SO many people have contributed to the success of "The Hi-Fi Club" over the years, especially Ted Sauceman, longtime station manager of KMNY-AM (the former KXOL-1360) in DFW, who allowed a part-time station board op (Mike Shannon) and his friend (John Lewis Puff) to create a live radio show on Sunday nights that discussed local radio/TV history, and honored those broadcasters who paved the way.  Ray Whitworth and John Lewis were instrumental in creating, producing, writing and voicing content, along with holding down co-hosting responsibilities...John, particularly in the first year, and Ray, from the earliest days until the end 19 years later.  The show would have been far less compelling or informative or entertaining without their efforts, dedication, and their willingness to share their expertise and love for radio and music...let alone their time and expense.  Thanks as well to Melissa Rasmussen (Hussel) for her technical expertise and for hooking us up to streaming before it was the norm, and to longtime friend Danny Boyer for setting the show up with broadcast-quality microphones, mic arms and other equipment...all at his own expense...and allowing us access to his FTP site for weekly show distribution.  In fact, every single person involved with the show, from affiliates to production to promotions to hosts, and all roles in between, were unpaid and NEVER made a dime off this project, and the listeners were never subjected to commercials...unless ones were played strictly for fun and historical value.  This was a 19-year labor of love.

Next, a debt of gratitude to the owners, station managers and staff of "The Hi-Fi Club"s affiliates, past and present, including Danny Boyer (starting 3/2009 with KLDE-San Angelo TX and later KMBL-Lamesa TX;) Steve Cumming (starting 5/2009 with North Texas Radio for the Blind;) Shawn Zurbrick (starting 3/2009 with KLSR-Rockwall TX;) Alex "Jim Bobus" Green (starting 7/2008 with KTDG-"The Dog," KDSX, Q100, "The Crow," "Mighty 1650" and KFYN-Bonham TX;) Frank Jolley (starting 1/2015 with KKDJ-"Rockhouse" in Los Angeles;) John Butler and Sheyene Folmar (starting 12/2016 with KWJB-Canton TX;) Lamoyne Westerbeck (starting 11/2011 with KWQQ-"Musicradio 95," WQRO-"The Crow" and KFAM-"Oldiez 98.1"-Iowa;) David Stewart and Mike Martini (starting 3/2018 with KPET-Lamesa TX;) Dick Siegel (WBAP-Fort Worth, KLDE-San Angelo;) Bill and Kim Bragg (starting 5/2012 with Yesterday USA Radio Network;) David Fox (starting 8/2021 with KSGV-Seagoville TX;) Dave Clifton and Sean Compton (starting 8/2008 with Rational Radio;) Lee Riza (starting 3/2009 with KPIR-Granbury TX;) Brent Clanton (KMNY/KXYZ/BizRadio Network-Dallas/Houston;) A.C. Cantu (KLDE-San Angelo;) and Austin Information Radio.  We regret that "The Hi-Fi Club"s most recent affiliate, Star Radio in Toronto QB (Canada,) got shortchanged by the show, airing it weekly for the last eight months before we pulled our own plug. We deeply apologize.

Then, a THANK YOU to those talents who provided liners, promos and supplemental programming for the show, especially co-host Ray Whitworth, along with radio legends Ron Chapman, Jim Thomas, Bud Buschardt, Frank Jolley, Charlie Van Dyke, Bob Schieffer, George Gimarc, Bill Mercer, Josh "Rowdy Yates" Holstead; actors and musicians Roger Davis, Jim MacKrell and John Ford Coley; and notable radio personalities Doyle King, Jay Weaver, Monty Cook, Denise "Necie Marie" Fleming (Welch,) Ken Barnett, Greg and Kim King, Ben Laurie, Jason Walker, John Scott, John Summers, Mark Lambert, Russ Bloxom and Russ Campbell.  Thanks as well to Andrew Herrera, who hosted short-form, occasional features known as "DFW Showcase."

Great appreciation goes out as well to everyone who guested or 'sat in' on the show over the years:  Actors Norm Alden (original KXOL-1360 personality,) Pat Priest, and Jack Burns (former KXOL-1360 newscaster and on-air partner with THE George Carlin--host of "The Coca Cola Hi-Fi Club" on KXOL in 1959-60; we reunited Burns live with his old frequency in 2008 after 48 years;) and talent from the national and/or local radio landscape, including Bob Bruton (KXOL, KWJS, KAHZ-Fort Worth;) Bob Leonard (ABC Radio Networks;) Alan Barnes (WBAP-AM; KAND-Corsicana TX;) Steve Eberhart (KVIL, KLUV; KGAF-Gainesville TX;) Russ Bloxom (KXOL, KJIM, WBAP/KXAS-Channel 5 in Fort Worth,) Bob Allen (KXOL-Fort Worth and KJIM-Sherman;) David Yates (KAND-Corsicana;) John Fletcher (KXOL-Fort Worth, and son of longtime KXOL general manager Earle Fletcher;) and personal friends Barrett Dickson, Chad Dickson and Eric Fleming.

With the passage of time, it's inevitable that some of our participants and fans will have lost their lives.  We salute people like Bud Buschardt, Ron Chapman, David Stewart, Jack Bishop, Dick Siegel, Jay Weaver (Joe Fuchs,) Bob Bruton, Norm Alden, Jack Burns, Barrett Dickson, Jim Rose, Bill Bragg, Ben Laurie and Ted Sauceman.  You are each loved and missed.

Finally, a special thanks to the show's dedicated fans and supporters, including Jack Bishop, Colonel Mason, Michael Harris, Renee (Seals) Byars-Staley, Robert Philpot, Randy Carlisle, Jim Rose, Ed Bark, Mike Capps, Mark Davis, Steve Eberhart, Philip Cheek...and especially to YOU, our listeners.

It was a fun and interesting ride, but times change, the nature of the broadcast industry has changed, and there are just too many other resources nowadays vying for a person's ears.  For "The Hi-Fi Club," the rigors of writing, producing, voicing and editing new shows were getting to be a big and not-so-enjoyable-anymore chore...and there's no sense turning out an inferior product (or a slew of reruns) just to keep a presence on the air.  We had also covered most of the history of rock, pop, R&B and related formats and artists, and slowly tapped out any new and creative ways to present them.  The most fun we had was in doing all the shows live from 2006-2008.  No editing required!  And the casual, lightly-scripted conversations were the best...and that extended to our short-lived spinoff, "Retro Radio," in 2008 (a modern-classic-rock format weekdays, with a bundle of live, in-studio programming all weekend, courtesy of local radio notables...and all done voluntarily.)  Larry Stanley, Jay Weaver (Joe Fuchs,) Randy Carlisle, Jim Thomas, John Lewis and Josh "Rowdy Yates" Holstead wrote and voiced their own three-hour shows, and we were very proud to have given noted musicologist, author and Texas radio legend Bud Buschardt his final opportunity to host his own show...after years of memorable hosting duties at the ABC Radio Networks, and for KVIL and WFAA-AM in Dallas.

If we've failed to mention anyone, please let us know.

But the show may not be completely over just yet, as we've extended a possible opportunity to our affiliates to provide them with occasional, infrequent, new specials in the future, particularly ones that honor recently-lost notable musicians.  And we haven't ruled out a "Best of The Hi-Fi Club" block of reruns, but this will require updating and remastering some of our older shows.  No promises or timeframes have been committed to at this time.

Meanwhile, the Affiliates list will remain online until early March HERE.

Thank you,

Mike Shannon
Creator and co-host, The Hi-Fi Club