Founding Members

The folks who made this site possible.

Bill Szymczyk

Bill Szymczyk has an entire alphabet of records he has produced for bands as diverse as the Eagles, the James Gang, J. Geils Band, B.B. King, and dozens of others in his spectacularly successful career. Lesser known but just as brilliant was his brief venture into Freeform Radio, when he worked as a deejay at KFML AM&FM in Denver. His generous support of FREEFORM Radio Archive is greatly appreciated.

Hamilton Agnew

Ham Agnew guided WMAS-FM in Springfield, Mass to its brief time in the sun as freeform radio and eased it through its transition to WHVY-FM before it eventually went MOR. He was the engineering guru that kept KFML AM&FM in Denver up and running through its glory days and managed the improv group High Street when they went to Los Angeles seeking fame and fortune. His support of FREEFORM Radio Archive is greatly appreciated.

David Shepardson

David Shepardson began his career at the Matrix in San Francisco and became the marketing director at KMPX-FM, where he produced a very successful live cast concert by Ike & Tina Turner. Later he was marketing director at KFML AM&FM in Denver, where he produced numerous live cast concerts, including most of those on this site. He has been a consultant to FREEFORM Radio Archive since its inception and his support is greatly appreciated.

Jamie Dell'Apa

"Images are for TV. Radio is for..."

Jamie Dell’Apa grew up listening closely to Freeform Radio at KRNW in his hometown of Boulder and also at Denver’s KFML and KCFR. His syndicated radio show New
Orleans Saturday Night is broadcast on numerous stations in the U.S. and around the world and has earned him from many listeners the reputation as the best deejay
working today. It carries the flame of the best freeform traditions. Jamie is a Founding
Member of this site and his generous support is greatly appreciated.

James Pagliasotti

While I was the rock ’n’ roll columnist at The Denver Post, I had the good fortune to join Steve Thoresen as he kickstarted freeform radio at KRNW_FM in Boulder and later worked part time doing freeform at KFML AM&FM in Denver. I developed this FREEFORM Radio Archive to pay tribute to my colleagues at those stations and all the other brilliant freeform deejays at stations across the country. May their work receive the tribute and honor in broadcasting history it richly deserves.

Deva Davisson

As the daughter of two writers, creatives, and counter-culture mavens, Deva comes by the pen, the idealism, and the unconventional approach honestly. A coach, podcast host, and doctoral student, she spends her off-time coming up with marketing and content ideas to send out into the world. It's been her sincere pleasure to guide the FREEFORM Radio Archive from inception to publication.

James Pagliasotti

Freeform DJ | Journalist | Author | Historian

In early 1969, I was fortunate to join with Steve Thoreson in doing the very first freeform radio shows at KRNW-FM radio in Boulder, Colorado. That effort became a great success with nearly fulltime freeform radio continuing in that little town until 1978.

In 1971, I was invited to do freeform radio shows occasionally on KFML AM&FM radio in Denver, a big step up in the size of the radio audience, the professionalism of the news and production facilities, and the evolution of what was possible in reaching a large audience with respect and care.

Freeform radio was a phenomenon of great consequence. It made possible the classic era of rock music. It facilitated the time when that music became high art.

I was grateful to be a small part of that effort, which taught me a lot and greatly enriched my life. It did that for a lot of people, an entire community that was known proudly as the counterculture.

If you were there, you know what I mean. If not, we encourage you to explore this site. It’s an Archive of a time of staggering creativity and an homage to the people who made it happen. I became a Founding Member of this Archive in respect for them.

Freeform Radio changed the music business, and it changed radio. Much of what followed – progressive rock, album oriented rock, all of those labels for the new version of greatest hits radio – is really just cultural appropriation of something these people created.

You might enjoy a taste of the original. I did, I do, and I hope you’ll join me.