Steve Shannon-Behind the Mic

Photos and Writing by Tom Amato

Steve Shannon is the man you've heard on the palouse for years. The signiture voice of the popular top 40 hit music station, ZFUN 106. For fifteen years, he's hosted "The Rude Awakening," a show that features today's hit music mixed in with comedy bits and witty jokes cracked by Shannon. "The Rude Awakening" was even awarded Best Morning Show in the state of Idaho by Broadcasters Association in 2012.

Altough you hear his voice on the radio every weekday, what many people don't know is the work it takes behind the microphone to produce quality content. Shannon shows up at the station every morning at 5 a.m. to begin creating content, and then stays until 5 p.m. fulfilling his obligations as a program director for Inland Northwest Broadcasting. For this project, I wanted to document Shannon as he prepares for his on-air time, as well as him delivering his content.