Curt Brown

 (1934 – 2015)

Curt Brown started his first job in Radio in February 1955 as a sales rep for then KBIA, Columbia’s second radio station in history, while attending the University of Missouri in his home town of Columbia.

He worked briefly on the air at KRMS, Osage Beach in 1956, just before being drafted into the US Army. While in the Army, he worked weekends on 2 radio stations; Saturday afternoons on WDXN in Clarksville, TN and Sunday afternoons on WKOA in Hopkinsville KY. In 1957, Curt worked in the Public Information office at Ft. Campbell doing military news on several stations in the Tennessee/Kentucky area.

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).

Curt 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).

He was also quite busy his local community serving on these boards as well: Springfield Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau, St. John’s Hospital, Ozark Empire Fair, and Campfire Girls.

Curt was named “Boss of the Year” by a local women’s organization because he hired the first female broadcast sales representative, the first female news on-air reporter and the first female DJ in Springfield history. All this took place in 1969 and 1970.

Under Curt’s leadership, KTTS was on top of the Arbitron ratings in Springfield from ‘72 to ‘99, never dropping below a 20 share.

He always handled all of the station’s promotional efforts including such things as the annual Listener Appreciation Show, the Annual Easter Egg Hunt, participation in the annual Christmas Parade, many free County Club movie nights at various drive in theaters and much more.

Several former employees have gone on to great careers: the head of the Miami Florida Chamber of Commerce, the head of a black internet network in New York, General Manager of stations in Pittsburg, Kansas, owners of insurance agencies and Ad agency executives.

Brown retired in 1999, and he worked part time jobs in radio at KRZK-KOMC in Branson, KWTO in Springfield and KADI in Springfield.

He won the “Best Editorial Award” from the MBA ten different years, having done over 1500 on air editorials over a 20 year period. Curt passed away on August 19th, 2015.