When I read that Jeff Pope was resigning from KSJD, I wasn’t sure whether I should be doing a happy dance for him or shedding tears for what our community will be losing.
I first met Jeff 10 years ago when KSJD was located in a ramshackle house sitting on the edge of what is now the campus for Southwest Colorado Community College. He had a staff of two (including himself) and a handful of dedicated DJs.
When everything was in working order, the signal reached Cortez, Mancos, and sometimes Dolores. Sadly, it didn’t always work.
But Jeff had a vision and a dream for our community. Now, KSJD is housed on Main Street in a historically renovated and beautiful building. There is a staff of 8 and a large group of volunteer DJs. The signal reaches south to Kayenta and north to Bluff, and it actually works!
The Sunflower Theatre was also part of Jeff’s dream. I honestly can’t even imagine downtown Cortez without all the music, movies, plays and other amazing things that the Sunflower has going on nearly every day of the week.
So thank you, Jeff. Thank you for being such an incredible visionary and for following through to create such vital pieces of our community.
Thank you for being my mentor and for helping me to find my radio voice. You are so appreciated and so valued. You will be missed.
Terri Helm
Cortez