SAN ANTONIO — Dave Rios is hanging up his microphone—but plans to stay rooted in the city he loves.
"It’s a beautiful, big, little city," Rios said. "It's so precious. We need to take care of it."
Rios moved to San Antonio from California 36 years ago, hoping to cut his teeth in the world of radio. Soon after starting, he knew he'd stay much longer than a few years.
"I didn’t know how long forever was, but yeah," Rios said.
He took the microphone at KONO in 1993 and made the morning show his own, adding the Pledge of Allegiance, the Texas Pledge, salutes to teachers and –after September 11, 2001 – prayer.
"I prayed a lot that morning on the radio with our listeners and I’m glad I had so many prayers to share, and each day we thank God for a beautiful day and pray the serenity prayers," Rios said.
Community became the show's cornerstone. Rios shared stories about lives changed by local nonprofits, encouraging listeners to pitch in.
"We have a license to broadcast. And part of our license is the community gets to be part of what we do," he added.
That very community is invited to say farewell during his final show on Friday. He'll broadcast live from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Los Barrios on Blanco.
"We’re gonna have the finale just before 10. We’re gonna sing that song, 'Don’t Stop Believin','" Rios said. "It’s such a beautiful anthem. And whatever you believe in—don’t stop. We can choose to be powered by fear or powered by love and I choose to be powered by love, and that’s what keeps me going."
OTHER STORIES ON KENS5.COM: