1. Born and raised in Paola, Kansas. Graduated high school in 2004. Our school's mascot was the Paola Panther, which was awful because once a week we ate panther rib for lunch...

2. Grew up listening to all kinds of music. My oldest brother would always listen to jazz, so naturally I grew up listening to jazz. Then my middle brother would listen to alternative music, so naturally I got a steady diet of alternative music as well. Finally my dear old pop listened to country and rock-N-roll. An for my mom, she loved all kinds of music, so naturally, I love all kinds of music!

3. This is indeed my very first venture into the vast unknown that is radio. Wow, that was a little wordy.

4. I love my family and friends! As well as my beautiful girlfriend, she makes me wake up and smile!

5. Full time student at PSU getting my masters now!!. I have a little over a year before I graduate and then I'm off to my next big adventure!! (knock on wood)

6. Best feeling in the world is whenever I can make someone laugh. Or whenever I go somewhere and sing a song, and everyone just gets quiet and stares, awesome feelings!!

Top Five:
Movies- The Big Lebowski, The War, Shashank Redemption, Goodfellas, No Country for Old Men
Songs- The Dance, Luckenbach Texas, Folsom Prison Blues, Amarillo By Mornin, El Paso
Games- Texas hold em, war (CLASSIC), phase ten, halo, blackjack
Artists- Garth Brooks, George Strait, John Coltrane, Johnny Cash, Towns Van Zant
Quote: Eagles may soar, but weasles don't get sucked into plane engines...

I grew up in Oswego, KS where my parents still live. After graduating from Oswego High School, I spent 2 years at Coffeyville Community College studying TV Technology and hosting the Football Coaches show. (I pray the videos never make it to the Internet. I was young and needed the scholarship money. God bless Billy and Marlon!)

After receiving my Associates degree in Communications, I then spent some time as a roofer and "Pizza Chef." I transferred to Pittsburg State University and spent 3 years finishing up my degree (God bless Rich Fry and Thimios Zaharopoulos). I finally graduated with my B.A. in B.S. which I use every day.

While at Pitt State my first job was videotaping practices for the World's Greatest College Football team, the Pitt State Gorillas. (Followed closely by Notre Dame, andOklahoma. After that glorious National Championship season, I started the job that I've now had for close to 19 years. It's hard to believe that I've been a part of the KKOW family for over a third of my life. I started here in December of 1991, doing the overnight shift, and had no idea I would still be here.

Over these years, I've not only watched my career grow, but I've watched 96.9 prosper as well. We both started at the bottom of the heap and have risen above everyone's expectations. Living my life on-the-air has allowed me to be a part of your lives. I've shared in your joys and sorrows. You've been with me through the bad times in my life, like my near fatal car wreck, and two divorces. However, you've been there during the great times also, including the birth of my daughter, Lillian. (God bless her the most). I now spend much of my time away from work enjoying life. I spend most days playing with my daughter, or working out at Phase One Fitness, 822 North Broadway, Pittsburg, KS 66762. Phone them for membership information at (620) 232-9035. A HUGE note of thanks to trainer, Becky Nickalus for getting me into the best shape of my life. I highly recommend her training services to anyone. Thank you for helping me get my life back.

As my career has developed, I've offended a few people with my views on sex, stupidity, politics, children, country music, and life in general. To these parties, I'm sorry if you were vexed by what I said. I've never intended to enrage anyone. I prefer to look at it as taking an opportunity to make you think and feel and for me to share an opinion, something to which we are all entitled.

If you would like to share an opinion or view, (let me know what you think of our station, suggestions, likes, dislikes, etc.) feel free to e-mail me at thomwatts@kkowradio.com.

ALL comments will be reviewed and considered, good and bad. This is more than a job to me. It's my life. I think when I turn on that microphone every morning. I come to share time and maybe a little cup of coffee with you, my friends.

After putting this off for a year now I have, with encouragement from my coworkers, finally decided I would give our great listeners a profile/biography in spite of not knowing what to say.

I am not a Four States native like most of the staff. I grew up in Conway Missouri, a small town of about seven hundred people. I spent most of my time there out on various farms hauling hay, cutting wood, or building fence. While there I also developed my love for the outdoors. I still love to hunt, fish, play sports, and do almost anything outside.

I graduated High School from Conway High in 2006. All of my life I had a passion for sports. I remember listening to baseball games on the radio with my dad, which is initially what got me interested in radio. So while a Conway Bear I was a two sport athlete playing both baseball and basketball. Yeah I know you wouldn’t believe it now, but I have pictures.

After graduation I came down to Joplin to go to Missouri Southern State University. I studied in Mass Communications and somehow messed up and graduated from there this spring with a BS in Mass Comm. I was able to learn so much there, including tons about television production and had an opportunity to do the play by play call for both football and basketball for the schools television station.

Even with all of the work I had done in TV in school I still had an urge to work in the field that is radio. So in the spring of 2009 I stumbled upon a weekend job here at 96.9 the KOW. I have been a part of the KKOW family for a year now, and have been lucky enough to have made plenty of memories and have a lot of fun with you guys, the greatest listeners in the four states. If there is anything else that is still vague feel free to call me up anytime I am on air.

Favorite Stuff:
Movie: Clerks, The Big Lebowski, Fear and Loathing, The Dark Knight, 3:10 to Yuma, The Breakfast Club, The Fisher King and Dogma. Oh and that one. Ya know, with that guy...
Books: Pretty much anything by Neil Gaiman, George Carlin or Clive Barker Oh, and I'm a comic book geek.
TV: Family Guy, My Name is Earl, Heroes, Bones, Metalocalypse, The Office, Robot Chicken and WKRP reruns
Country Song: This TIme Around by CCR or the RRB - Both rock. Also Pretty much anything by Jason Boland.

Back in 1983, Crook and Chase had heard of each other, but had never met. Lorianne was hosting her own show on the ABC television affiliate in Nashville and Charlie was hosting his own show on the competing NBC affiliate. (In all honesty, Lorianne had been a fan of Charlie's since her high school days when she and her cheerleading buddies listened to Charlie as a DJ on his radio show on WMAK). Charlie is quick to point out that is just a rumor, but Lorianne stands by her story.

Unbeknownst to either of them, while they were going about their business of hosting their TV shows, a famous producer by the name of Jim Owens was watching each of them on their respective stations. Jim had a hunch that Lorianne and Charlie might work well together as a team reporting on country music and its stars. At that time, there was no television show of any kind along that line.

In April of 1983, Jim arranged a meeting, bringing himself together with Crook and Chase at the Opryland Hotel. It was there that he told them of his idea for a syndicated TV show he was creating called This Week In Country Music that he would like for them to host. Lorianne and Charlie took an instant liking to each other, and one thing led to another. By June of that year, they had produced a pilot episode of the show, which Jim was successful in selling all across the nation. Crook and Chase debuted as a team in September of '83.

This Week In Country Music remained a popular syndicated show for two years, after which, the fledgling network TNN requested exclusive airing rights beginning in 1985. Crook and Chase remained on TNN until its demise as a country network at the end of 1999. During those 16 years, Lorianne and Charlie became two of the network's most popular and respected hosts, producing thousands of hours of programming, including The Crook and Chase Show, Crook and Chase Tonight, Music City Tonight with Crook and Chase, Celebrities Offstage, Funny Business, Today's Country, and countless award shows and specials.

Since teaming up in 1983, Crook and Chase have been involved in the production of television and radio programs on a continuous basis, making them one of the longest running broadcast duos in the business.

Much of their personal and professional history was documented in their 1995 book "CROOK AND CHASE: OUR LIVES, THE MUSIC, AND THE STARS".

Each week, they host the syndicated radio program, THE CROOK AND CHASE COUNTDOWN, which airs all across America. And they just launched a brand new daily radio show appropriately titled CROOK AND CHASE! Lorianne and Charlie both also produce and host various television projects individually, including Charlie's TENNESSEE MORNINGS on Fox 17 in Nashville, and Lorianne's OFF STAGE SPECIALS for GAC, Great American Country.

The road to success for Bob Kingsley began when, stationed in Keflavic, Iceland with the US Air Force, he auditioned for an announcer spot on Armed Forces Radio Station TFK. Following his Air Force stint, Kingsley honed his skills at several radio stations in such places as Tijuana, Nevada and finally moving to California. Tom Rounds at Watermark selected Kingsley to produce the up and coming radio program, American Country Countdown. While continuing as producer, he stepped in as the show's host and the rest is history. While Bob has shaped and defined the program over the years, he's quick to share the credit with his very able staff. "It's not just me," he says. "I'm very blessed to have several very talented people around me." The results are evident each and every week as new and exciting shows are broadcast with all the winning elements; an industry leading host, a team of experts behind the scenes, a seamless countdown of the National Country Top 40, enlightening information about everyone's favorite country music stars, exclusive interviews with the artists themselves and historical salutes to country music's heritage.

On the air internationally, for four hours a week, 52 weeks a year, no other air personality has exclusively promoted country music longer or with more pride than Bob Kingsley. Reaching millions of listeners on over 1,000 radio stations, Bob Kingsley has hosted the number one national music show in any format. Bob Kingsley has been named host of Billboard magazine's "Network/Syndicated Program of the Year: Country" for 16 consecutive years (1987-2002); the only air personality in any format to achieve this continued success. In October of 2001, Bob Kingsley was named as the first ever Country Music Association National Broadcast Personality of the Year. And, in 2003, he received the honor a second time.

Bob also hosts unique and interesting specials, including the extremely popular "Christmas In America with Bob Kingsley" and "Year-End Countdown."

"I try to leave people with a real picture of the stars who make the music," Kingsley says. "Whether it's a chart newcomer, a current superstar, or one of the all time greats, when listeners hear a record, I want them to think, 'that's the singer Bob Kingsley told us about'. It's certainly a great journey, and the best part is that it's never stopped being fun!"

I grew up and graduated high school in the small town of St. Paul (Kansas, not Minnesota!). St. Paul, the town known for it's beautiful church, awesome school and fantastic sports teams. I was a member of the 2000 and 2002 Eight-Man Division one football State Championship teams. I also tried playing basketball but I couldn't dribble or make baskets, so the only kind of on-court action I got was being the guy that shot the ball, when we did rebound drills, in practice.

After high school I obtained an associates degree in communication from Labette County Community College. I graduated from Pittsburg State University with a bachlors of science for Computer Science in May of 2009. In my spare time I like to goof off and play my X-Box 360. I also love going to the casinos and gambling away my paycheck.

send me an e-mail: josh@kkowradio.com

Favoirtes:
Song: Anything Dirty
Movie: The Hangover
Book: The Da Vinci Code
TV Show: Family Guy