R.I.P.: Iconic Springfield MO KTTS GM Curt Brown

Curt Brown

Retired Springfield, MO broadcaster Curt Brown died Wednesday from complications of blood cancer.

He was 80-years-of-age, according to KY3-TV.

Brown was general manager of KTTS AM / 94.7 FM radio, from 1969 to 1999.  (KTTS-AM is now  KSGF 1260 AM). He also was a past president of the Missouri Broadcasters Association, which inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2012.

Brown grew up in Columbia, where he graduated from Hickman High School in 1953. He then attended the University of Missouri. He also started working for a radio station during college.

After college, Brown served in the Army, where he also continued his radio career.  He moved to Springfield in 1961 to work for famed powerhouse radio station KWTO.  Eight years later, he became general manager of KTTS when it separated from KOLR-TV (formerly KTTS-TV).  Three years later, KTTS-FM became top-rated in the Springfield market, a position that it maintains.

"He was and is a legend," said Dan O'Day, who worked for Brown at KTTS for more than 20 years.  "He influenced and helped hundreds of people along the way."

Besides writing and reading his own editorials on KTTS, Brown often hosted the station's call-in show, "Cracker Barrel," on Sunday mornings.

According to his  Missouri Broadcasters Association bio. Brown started his first job in Radio in February 1955 as a sales rep for then KBIA, Columbia.

In 1958, he became the Program Director for KWOS in Jefferson City and then went to Springfield, MO in 1961 where he worked as a sales representative for KWTO.

In 1969 he became the General Manager of KTTS AM/FM in Springfield and remained in that position until he retired in 1999 (31 years).

Brown served as President of the Missouri Broadcasters Association in 1978-79, and served on three national boards: The National Broadcasters Association (NY), The Associated Press Broadcasters Association (Washington DC) and the Country Radio Broadcasters (Nashville TN).

Under his leadership, KTTS was on top of the Arbitron ratings in Springfield from ‘72 to ‘99, never dropping below a 20 share. Brown considered KTTS a news station that played Country music.

Since his retirement in 1999 he has worked part time jobs in radio at KRZK-KOMC in Branson, KWTO in Springfield and KADI in Springfield.