KIXY-FM 1984

It always seemed that when I'd send out packages looking for a new gig, the best offer was always from the station that was furthest away. The first time I loaded up and headed across the country was to do overnights at KIXY-FM in San Angelo, Texas. I wasnt quite sure what to expect, especially after they told me the station was in a building that had previously been a funeral home.

I rolled into town with less than $10 in my pocket. The station put me up in a hotel, so at least I had that covered. One of my overnight callers was a manager at a convenience store down the street. She brought me bags of groceries every morning for awhile there. I was too hungry to be proud. To quote my old buddy Don Payne, "The shit we put up with for radio, eh?" The PD was Marvelous Mark Franklin. About a month after I got there, Mark quit and went back to Tennessee and I found myself promoted to afternoons. I wasnt anywhere near ready for prime time, so after awhile I got bumped back to nights. A year later I headed across the country again. I spent the next 20 years doing that...