Arts on KCNC

Arts on KCNC

In 1994 I began working at KCNC, a Denver NBC TV station, as an independent producer under contract. This arrangement allowed the station to circumvent their legal obligations to hire only union production staff. The next year there was a three way station shift in Denver among CBS, NBC and ABC networks and where KCNC became a CBS affiliate station. I continued my contract with KCNC for three more years. Then our program, Mosaic, was cancelled in in 1998 in order to help fund the station’s new NFL programming. Ironically that was just after our program had been awarded best of the nation’s top 30 TV markets by the National Broadcast Association for Community Affairs and judged by the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
Mosaic was a monthly show following the iconic Sunday Morning program on CBS and had a similar magazine style with 3 to 6 stories by segment producers. Each show had a different theme, but our content was pitched competitively to the producer… a go or not. Regardless of theme, I usually found a creative way to pitch the arts or artists as part of those themes.

Mark Sink

Mark Sink, photographer, curator, teacher, and is well known for his imagery made with the toy plastic Diana camera. He has come a long ways since being part of the early photography Internet chat boards. Currently he is gone retro-tech producing and selling wet plate collodion photographs. His work is in numerous museum collections and shows in the US, South America and Europe. Mark was a co-founder and director of Museum Of Contemporary Art/Denver from 1999-2000 and instrumental in establishing Denver’s Month of Photography. He is currently represented by G. Ray Hawkins in CA. Robin Rice in NY, Paul Cava in Philadelphia, Rule Gallery in Denver. As a fine art photographer he has worked with noted artists such as Andy Warhol and Jean Michel Basquiat and Rene Ricard. Recently Mark has worked as a private art consultant in Denver. Interview in 1996 and part of it couldn’t be recovered from deteriorated recording media.

Johnny Johnson, Sightless TV Producer

Johnny Johnson produced and hosted Inner Visions at Denver Community Television until the station closed. Listen to Johnny as he tells his remarkable story of doing what most think is impossible for someone not able to see. 1996

Cowboy Poetry Gathering

Cowboy Poetry Gathering at the Arvada Center in the 1990’s. I’m not a western music lover, but I sure enjoy seeing these story tellers and musicians in person. Love the talent and local culture. 1996 Interview in 1997.

Hal Gould

Hal Gould was the front pioneer in establishing fine art photography galleries in the early 70’s. His gallery, Camera Obscura, was the oldest fine-art photography studio in the world until it closed in 2012. I’ve interviewed Hal several times and this was for a segment on our local CBS affiliate, KCNC in 1995.

Virgina Garcia

Virgina is a fine art, portrait and event photographer specializing in Hispanic subjects, dance and cultural events. Interview in 1995.

In Support of the Arts

Back in the 90’s, Colorado was rated 47th in funding for the arts in the USA. In a effort by the Colorado Arts Consortium to get more funding, I produced a film to bring more awareness to the plight of the arts in our state. Two segments that were aired on KCNC detailing the importance of the arts were re-edited and distributed to all the arts organizations in the state. The result was a cut that eliminated the state’s Council on the Arts and the state ranked 45th in 2010. Produced in 1998 by Kent Gunnufson.

More Early Photo-talk Programs


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  • Copyright 2014 by Kent Gunnufson