Landon King Returns to Awesome 98!

When I was 16, my dad told me I had to get a job. I'm an inside cat and didn't want to mow lawns or do construction like my friends were doing. I needed AIR CONDITIONING! So, I went to see my friends Lew Dee & Diana to see if I could work at their air conditioned radio station. (I have to admit here that there was some nepotism involved since my dad was a radio guy and owned an advertising agency in Lubbock) 

Anyway, they told me to show up on Saturday morning at 6am. I was HIRED at a RADIO STATION with AIR CONDITIONING! I was sooooo excited to start my new career and enjoy all the groupies that surely came with a job in radio. I would find out that radio doesn't always involve being inside with cool air blowing on you. No. There's a thing called a 'remote' where you typically stand outside and greet listeners when they arrive at the business you're representing. I love doing remotes and talking with everyone. It's one of my favorite parts of the radio business. But...

This was an event that the station did at the time called 'The Back to School Bash'. You may remember it. We did it for years. We gave out free tickets to Joyland and threw a big one-day party for the listeners and their kids as we celebrated the start of the new school year. This event was the very first thing I would be doing at the station. And it was AWFUL!

I was there bright and early at 6am to start my new job. The lovely Diana Dee told me to go put on my costume. Costume? I had NO IDEA what she was talking about! Well, I went into the office and there was a full-on scarecrow costume for me to put on. "Wait a minute!", I thought, "Nobody said anything about a costume! There's a mask with the costume! How will my adoring fans (that I didn't have) see my famous face?!?!"

I put this monstrosity on and went outside where the rest of the staff was milling around waiting on me. I distinctly remember Lew Dee laughing like a maniac when he saw me...nearly spilling his first morning whiskey.

Here's a picture Diana Dee sent me just last week. I had NO IDEA there was photo evidence of my story, but here you go...

Remember, this is August in West Texas. It was already hot, but it was going to get up to 112-degrees and I was going to be standing on the asphalt at an amusement park while wearing a suit stuffed with straw and a rubber mask. I nearly died that day, but I stuck around at my new job and stayed around for another 25 years after that!

I started with a two-hour show following Rush Limbaugh (yes. Rush was on 98.1 when he first aired in Lubbock), then I moved to afternoons from 2pm-7pm where I stayed for 15 years. I would later move to mornings where I was proud to be the #1 morning show in the Hub City for several years until a shake-up happened and I left the company.

But now I'm BACK in the afternoons to entertain you with stupid jokes, dumb stories and AWESOME giveaways!

It's wonderful to be back with my friends at all of the other radio stations in the building and to work with true radio professionals who all really care for their listeners and are excited to show up to work everyday. This is the place where I quite literally grew up. I met my late wife Amy here. I made some of the best friends I've ever had doing what I do and I wouldn't trade it for ANYTHING!

So, do me a favor and like our Facebook page. Go get the app too if you don't already have it. It REALLY helps me out and we work hard to make sure you have interesting stories to read and cool prizes to win each and every day while listening to your favorite radio station!