25 Years At The Morning Show Helm: A Look Back At The Last Quarter Century

As past “work-a-versaries” have come and gone over the years, I’ve frequently used this blog space to share my gratitude to our listeners and community for keeping me employed so long at the same station, in the same market. My longevity here at KUIC has been nothing short of amazing for me and my family.  As I hit the 25 year mark, rather than blather about my broadcast tenure, I thought it might be fun to look back on what was hip and happenin’ when I started hosting the Morning Show, beginning on November 1st of 1999…

What songs were flying up the charts? Well, we’re still playing some of them: Christina Aguilera’s “Genie In A Bottle” was the second-best selling single of that year. Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca” and TLC’s “Scrubs” were hot as well. 

“The Matrix” was probably the film most associated with 1999, with its quotes and imagery still prevalent today. 

Before the advent of streaming and social media, you only had, what, maybe 60 channels to choose from? So when a cool new show like “Law and Order: SVU” premiered (which it did in 1999), it seemed like everyone was into it (including me and my continuing crush on Mariska Hargitay).

Oh, and The Internet was about 5 years old. In fact, email and digital song files were only a few years old as well, so I was overly excited when I received my first work-based email address: [email protected], which has remained unchanged since 1999. This “old” technology is still the primary way I connect with listeners, clients and community members when I’m off the air, so keep those messages coming! Thank you all again so much for the opportunity to wake you up every weekday morning since Bill Clinton was President 🙂

John