A New Studio Means Saying Goodbye

We said goodbye to the old KHAK studio yesterday. Our first show in the brand new studio is today. New microphones, new computers, and a brand new state of the art digital control board. It's going to take some getting used too. Because since 1996 I've been staring at the same board.

I was trained as a part-timer back in 1996 on that control board. I tried to remember all the functions and inputs and it's hard to say how many times I messed them up. But eventually, the board and I moved from part-time to full-time nights. A full-time job in radio. Not bad for a kid who had no idea what he wanted to do when he graduated from high school. But my journey was just beginning.

In 1999, I joined my first morning show. And that's where I've sat for the past 19 years. Through different broadcasting systems and computers, there has always been one constant. The board. From playing CDs to mp3s. From commercials on carts to a computer, the board didn't care. It played them all. Sure, from time to time the board would falter. Lights would fail. Pots would go out. But a simple repair and it was back up and running.

This board helped me make important announcements. My marriage. That we were expecting kids. The birth of all three of my children. The events of 9/11. The loss of a morning show partner. Whenever I cracked the mic open to talk, the board was there with me. So this morning as I stare at a brand new board, don't get me wrong, I'm excited! But it has a lot to live up to. Here's to many more amazing moments shared with listeners. They'll all sound better than ever.