After nearly two decades on the St. Louis sports radio airwaves, Brian McKenna is putting a bow on his sports radio career. McKenna will officially say goodbye next Wednesday when he hosts his final show with co-host and longtime friend Jeff Gordon.
McKenna had been working on local radio station WQQX (1490 AM), but the station elected to drop the sports format in favor of country music recently. McKenna and Gordon then jumped over to host shows on 590 The Fan KFNS, but they understood that the it would be a short-term arrangement since the brand is expected to undergo a massive lineup change next Thursday when Tim McKernan takes over and moves the majority of programming from CBS Sports 920AM to KFNS.
“I’ll miss two things — being on with guys I really consider friends, like ‘Gordo,’ and getting my message out for local charities,” McKenna told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
McKenna has lived through a number of crazy situations in St. Louis sports radio. Recognizing the volatility of how the business changed over the past decade, he decided to pursue an opportunity with a building restoration company while adding radio as a second focus. He says that he plans to turn his full attention to his main job going forward.
The one part that McKenna will miss most is having the opportunity to use the airwaves and his public profile to draw attention to local charities and important causes. As a matter of fact, his final show will include presenting a check for nearly $2,000 to the Ballwin police department. McKenna led the charge to raise funds for Ballwin police officer Michael Flamion, who was wounded, when he was shot by man he pulled over this past July.
“I couldn’t think of a better way to go out,” McKenna said. “If you ask me, ‘What have you enjoyed most about this,’ sports doesn’t even come close to BackStoppers and all the other charities,” he said. “That’s my passion.”
Jason Barrett is the President and Founder of Barrett Media since the company was created in September 2015. Prior to its arrival, JB served as a sports radio programmer, launching brands such as 95.7 The Game in San Francisco, and 101 ESPN in St. Louis. He also spent time programming SportsTalk 950 in Philadelphia, 590 The Fan KFNS in St. Louis, and ESPN 1340/1390 in Poughkeepsie, NY. Jason also worked on-air and behind the scenes in local radio at 101.5 WPDH, WTBQ 1110AM, and WPYX 106.5. He also spent two years on the national stage, producing radio shows for ESPN Radio in Bristol, CT. Among them included the Dan Patrick Show, and GameNight.
You can find JB on Twitter @SportsRadioPD. He’s also reachable by email at Jason@BarrettMedia.com.
