Remembering Ric Swann
• We were saddened to learn that Ric Swann, former longtime morning show host and MD at KZIA (Z102.9)/Cedar Rapids, IA has passed away after a courageous battle with cancer at the age of 62.
Swann had been a fixture on 102.9 since 1988 when it was Mainstream Top 40 KQCR (Q103) and remained with the company after it was sold to a local group in 1994. The station briefly flipped to Country as KXMX (Max 102.9), until 1998, when Top 40 returned as KZIA. Swann remained the morning show host on KZIA until 2017 when he transitioned across the hall as PD of Adult Hits Smart-FM (KZIA-HD2), where he remained until his departure in 2020.
The news of Swann’s passing was shared in a Facebook post that reads, in part, “Most of us grew up hearing Ric every morning as one half of Schulte & Swann. He was with Z102.9 from our first day on the air back in 1998, but also worked on 102.9fm in the ’90s on both Q103 & Max 102.9. Ric was loved for his kind heart, beautiful voice and his outstanding sense of humor. He made us laugh on a daily basis! Many also remember Ric Swann for his time in theater and also every Christmas when he would dress up as Santa (or ‘Swanny Clause’ as we’d call him) and visit children all over the corridor. We will miss his voice, his smile and the impact he left on thousands of Iowans over all these years. R.I.P. [Special thanks to Chris Jackson]
