This a story that was written by Denny Perkins back in 2012...

It’s seems like only yesterday, but it really was 29 years ago.  I was just a young lad anxious to start a new job in the exciting world of radio.  I had turned 21 the night before and celebrated appropriately, but all the beer in the world couldn’t stop the anxiety of going on the air for the first time in a real paying radio station.

What is now known as KXKX or KIX 105 in 1983 was then known as KLUK…yep, kluk. I’m not sure what Eintsten thought those were good call letters, but we were stuck with them.  The station was brand new, the plaque you see here is the first song we ever played on the air.  “The Door Is Always Open” by Dave and Sugar.  About a month later we had Dave and Sugar in town to do a concert.

My first song I played on the air was “I Like Beer” by Tom T. Hall.  Hey, I just turned 21, what would you play?

I remember going down to Warrensburg to interview for the job.  They hired me on the spot to do overnights and on my way out of the interview, they said, “Stop by Knob Noster and see where the station will be.”  I said, “What’s a Knob Noster?” The people from Knob were great to me, heck they were great to all of us.

I also remeber how much they paid me in 1983  $650 per month. YIKES.  I was happy to get it, almost starved to death, but dang it I was in radio!  I bounced around went to different markets and such, but always wound up back here in Central Missouri. I love it here.

I have two friends on Facebook that started at the same station at the same time as I did. One is in Wisconsin and the other in Nebraska still doing this radio thing.  I hope you guys remember the plaque and KLUK.  I’m not sure of where the other two announcers wound up, I think the one who was a the general manager maybe did a little jail time, and the other is pumping gas somewhere.  He was our programming director.  Oh the stories I could tell, but I won’t here and now.

All and all we had a great time, and we’re still playing the hits after all these years.

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