Cancer claims Chris Tunis, sports radio pioneer

SALT LAKE CITY — Chris Tunis, a pioneer in sports talk radio in Utah, died Monday from complications of cancer. He was 54.

Tunis was raised in New Orleans and graduated from San Diego State University, but he was a fixture on Utah radio for nearly 30 years. He most recently had been working for KALL 700 as the play-by-play broadcaster for University of Utah women's basketball games and as a post-game host for other sports.

Nicknamed "Tuner" by friends, Tunis was known as a consummate professional who treated interview subjects and callers with respect. He hosted sports talk radio shows in a non-confrontational manner often lacking these days.

"Chris was the ultimate pro," said longtime Salt Lake Bees broadcaster Steve Klauke. "When I first came to town in 1991 there were really only two figures in sports talk radio — Chris Tunis and Dave Blackwell. Chris was the straightforward, professional kind of guy and Blackwell was more irreverent. Chris befriended me early on when I got to town and was as good of a person as he was a broadcaster. He did everything the right way."

Tunis was a long-time host of sports news, call-in and interview shows on KSL Radio dating back to 1982 — before there were any local stations completely devoted to sports talk. While at KSL, he also worked as a sideline reporter for BYU football games and as host for legendary Cougar coach LaVell Edwards' mid-week radio show.

Tunis mentored numerous interns during his time at KSL, several of whom have gone on to make a living in the business — including current voice of the Cougars Greg Wrubell, KSL-TV's Rod Zundel and ESPN reporter Holly Rowe.

"Chris was the embodiment of substance over style," said Wrubell. "He was simply the best in the business; a professional broadcaster, a courteous inquisitor, a pioneering programmer and above all, a gentleman. I will always be grateful that I learned from Chris 'how to be a sportscaster.' I am proud to say that he gave me my start in this city, and I owe much of my career to that fact."

Tunis left KSL in 1994 to a host a show on a new all-sports station at 570 AM that served as the flagship station for Utah Jazz games at that time.

Later, Tunis spent several years on the Utah State University football and basketball broadcasts before finishing his career associated with University of Utah sports while also working for the Enterprise, a Salt Lake City business newspaper.

He was voted Utah Broadcaster of the Year seven times during his long career.

"Chris Tunis was one of the good guys, one of the truly good guys, and was very talented at what he did," said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. "We'll miss him."

Tunis is survived by his wife Julie and daughter Jacqueline. Funeral services are pending.

e-mail: lojo@desnews.com