PBS12
The Teletunes staff from 1990 included from left to right: Rich Italiano, Justin McClean, Karen Trautmann Terry, Michael Simpson, Jason Coppage, and Suzette Pallares Dobbs. The show was cancelled in 1999.
In February of 1981, six months before MTV hit the airwaves, FM-TV launched in Colorado on public television’s KBDI Channel 12. A year later, the music video showcase became “Teletunes” and for almost two decades, it helped shape the way many saw and heard music. Among fans, its impact can still be felt today.
Growing up without cable, Teletunes was how Benji McPhail kept up with new music.
“They played all the Michael Jackson and Talking Heads videos, but they were cooler than that,” said McPhail, program director for KUNC’s sister station, The Colorado Sound. “They actually played a lot more when it came to a diverse playlist. So it was a good way to get introduced to new music — the cool, kind of weird stuff. I mean, they were playing The Residents. They were playing Ebn Ozn. And you would never see that on MTV.”