show. Barber began manning the overnight shift at the Blowtorch thirty years earlier.
If we're able to reach Moore or Call, we'll update this post.
Update, 10:26 a.m. February 2: Just heard back from Lincoln Financial's Bob Call. He notes that it's company policy not to comment on any personnel changes. However, he does confirm that Hal Moore is no longer affiliated with Cruisin' Oldies. Veteran broadcaster Randy J has taken over the station's morning shift.
About Moore, Call says, "He's an icon, having been known for great radio over the years. He's an iconic personality in the marketplace and a good guy."
One who's presumably looking for work. Look below to watch a video of Moore, which accompanies his Hall of Fame blurb.
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