Dizzy Don Roberts

Diz is a broadcasting veteran of over 55 years, and he came to work at "The Pride Of Nevada" back in 2006, after he retired from over 35 years in law enforcement. Like many in the broadcast profession, Diz adopted a show biz  name early on, becoming  Dizzy Don Roberts.  

Actually, he had another, earlier, show-biz name.  Here's the story on that one.  While Diz was still in high school, "Cactus Tom" Cafferty at KOH allowed him to visit the studio in order to learn how a "pro" runs a show.

What he learned from Tom, Diz took home with him and practiced.  There, as he worked to perfect his on-air personna, he became "Doctor Rhythm," disc jockey extra-ordinaire.  He says it drove his family nuts--probably because of his emulating Cactus Tom's habit of breaking records he didn't like.

Like many of us, Roberts' interest in radio began while in high school.  And, looking back over some fifty-five years of broadcasting, he says the places he worked sounded like a "Who's Who" of northern Nevada broadcast stations.  They include: KNEV, K-DOT, KOLO, K-BET, and KSRN--all in Reno.  Plus KTHO at Lake Tahoe, and KVLV and KHWG in Fallon.

He says the station owners he's worked for during those years sound like a "Who's Who" of northern Nevada broadcast people.  They range from Jerry Cobb, Allen Dunn, Bob Stoddard, to Les & Betty Pearce, Mike McGinness, Bob Carroll, Dee Gregory, and Vern and Keily Miller. 

In 1955, while still in high school, Diz was fortunate to have Jerry Cobb, owner of  KNEV-FM become his mentor.  Jerry didn't merely tolerate "the kid," he taught him what it meant to be a serious contender in the broadcast profession.

Diz says that, during the Reno spring flood of 1957, he was the only station employee who lived on the south side of the Truckee River.  Jerry, and the rest of the crew, lived on the north side and couldn't get to the station.

Young Diz' initiation into the world of emergency broadcasting found him working a steady 26 hours on the air, broadcasting what flood news he could gather, and re-broadcasting KBET's signal and their local news updates.  Cobb kept Roberts on staff until his graduation from high school in 1957.  At that time, the seasoned young broadcaster entered military service with the U.S. Army Reserve. 

While at K-DOT in the late 1950s, he met broadcast veteran, Bob Carroll, who, Diz admits, became his model for how to run a music and news operation.

He says one of his biggest thrills at K-DOT was doing an impromptu interview with the 1936 Olympic star, Jessie Owens.

At KOLO, Diz hosted a teen Top 40 night show and worked days in a record shop.

He got into DJ & sports broadcasting at K-BET, where Bob Stoddard sponsored his membership in the Sierra-Nevada Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.

While at KTHO, Truckee, California, Diz was privileged to be a part of the crew working the broadcast highlights of the 1960 Winter Olympic Games.

Diz signed on with Fallon's KVLV AM/FM in the summer of 1964, where he continued for 30 weekend years playing Country music and reading the news.

In the middle 1990s, Diz was a part of the line-up at Bob Carroll's "Music of America" Station, KSRN-FM in Reno. Diz was inducted into the Nevada Broadcasters Hall of Fame, and he now shares those honors with K-HOG's General Manager, Dee Gregory, and station owners, Vern and Keily Miller of Pahrump, Nevada.

Roberts worked for some time in banking, then, longing for a more exciting line of work, he became a Deputy Sheriff and later a City of Sparks Marshal.  Diz, and his wife of over 45 years, Penny, now live in nearby Sparks, Nevada, doing their best to spend time together and enjoy their Golden Years.

Latigo Travis

Latigo Travis was born right here in Fallon, Nevada and spent most of his life here. He attended grades 1-12 here in Churchill County. He then attended college the Master's College in Santa Clarita, Ca. Latigo worked in Valdez, Alaska for Copper Valley Telephone during the oil pipeline construction and later worked for Churchill County Telephone as Lineman, Residential Phone Installation and Repair, PBX Install and Repair, later as Foreperson in PBX and retiring as a Supervisor.

Latigo served on Fallon's ISO 1 fire department for 27 years. Serving in positions of Captain and then through the ranks of Assistant Chiefs and retired as Fire Chief.

Latigo's first exposure to radio was spent in Fallon at KVLV with close friend Matt Lister who hosted a high school radio show and would let Latigo read news and make occasional comments. Latigo did some local commercials for a local hardware store there as well.  In college, he was one of 3 DJs in a "few milowatts", unlicensed station that only reached the campus. Dee Gregory learned of Latigo's interest and asked him to become part of KHOG's family for which he is grateful.

Latigo has a beautiful wife, three beautiful daughters, and a son in law who is loved like a son. Latigo is blessed with a beautiful granddaughter as well who has the whole family, especially Latigo, wrapped around her little finger!

Latigo's loves of his life are his Lord and Savior, wife, and family. 

Latigo Trails, with airs each Monday 11am - 1pm, has brought much enjoyment to Latigo's life as well as his working with Dee and all of his fellow DJs as well as  the other staff at KHOG. The listeners, of whom he talks with regularly, have given him a sense of new friendships and have shown loyalty as that of true friends.