Denver Radio: Steve Kelly EXITS KNUS

Steve Kelley, a Denver broadcasting legend who's spent decades in the local market at radio stations such as KIMN and KOA, not to mention a high-profile gig at Fox31 has left the afternoon-drive show on KNUS he co-hosted with Krista Kafer.

According to a station executive, he made the move for personal reasons, raising questions about whether he's stepping away from the microphone once and for all.

Brian Taylor, GM at the station, as well as regional vice president for Salem Media, which owns the outlet, stressed that "this was Steve's decision. Steve wants to spend more time with his family."

According to Westword, Kelley, whose given name is Tim Kuzava, didn't initially aim for a career in the media. As he told the audience at a benefit luncheon back in 2006, he made his broadcasting debut in high school; he was ordered to read morning announcements over the intercom as punishment for talking in class. But he soon caught the radio bug and managed to parlay a gig as a janitor at WTRX in his home town of Flint, Michigan, into an on-air position when an announcer on the night shift didn't show up as scheduled. Kelley volunteered to step in and said he was given two air names from which to choose: J.J. Jefferies or Steve Kelley.



After opting for the latter moniker, he began to climb the radio ladder. By the mid-’70s, he was a mid-day jock at WLCY in Florida, after which he headed to Colorado. He made his first major splash as a disc jockey at KIMN during a period when it was among Denver's most popular stations, before eventually taking over the morning show at KOA, where he became renowned for stunts staged for charity.