By SALINA POST
For most radio listeners, tuning into a music station feels quite simple, but to program that radio station for its listeners requires a focused team of talented individuals.
In the 99KG studio, Shane McClintock arrives each day to curate a selection of music and entertainment for the station's listeners.
"There's a lot of music, mornings, marketing... there's a lot of things that go into building winning radio stations," McClintock said. "It's not just flip it on and hope and pray."
This structure led McClintock to host the number one station in the region in all its demographics for the last decade.
"That has never happened with any radio station in the history of the state of Kansas, ever," McClintock said.
99KG's history of success
McClintock said the 99KG station has evolved — before the late 1990s, it hosted various types of music before becoming a Top 40 country music station in 1996.
The station found some success throughout its career but took off in 2013 when McClintock began hosting.
"When I took it over, it was at a 2.1 share," McClintock said. "Now, 99KG has been number one in all demos for a decade."
He began focusing on producing engaging music lineups and quality commercials and bringing in the Bobby Bones Show in the mornings. The Bobby Bones Show is a well-known radio show featuring topics on popular country music and artists.
Over time, the 99KG audience grew to compete with radio markets like Wichita and Topeka, and it eventually outgrew many of Topeka's top radio stations.
Another factor that impacted the station's success was community involvement. McClintock and other radio staff hosts events like the Country Summer Splash and the Christmas Toyathon each year.
Eagle Communications Salina Media Center Manager Jerry Hinrikus initially hired McClintock at another Salina radio station in the 1990s and immediately noticed something different about him in the industry.
"He [McClintock] was full of energy, full of vinegar," Hinrikus said. "He was wanting in the business so bad, he was willing to do anything."
Hinrikus said he remembered hiring McClintock to become the personality "Les Bull."
"He dressed in a bull costume and attended events and remotes for the radio station around town," Hinrikus said, "'Les Bull, more music' meaning there wasn't much talk, it was just music."
That energy continued through McClintock's career and landed at the 99KG studio, causing the station's fans and ratings to skyrocket.
McClintock said he appreciates his regular fans alongside casual listeners and aims to continue producing quality music lineups.
"The success of the radio station and the quality of the audience, it's just unbelievable to have 10 years of this type of success in the industry," Hinrikus said.