Couple discovered life as business owners with their new electronic bulletin board service

by Stanley Holmes
Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer

DENVER, CO. - Owning a modem has changed the lives of Keith and Kit Cason. The Denver residents no longer have to worry about being robbed at gunpoint in their taxicabs, which happened to Keith Cason two years ago in the parking lot of Mile High Stadium.
"That was the turning point in my life that said it was time to quit being a blue-collar worker and start looking for a new opportuni ty," said Cason, 40.

 "I'm an entrepreneur. I was working the cab because I didn't have a good idea." The idea the Casons discovered is one that individuals, couples and companies across the country are discovering: operating their own bulletin board service , or BBS.

The couple now operates PIC-9999, an electronic bulletin board service for the Denver­ metro area.

 For those with a modem, a local call access es event calendars, a message board and advertisements that range from automotive repair shops to a specialized driver network called TaxiNet.

BBS competition growing

Jack Rickard, editor of Littleton-based Boardwatch Magazine , estimates there are about 500 BBS's in Colorado, up from 100 in 1987, when he started the magazine as a newsletter.

 He estimates 65,000 bulletin board services are scattered across the country catering to some 18 million people.

 About a thousand people nationwide make their living from running bulletin boards, Rickard said.

 "It's ideal for couples," he said. "It takes relatively little capital to get off the ground It's shaping up to be the home business of the "'90s."

 Even so, the large number of bulletin boards, means enormous competition. It would be difficult to put together a BBS that could draw a lot of people, he said.

 Despite that, the top national bulletin board operators rake in between $4 million to $5 million in revenues annually, he said.

 Bulletin boards mostly are dedicated to hobbies, interests and just about every topic imaginable. In Colorado, dialers can call up boards that cover local politics, genealogy, gay issues, taxes and career information, to mention just a few.

Colorado at forefront

 Nationally, folks can get the latest information on the Grateful Dead, paganism, gardening, home improvement, survival-ism, conservative politics and adult entertainment or set up a corporate conferencing meeting.

 The majority of BBS's,however, offer thousands of shareware programs, low-cost computer software that people can download and try before purchasing, Rickard said.

 Bulletin board services have been around since the late 1970s. They are different than the Inter­net or the commercial on-line ser­vices because they generally are not connected to a vast computer network.

 But more and more BBS's are creating local links with other BBS operators.

 And some are even offering access to the Internet.

 According to Rickard, Colorado has been at the forefront of this segment of the electronic revolu­tion since the 1980s.

 "The Denver area was very active for bulletin boards because of its high-tech, highly educated population," he said. "Many peo­ple had computers and were tech­nically literate."

 And now the bulletin boards are influencing everything from the political process to economic opportunities.

 ''I think it's going to change the way we do a lot of things," said Rickard.

 Roger's Bar, a local political BBS near Colorado Springs , has breathed new life into local politics-much to the aggravation of elected leaders.

 The feisty political discussion group has been around since 1980 and was created by BBS entrepreneur, Korean War hero and 21st century gadfly, Dave Hughes.

 Colorado Springs now has 140 bulletin boards, of which 100 are linked.

 That spells danger for the slick politico who wants to slip something by a somnolent electorate.

Services influencing politics

 Just last year, Hughes and his band of techno-activists caught a Colorado Springs city attorney trying to pass a telephone harassment ordinance without any public debate, he said.

 The intent of the ordinance was to hold the owner of a telephone criminally responsible for harassing calls made on that line.

 The proposed law also affected bulletin board operators, he said.

 "One board operator put the full text on the (linked) system, where it immediately spread," Hughes said. "Over the next two months, we vigorously debated that ordinance and rewrote the ordinance on line.

 "The electronic democracy spread across the town, and now the ordinance is acceptable to all."

Hughes contends that the effectiveness of the electronic political discussion groups in Colorado Springs forced the city to create its own BBS, called CityLink.

 The free bulletin board provides detailed information about new laws, events and the ongoing affairs of local government. Residents can debate the issues and message elected officials.

 "The bulletin board gives the public access and a voice," Hughes said. "Americans want to be heard and not talked to by the media or anybody else.

 "And when they get heard, even if the vote doesn't go their way, they will abide by the result."

Revenues ahead of projections

 But for others, a BBS can be a new economic opportunity. The Casons , enthusiastic about their career change and the potential payoff, borrowed, saved and invested $30,000 in computer hardware, telephone lines and power processors to create their home business.

 Kit managed a restaurant while Keith worked 16-hour days for two years to understand computers and electronic communications.

 Since PIC 9999 started 11 months ago, the Casons have logged 2,100 callers. The couple makes money selling on-line ads.

 While money is not rolling in, revenues are ahead of original projections and they are debt free, they said.

 "Our objective was to design a computer that would sit in part of the room, help cover our living costs and make a profit," Cason said. "And we found that the interest is there."

 With little advertising, the Casons now are getting calls 24- hours a day.

 They no longer moonlight as cabbies or bartenders to make ends meet.

"This is it," said Cason. "We live and breathe this now."

 In the background, the clicking of the modem could be heard. Another caller was dialing on.

 Said Cason, shrugging off the noise: "In the middle of the night you hear the squeal of the modem, which to us is like the sound of a cash register."