Telluride’s KOTO radio: Name That Tune, 2/5

Telluride’s KOTO  is one of only about a half dozen radio stations in the country that is of, for and by the people: the station accepts no commercial advertising or underwriting. Twenty percent of KOTO’s revenues comes from grants and the rest, a whopping 80 percent, from community-based initiatives and donations.

On January 22, KOTO launched its winter fundraising campaign, “Just For the Fun of It,” with Guest D.J. Day. On Friday, January 29, it was a sold-out Lip Sync at the historic Sheridan Opera House. Emcees Suzanne Cheavens and Ashley Boling were Bert and Ernie, two roommate puppets from Sesame Street. Up next: Name That Tune.

Name That Tune is scheduled for February 5, X Cafe (base of Chair 8, Gondola), 7 p.m. Teams of four pay $125 to enter, but don’t let the money stop you in your tracks: Jumpin’ Jan, KOTO’s tireless special events coordinator, will help find a sponsor.

Name That Tune, a throwback from the halcyon days of the 1950s, was a television game show phenomenon, which pitted contestants against one another testing their knowledge of song titles. (Name That Tune was also one of the few  game shows to end that decade without the tarnish of big-money quizzes such as “The $64,000 Question.”) Although it was dropped from the line-up by its network over 50 years ago, Name That Tune became a hit in syndication – and in Telluride, where it draws diehardt music buffs such as Baerbel Hacke, director, The Telluride Gallery of Fine Art, and Boling.

Click the “play” button and listen to Baerbel  and Ashley explain why Name That Tune is a no-miss evening of local entertainment.