Condolences: Gene Guthrie
• Legendary Salt Lake City broadcast pioneer Albert (Gene) Guthrie of Grantsville, UT, passed away from natural causes on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022 at the age of 83.
Guthrie was born April 1, 1938, in Alamogordo, NM. At the age of 15, while in high school, Guthrie followed his love for broadcasting and regularly rode the train to El Paso, TX, where he obtained on-air work at the legendary KHEY-AM.
Guthrie met and married the love of his life, Glenda in 1957 and they had three beautiful daughters, Robin, Kathy, and Mona. While raising a young family Guthrie worked his way through college by working in radio while also moonlighting as a successful Country singer and songwriter.
After working for several Texas and Arizona radio stations, Gene and Glenda moved to Salt Lake City, where Guthrie went on to own Utah’s legendary Country station KRGO 1550 AM and 107.9 KRGO-FM for nearly three decades. It was during that time that Guthrie broke some new ground in Utah radio, launching the first AM stereo broadcast and structuring the very first LMA in the Wasatch Front with a 1991 agreement he forged to allow KZHT to lease time from 1550 AM.
Guthrie is survived by his wife Glenda, daughters Kathy and Mona, son-in-law Darrell Calton, CEO of Iliad Media Group, seven grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren. The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, people remember Gene by listening and supporting their local radio stations, wherever they may be. [Special thanks to Darrell Calton]
