Over the next few posts, I’m going to write about a few
things that have made an impact on me. Some are places, foods, trips, songs,
and people. In my last blog, I talked about my days on the air at WDKN. I want
to go a little deeper on that, and detail my feelings about someone who has
made a huge impact on my life and career over the years. I have referred to him
over the years as the “B.J. to my Hawkeye,” because in a lot of ways, our
friendship is comparable to the two characters that kept the 4077th
going in M*A*S*H.
His name is Ken Loggains.
Back in the summer of 1996, I was told that the station had
hired a new announcer, and it was my job to train him. Not too long after, he
dropped by and we began to converse. Some of the topics included music…..but
also the reigning Super Bowl champs, the Dallas Cowboys, and the TV show Dallas.
Yes, at that point, I knew I had a friend for life!
We worked together for the next eleven years, and I’ve got to
say than even though I was technically the PD, I learned so much from Ken. He
is very down-to-earth, but also believes in just letting your work tell your
story. I don’t know if I follow in that path or not. I tend to like the
attention a little bit. But, you couldn’t help but be better from being around
him. I consider him the utmost professional. From 1996 until 2007, we spent
five days a week working together, and many nights driving to and from basketball
games, where we broadcasted Dickson County sports. There were a lot of
smart-ass comments made over the years about life at the station – remember,
small-market radio has never made anyone rich. You’ve got to have a sense of
humor about what you do, especially since the first two hours of a morning
shift included four funeral notice updates, and about twenty phone calls
wanting to know what time “Swap and Shop” came on.
Though he left the station in ’07, we remained close over the
years, and for the past two or three years, I have been a weekly caller on his
morning show in Arkansas, giving an update on the world of Country Music. If
you know either of us and heard the segments, you would shake your head. We
still float as many inside jokes now as we did then. In the words of Gordon
Rhodes, we are proud members of the “CS” club.
I made the M*A*S*H reference, because we had much that type
of relationship at WDKN. Nothing was sacred. We approached our jobs with pride,
but never let ego get in the way. And, he’s B.J. because the Mike Farrell
character is a lot more mature and settled. He’s exactly where one should want
to be in life, and I’m like that leaf at the beginning of Forrest Gump – still looking
for a place to land.
Those differences aside, I’ve got to say that I am a better
broadcaster for knowing Ken Loggains…..but also a much better person. Donnie
Craig once dubbed him as “Velvet Vocal Chords,” and that applies to the way he
approaches his craft…and his life.
If you’re reading this thinking that this post has a tragic
ending, don’t worry. It doesn’t. I just write it because I felt it, and it
needed to be said! Thank you, my friend, for the lessons!
