Brain Celebrates 25 Years At K-HAWK

Now is a truly strange time to be 'celebrating' anything. I feel bad for people who have high school seniors who might miss prom and graduation ceremonies. Children's birthdays are tough to pull off in the age of social distancing too. Yesterday I got word from human resources that my official full-time start date at KHAK was found, and it was in April of 1995. 25 years ago. Needless to say, I've had plenty of time to reflect.

The only thing that I've had as long as this job, other than my brother and parents, is my wife Holly. 25 years ago she was my girlfriend, not yet my fiance. 25 years ago I was a 20-year-old kid starting off at a job that I knew I loved but wasn't sure where it would take me. I remember my first shift on KHAK was from 6 p.m. to midnight. They asked me if I wanted to pick out an on-air name. Somehow 'Ryan Brainard' just wasn't cool enough. I said 'No'. I'll stick with my real name. I'd figure a way to live with all the fame headed my way. Needless to say, it hasn't been a problem.

When I started mornings in 1999, I did choose a new on-air name. Brain, is short for Brainard, my last name. It's been Brain and Bear, Brain and Steele, and now Brain and Courtlin. I seem to keep running off good hosts! The job itself is a lot the same. But things like music and technology have changed just a little bit in the past 25 years.

After 25 years, I can't imagine having another job than this. I'm blessed to have worked with some of the best people in our industry. And I'm blessed to be able to share everything with my family. 25 years at one job is an accomplishment I'm proud of. But not as proud as I am of my family. Thank you to all of our listeners for tuning in for all these years. I'll be here for as long as you'll have me.