1989 Was A Very Good Year

It really doesn't seem like it's been nearly two decades since I first opened a microphone and said, "Good Morning!" to the good folks of South Carolina, but here it is another anniversary.

On April 24, 1989, The Banana Jack Murphy Show premiered on WKZQ 101.7 FM. The radio station was owned by Grand Strand Broadcasting back in those days. Tom Rogers was the president of the company and Bill Hennecy was the General Manager.

Man, those guys rocked. I remain friends with them even to this day. In 1997, Tom Rogers sold WKZQ to Hirsch Broadcasting he left radio. Bill Hennecy left radio too. Despite the ownership change, I stayed around and did mornings at 101.7 FM the entire time that Hirsch owned the station. Three years later, Hirsch Broadcasting sold WKZQ to Next Media in the summer of 2000. Once more, I survived an ownership change.

I remained on the air at WKZQ until September of 2001. When I left WKZQ to replace Howard Stern on Wave 104.1 (WYAV) on September 17th, I only walked about 30 feet down a hall and entered another studio door.

Ironically enough, the Wave 104 studio was located in the former office of Tom Rogers. You see, when Next Media purchased WKZQ from Hirsch, they also purchased some valuable real estate. Since, WKZQ was just one of 5 stations owned by Next Media in the Myrtle Beach market they had to put them somewhere, so they moved them all to the original WTGR/WKZQ property on Ocala Street. They moved everything to where I already was.

Geez, I spent nearly 18 years on Ocala Street in Myrtle Beach. Twelve and a half years at WKZQ and another five and a half at WYAV. When I signed off for the last time on April 17, 2007, I walked out of the same door in which I was hired by Bill Hennecy and Tom Rogers. Wow! Ain't life funny?

So, I'd have to say 1989 was a very good year. The others haven't been too bad either.

Stay Tuned!