Brain & Courtlin Are Taking Over the Airwaves in Northeast Iowa!

Hey, Cedar Valley!

A few weeks ago, we got word that our dear friend Kerri Mac took another job within our company out in Fort Collins, Colorado. We were so sad to see her go, but we knew it was an amazing opportunity, so we are (mostly) happy for her! Unfortunately, her absence leaves our sister station K92.3 without a morning show host.

Kerri Mac

That's where we come in.

Simply Sage Photography

Hi! We're Brain and Courtlin! We've been working together here on 98.1 KHAK in Cedar Rapids for almost 11 years now, and now we're taking over the K92.3 airwaves in Northeast Iowa beginning on Monday, June 30th. Since many of you have never heard our names before, we thought it would be helpful to tell you a little bit about ourselves and our show. I'll start!

Simply Sage Photography

My name is Courtlin, I am newly 34, and I moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa from Michigan back in 2014. I usually tell people I'm from the Detroit area, but if you want to get into specifics, my hometown is St. Clair Shores. My entire family still resides in Michigan, so for holidays and other special events, I have to drive 8+ hours one way, and then 8+ hours back to Iowa. It's not exactly fun, but you kind of get used to it after a decade!

I am single and don't have any kids, but I do treat my dog Tater Tot like he's my child. He's a Pug-Jack Russell Terrier mix that I adopted from Last Hope Animal Rescue back at the start of the pandemic in 2020. He's got a snaggletoof, is obsessed with socks, and barks at literally every single animal on TV. I talk about him a ton, so you'll get to know him pretty quickly.

Courtlin

When I'm not here at work, you will likely find me at the gym. I've been training at Hard Drive Performance Center since late 2017, and I'm there typically 4 to 6 times a week. I am a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and the newly-appointed head coach of our women's BJJ program. I am also a purple belt in kickboxing, so you'll occasionally find me in one of those classes, too! The gym is my second home.

Courtlin

Other than that, my life is pretty boring! I love to sing and do karaoke, I play acoustic guitar (for FUN and in the privacy of my own home - I'm definitely not GOOD), I enjoy traveling, and I have a really solid group of girlfriends that love to go out to events and try new things. Oh, and I LOVE to go out to eat. I even have an Instagram dedicated to local restaurants - CourtlinEatsIowa. I'm really excited to explore more of the restaurants in the Cedar Valley, and it helps that two of my best friends moved to Cedar Falls a year ago, so I get up there more often than I used to.

Now, on to BRAIN!

Simply Sage Photography

Hello, K92.3 listeners! My name is Ryan Brainard, but for the past 30 years, I've gone by the on-air name 'Brain'. For the past 25 years, I've called the 98.1 KHAK morning show home. Courtlin and I have worked together for 10 years now, and we look forward to bringing our brand of fun to the Cedar Valley!

I am an Eastern Iowa native. I grew up on a farm north of Anamosa in Jones County. We raised beef cattle and grew corn and soybeans. I loved growing up in rural Iowa and still enjoy visiting my parents at our family farm. I started working in radio when I was a senior in high school. AM 1290 KLEH used to broadcast out of Anamosa, and I got a job there after the station manager heard my at a district speech contest. I then went to Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids and earned a degree in Communications and Public Relations.

During my time at Kirkwood, I interned at KHAK Radio. I then worked part-time on the air, and eventually moved to full-time nights from 6 to midnight. Then, in 1999, I moved to mornings to work with the Bear. I also worked with Scott Steele for seven years before teaming up with Courtlin. Radio is the only job I know, and I still have fun coming to work!

Brain

The same year I started on mornings at KHAK, I married my wife, Holly. We reside in Marion and have three kids. Chase, 20, Carly, 16, and Cayleigh, 15. We have a fat cat named Cora and two dogs, Rigby and Barry. I'm a huge sports fan and love the Hawkeyes, Green Bay Packers, St. Louis Cardinals, and the Indiana Fever. I enjoy playing golf and hanging out with friends, and listening to all kinds of music.

Courtlin

I look forward to hearing from those of you who may be hearing us for the first time. Our goal each morning is to have fun, play some great country music, give away some great prizes, and talk to our fantastic listeners! Reach out to us on the station app and say HI!

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For our wonderful KHAK listeners, nothing about our morning show will change. All the ticket giveaways, games, and bits that you already love (or at least tolerate) will continue as usual, so you shouldn't notice any difference in the way our show sounds. The only thing that might impact you is, if you travel or work up in NE Iowa, when you start to lose the KHAK signal, you can just switch over to K92.3!

We are so excited to have this opportunity, and we can't wait to meet all of our new listeners! We will see you guys starting next Monday, June 30th beginning at 5 a.m.