KRCC Station Mgr. Jeff Bieri Announces Retirement
• Colorado Public Radio’s KRCC/Colorado Springs announced that Station Manager Jeff Bieri, a fixture at KRCC for the past 35 years, will retire, effective Dec. 31.
“As KRCC came into the CPR family of services, Jeff was the key connector and ambassador to elevate our service to Colorado Springs and to share the stories of southern Colorado across the state,” said Stewart Vanderwilt, President & CEO of Colorado Public Radio. “His voice and presence will be missed, and he leaves a lasting legacy at the station.”
Bieri became a volunteer music host at KRCC in 1989, and after briefly testing him on the midnight-to-2am shift, he was offered his first paid role at KRCC, hosting music shows from 2 to 5am. He soon moved to hosting Morning Edition, where he discovered a love of NPR news programming.
At the time, KRCC was a mixed-format station, broadcasting news in the mornings and afternoons, and music in middays and through the night. Bieri was later named Music Director, and after 15 years in that role, he was promoted to Program Director, a position he held until KRCC partnered with CPR in 2020, at which time he became the Station Manager.
In his 35 years with the station, Bieri hosted every music show the station offered, as well as NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered, with one exception: he managed to skirt any obligation to host a Celtic music show the station aired in the ’80s and ’90s, leaving that up to others more in tune with the genre.
“It has been a profound honor to work at KRCC and serve this community, and I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to our listeners and supporters,” said Bieri. “As I step away, I hope they will continue to champion KRCC and recognize the vital role it plays in our lives.”
Bieri’s retirement also means the impending retirement of the KRCC office dog — Bieri’s beloved border collie Marvin (left), who has been a faithful KRCC servant for nearly a decade, providing the office with an endless supply of good vibes.
In honor of Bieri’s decades-long commitment to the station and its fundraising, KRCC has launched the Jeff Bieri Member Challenge Fund. Donations made to this fund will go toward efforts to inspire new members to join in supporting this vital service to southern Colorado.
