A familiar voice is returning to mornings on 99.9 KLUR in Wichita Falls as longtime market personality “Big Jim” Russell officially moves back into the morning slot following the retirement of Brad Austin earlier this month.
Russell, a Wichita Falls radio veteran with more than 50 years on the air in the market, had most recently been hosting middays on KLUR after returning to the station in 2022 from sister station “94.9 The Outlaw” KOLI. Before that, Russell previously enjoyed a lengthy and successful 25-year run in mornings at the heritage country outlet.
Austin signed off from KLUR on May 15, closing out a radio career that spanned multiple decades in North Texas. According to KFDX-TV, Austin originally worked at KLUR in the mid-1970s before later spending time at KNTO and KNIN. He returned to KLUR in 1997, where he became one of the station’s signature voices in mornings.
Reflecting on his retirement, Austin told KFDX-TV that his listeners had become like family over the years, saying he would especially miss the regular calls and conversations that became part of his morning routine.
The move keeps a legendary local personality front and center on KLUR mornings while marking the end of another long-running era in local radio.
On The Dial covers breaking radio industry news, including layoffs, programming changes, talent moves, and broadcast trends across the United States.