KRZA DJ Marty Jones he said several friends and family from as far away as West Virginia have sent him messages after seeing the John Oliver show. Some said they would indeed buy an NPR tote bag with his face on it. “It’s been unusual to say the least,” Jones said.

🎅 Fun fact: Jones told me over the phone this week that he actually does gigs as Santa Claus at local Alamosa events and plays the mandolin in a Celtic band. He hasn’t shaved his beard since the spring of 1980.

Riffing on the Rocky Mountain PBS video of Jones that he highlighted, Oliver said the DJ, who “looks like Santa Claus if he got just the right amount into the Grateful Dead” should “probably be public radio’s new mascot given he has the quintessential public radio voice, beard, and general vibe.”

“As a DJ at this Colorado station explains, these stations can fill a vital community role,” Oliver said as a graphic of KRZA in Alamosa appeared on the screen.

Mixing humor and research, the streaming-show satirist had dedicated 35 minutes of his “Last Week Tonight” program to a brutal takedown of Republican cuts to public media.

And in not-so-great news, the Limon Leader newspaper turns out the lights...

Also in the newsletter, Colorado Matters on Colorado Public Radio goes to J-school(s)

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Also in the newsletter: After ‘considerable deliberation,’ CBS Colorado protects identity of DoBetterDNVR creator