Happy Trails, Steve Shannon!

• Sending our thanks and best wishes to longtime Idaho broadcaster Steve Shannon, who announced his retirement from his role as OM of Inland Northwest Broadcasting, and PD of Top 40 KZFN (ZFun 106)/Moscow, ID.

Shannon got his radio start in May 1978 down the hall doing mornings at sister KRPL until the launch of ZFun 106 in 1985, when he changed stations and rebranded his morning show as “The Rude Awakening.” Shannon later went to KJR-FM/Seattle as fill-in talent, and was later served as MD (under Gary Bryan) from 1996-2000.

Shannon made his triumphant return to KZFN in 2004, once again as the host of “The Rude Awakening.” He was subsequently upped to PD of KZFN, and eventually OM of the cluster.

Shannon posted his heartfelt farewell message to Facebook, which reads, in part, “My decision to retire has everything to do with my family, especially my 91-year-old dad, so later this month I’m headed back east to Long Island, NY, to live with him and be closer to other family scattered across the northeast. Just like it should be, and especially as we get older, family comes first.”