R.I.P.: Radio Software Innovator Gregory Dean

Gregory Dean

Gregory Dean, founder of a company that pioneered in the areas of radio traffic and billing and automation, died Sept. 11 in Overland Park, Kan., at age 72, according to RadioWorld citing the Kansas City Star reports.

“Greg Dean was a true pioneer, inventing many of the tools that radio stations have taken for granted for decades,” UncompressedMusic.com CEO and Scott Studios founder Dave Scott wrote in an email to Radio World.

Dean and his wife Vicki founded Computer Concepts Corp. in 1974 in Lenexa, Kan. He discovered a talent for computers after using a Wang 2200 computer to create accounting software for his five Dunkin’ Donuts franchises — stores that he acquired as part of a plan to become a radio station owner.

Dean had attained his FCC first-class amateur radio license and built a radio transmitter at age 16, then turned his interest into a job at Austin, Texas, station KNOW(AM) while he was a student at the University of Texas. He later moved to Wichita, Kan., where he had stints as on-air talent for KLEO(AM) and KEYN(FM).

With his radio background, it’s not surprising that Dean realized his accounting “software could be adapted into a turnkey broadcast-scheduling system,” according to his obituary.

In 2000, Computer Concepts merged with Scott Studios, which had entered the market as a competitor in 1992. Computer Concepts Corp. became a wholly owned subsidiary of Scott Studios; the Deans owned 20% of Scott Studios as part of the deal. Scott was also made CEO of CCC, but Dean remained on as vice president and also held a seat on the board of directors for a brief time.