KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City radio host killed in last week’s Super Bowl rally shooting was remembered Tuesday night on her show.
“Taste of Tejano” airs every Tuesday night on KKFI 90.1. The two-hour show went on as scheduled Tuesday in tribute to cohost Lisa Lopez-Galvan.
Tommy Andrade was with Lopez-Galvan on the final night of her life, in the KKFI 90.1 radio booth as she spoke about her excitement to go the Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade and rally the next day with her family.
Andrade found out not long after, on Wednesday, she was the woman killed when two dozen others were shot at the conclusion of that celebration. After speaking with her family, Andrade made the decision to go ahead with their regularly scheduled “Taste of Tejano” show Tuesday night.
“Today it will probably hit me at some point the realization that she’s not going to be here with me tonight,” Andrade, her cohost of three years, said shortly before sitting down in the studio and clicking the on-air button.
But Andrade wasn’t alone. He was joined by Lopez-Galvan’s family, friends and Latinx community members in studio.
People called in from around the country as they remembered Lopez-Galvan’s community contributions and her love of Tejano music. Even some well-known Tejano recording artists like Jay Perez called in. So did her brother, Lee’s Summit Mayor-Pre Tem Beto Lopez.
“In two hours, you couldn’t scratch the surface of people that loved her,” Andrade said.
“She’s an important person in our community. We love her. We’re going to miss her,” said Kelly Dougherty, KKFI director of communications.
KKFI said Tuesday’s online audience more than quadrupled any show in the station’s history. The number of listeners on local radios wasn’t immediately available.
“Even though I knew her, I didn’t realize how many lives she touched, how many lives she made happy by her being here,” Andrade said.
Andrade and KKFI representatives both said Tuesday that Taste of Tejano will continue as it has on the station for 28 years in tribute to Lopez-Galvan.
