Rich Hawk, legendary PD of KILO-FM 94.3 (originally on 93.9) in Colorado Springs has died. This follows his lapse into a coma, back on February 19. His career with the station spanned 30 years, beginning in 1976 when it was known as KPIK. Rich retired in 2006. During his tenure, KILO became known as one of the premiere Active Rock stations in the U.S. He served as Program Director of KILO for 27 years.
I never had the pleasure to meet Rich. However, I very much admired his work and listened to his radio station whenever I was within range. My first radio job was in Burlington, Colorado, back in 1983. Although this was outside KILO’s coverage range, the station was available via the local cable TV system. I always thought KILO’s “sound” was superior to all three of Denver’s AOR outlets: KAZY, KBCO, and KBPI.
KILO was and is a very special radio station, as evidenced by it’s long heritage and track record of success in the Colorado Springs/Pueblo market. Much of this is directly attributable to Rich and his programming skills.
Richard D. Hawk was 59 years old.