By OLIVIA BERGMEIER
Lead Reporter - Salina Post
For most, imagining the behind-the-scenes of a television station or movie set is easy — bright, sweltering lights alongside teleprompters, glossed-up talent and boom mics hovering close by.
Behind-the-scenes at a radio station may be a little trickier to imagine, but for Shane McClintock, the view in the booth is the behind-the-scenes he's dreamed of since childhood.
"All the other kids would be outside playing, and if a radio was on, all I did was listen to it," McClintock said. "I would have just rather have stayed inside and acted like I was on the radio... I would read the newspaper for commercials and play music."
Today, McClintock programs and hosts 99KG, or in its official call letters, KSKG, which, in the most recent update on the Nielsen Topline Ratings, his station topped the charts for the tenth year in a row.
McClintock said that the official publication of those ratings stated that KSKG, or 99KG, hosts the "largest share to date" since the company began surveying the Salina, Manhattan market in 2007. Nielsen Topline Ratings published that information in January this year.
Chasing dreams in the booth
99KG Number One for New Country eventually became McClintock's stage for programming an engaging music lineup and high-quality commercials alongside bringing in the Bobby Bones Show.
The Bobby Bones Show is a well-known radio program featuring topics on popular country music and artists.
"It was an art that I felt comfortable in. I wasn't comfortable when I was younger in sports, but it [radio] was something that I was comfortable with and felt confident that I could do it," McClintock said.
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McClintock's history with 99KG stretches back to his childhood. Growing up in Salina, 99KG was the station he often listened to and dreamed of sitting in its booth for programming someday.
Before the station topped the charts, 99KG's history goes back to the 1990s. 99KG initially played several genres of music before switching to a Top 40 Country Music Hits station in 1996.
However, 99KG's success started in 2013, after McClintock took over programming the station and became its host.
When McClintock arrived, only a small population of people in the north-central region listened to 99KG, while today, it's the number one station in the area.
"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."
Focusing on community
One aspect McClintock focuses on is promotions that directly impact the community — local events, contests for trips across the United States and more.
McClintock uses community events like Dad for a Day and McClintock's ToyAThon to better connect with local Salinans and central Kansans.
Jerry Hinrikus, the general manager for the Eagle Communications Media Center in Salina, said these fundraisers and contests keep a radio station focused on its community.
"Getting involved in the community and having fundraising events, Summer Splash and different things local families and kids can attend," Hinrikus said. "That's where local radio wins."
McClintock saw 99KG's potential when he first discovered it as a child and set his sights on crafting a radio station that his community would love.
"It's the radio station I grew up listening to," McClintock said. "I knew the market without a doubt, and I'm 100% confident in what was missing in this market and radio."
Growing up, McClintock said he didn't have many opportunities to visit Salina's Monster Truck shows, see concerts on the Tony's Pizza Events Center stage or vacation to other states, so one thing he enjoys doing as a radio host is producing various contests that give local kids and families that opportunity.
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Another large promotion by 99KG is the Dad for a Day event, where children who lack a steady father figure will join McClintock and a few other staff to visit the Kansas City Chiefs Arrowhead Stadium and the Royals Kauffman Stadium.
In the fall of 2023, McClintock programmed a contest for a trip to the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, which covered the entire cost of travel for the winning family.
"To think that I can give away a trip to someone, the idea of giving someone an opportunity to win a trip to New York City to take their kids to something that they may or may not be able to afford is the reason why I've put together promotions with the radio station that I have," McClintock said.
To hear more from McClintock and hit country songs, tune in to 99KG on 99.9 FM radio or online.