David Fender

David Fender is an audio producer at Colorado Public Radio.

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in radio, TV and film, University of North Texas (UNT); graduate work at UNT and University of Florida.

Professional background:

David has been involved in public radio since 1987, first signing on the air as a morning DJ for KNTU in Denton, Texas. He went on to fill many different roles at that station, from positions in production, news, and engineering to working as the assistant program director. He later served as the Morning Edition host for WUFT in Gainesville, Florida.Along the way, David has worked a number of other outside jobs to support his love of working for public radio stations, including managing parking facilities, driving school buses, freelance book editing, and directing liturgical readings for a Catholic parish.

In his own words …Why I got into radio:

Growing up, I loved radio’s ability to bring voices and music from all over the world into my bedroom in small-town Iowa. On cold, winter days we would listen to KMA in the mornings hoping for that rare occasion when our school would be on the list of closings, and in the springtime we’d tune in to find out whether the thunderstorms and tornadoes would blow through or pass us by.The mixture of the local and the world fascinated me. I remember getting a Mr. Microphone for Christmas one year and spending hours pretending to be a DJ over my transistor radio.I discovered public radio in high school by accidentally stumbling across one of the early episodes of “A Prairie Home Companion” one Saturday night. That lead me to “All Things Considered,” which led me to some of the specials NPR used to produce, like their versions of War of the Worlds and Star Wars. I was hooked.Later, I started college as a music major, but when it became clear that path wasn’t going to work for me, I didn’t want to give up my love of sound and music – so radio was the natural choice for me.

How I ended up at CPR:

My wife’s career brought us to the Denver area. When one of our vehicles died and we had to get rid of it, we decided to donate it to CPR. While I was on the website to find out more information about how to do that, I stumbled across the job openings, found this position, and jumped at the chance to apply and get back into public radio.

  • Harvey's recent performance on the NBC reality competition show "American's Got Talent" earned her a spot in the live semifinals.
  • Sundays at 2pm and Mondays at 9pm Effective May 12th, our rotating selection of Showcase documentaries has been replaced with weekly airing of NPR’s TED Radio Hour. You can find more information about the program on their website.
    CPR News logo stacked 3x2CPR News logo stacked 3x2
  • [Logo courtesy of The Academy of American Poets] This program originally aired April 24, 2011 The Academy of American Poets designated  the first National Poetry Month in April 1996.
  • The 27th Annual South by Southwest Music and Media Conference wrapped up yesterday. Colorado Public Radio’s David Fender spent last week in Austin keeping track of the Colorado bands in attendance and brings back this audio postcard.
  • This time each spring, a large percentage of the Colorado indie music community travels south to Austin, Texas for the annual South by Southwest Music and Media Conference.
  • The recent mass shootings in Tucson, Newtown, and Aurora have rekindled the national debate over the causes of gun violence and how to best prevent these kinds of attacks from happening again. This week, a package of four gun-control bills passed the state House and focused national attention on Colorado.
    CPR News logo stacked 3x2CPR News logo stacked 3x2
  • The Fort Collins band, Fierce Bad Rabbit has a new album out called “The Maestro and the Elephant.” We sample a track from the CD and hear the story behind the album’s title.
  • [Photos: David & Cynthia Fender/CPR] The town of Breckenridge kicked off the holiday season last Saturday with its 2nd annual “Race of the Santas.”
    CPR News logo stacked 3x2CPR News logo stacked 3x2
  • Originally aired May 17, 2012 It can be hard to pin down the music of Denver trio, Chimney Choir. David Rynhart, Kevin Larkin, and Kris Drickey are rooted in Americana and folk music. But they add touches of electronic samples and unusual percussion instruments, like trash can lids, wine bottles, and a bicycle tire.
    CPR News logo stacked 3x2CPR News logo stacked 3x2
  • What happened to Fort Collins singer/songwriter Danielle Anderson sounds like a fairy tale. Using the name Danielle Ate The Sandwich, she posted videos of herself to YouTube and people couldn’t get enough.
    CPR News logo stacked 3x2CPR News logo stacked 3x2
  • The Denver group, Faceman, is made up of guitarist David Thomas Bailey, drummer Dean Hirschfield, and a frontman who simply goes by “Steve.” The trio has become known around town for extravagant performances filled with costumes, props, video clips and a supporting cast of dozens from Denver’s music scene.
    CPR News logo stacked 3x2CPR News logo stacked 3x2
  • The Swayback‘s new album was almost 3 years in the making. They recorded in several different studios in Colorado and California–where they got some help from British producer Andy Johns. His credits include albums by Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones.
    CPR News logo stacked 3x2CPR News logo stacked 3x2
  • The new movie “The Forgiveness of Blood” is a first feature filmed in Albania by an American. Colorado Public Radio film critic Howie Movshovitz says it’s good to see a young filmmaker concerned with actual life instead of superheroes or rich kids goofing off.
    CPR News logo stacked 3x2CPR News logo stacked 3x2
  • In many ways, Colorado is a paradise of personal freedoms. Adults can ride a motorcycle without a helmet. Women can breastfeed in public. Medical marijuana’s allowed. But baking cupcakes at home and selling them for profit is against the law.
    CPR News logo stacked 3x2CPR News logo stacked 3x2
  • Like a lot of teenagers, CJ Macleod, Ethan Hill and Molly Bartlett talked about forming a band.
    CPR News logo stacked 3x2CPR News logo stacked 3x2
  • Since he released his debut solo album, “The Fall I Fell,” four years ago, Denver cellist, pianist, and singer Ian Cooke has received national acclaim for his music and shared the stage with artists such as Devotchka, The Flaming Lips and The Dresden Dolls.
    CPR News logo stacked 3x2CPR News logo stacked 3x2