The Quad Cities Has Rocked For One Year

One year ago at this time I was putting the final touches on something I always wanted to do in radio.  Turn on a Rock station. (We are celebrating with a party.  Kind of.  Details on our Facebook page.)

In March of 2019 I moved to the Quad Cities from Houston, Texas (I'm originally from Wisconsin so I knew about winter) to run all of the Townsquare Media stations.  97X, B100, KIIK 104.9 and, at the time, ESPN 93.5 and KBOB 1170.  When I first got here I had the chance to sit down with the fellas from corporate and talk with them about what I saw in the building, out of the building and just the area in general. I laid it out pretty clearly.  We needed an active rock station.

Rock is not dead.  Especially in the Midwest.  We love our rock.  Some of the biggest, best rock stations in the country are found around in the Midwest.  We were a desert.  A baron waste land of country, pop and crap.

Shockingly, my pitch to them worked.  In the summer of 2019 when I got the "go for it" call I really did ask, "You did say yes right?  Like, what I want to do you will let me do?"  Again, they responded "yes".  And it was on.

I spent a couple months building the music library, imaging (that stuff that plays between songs), the name, the logo, social media pages, website, the app and the plan to bring Hard Rock back to the Quad Cities.  The entire time I was doing this I really thought I'd get the call from corporate saying "Never mind we have a new better idea for a station.".  But it never happened.  Really, I think that they thought it was going to be my fun little side project that wouldn't amount to much and they just wanted me to stop bothering them about it.

One year later, they now understand.  You guys have made this the number one station in the Quad Cities.  I will be forever thankful to each and every one of you for supporting this crazy ass idea.

It started with an idea that turned on at 11 A.M. on August 30 2019.  That turned into Sign.  Some shirts.  Turkey's.  I-Hosts.  Concerts.  Me stealing prizes.  What a crazy year.  Of course we all wish it was different and we had WAY more of those concerts/events and I was giving you tickets instead of expired Girl Scout Cookies.  But we're making the most of Rona 2020.

Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Your support and passion for this station and this music has been the highlight of my time in radio.  It also reminds me, and should remind you, that us rockers are not alone.  We aren't outcasts.  We are not to be brushed aside and forgotten in the world of music and lifestyle.  We are Hard Rock.  We are the Quad Cities.  We are I-Rock 93.5.