‘Radio From Hell’ Marks 40 Years At ‘X-96’ KXRK Salt Lake City.

For four decades, the hosts of “Radio From Hell” at Broadway Media’s modern/alternative rock “X-96” KXRK Salt Lake City have been waking up at 3am to deliver a mix of humor, news and conversation that has become a morning tradition for generations of Utah listeners, The Salt Lake Tribune reports.

The long-running radio show, hosted by Kerry Jackson, Bill Allred and Gina Barberi, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year — a milestone the hosts themselves still find hard to believe.

“It doesn’t seem possible,” Allred tells the newspaper.

Jackson and Allred launched the show in 1986 on Ogden station KJQ, aiming to create something different from the traditional morning radio programs dominating the airwaves at the time.

“These deep voice guys that laughed at their own jokes, it was every stereotype you’ve ever encountered, lots of happy talk, so Bill and I said, ‘Let’s do the opposite of everything that they are doing,’” Jackson said.

Barberi joined the show in 1996, completing the trio that remains on the air today. Over the years, the hosts built a loyal following through a conversational style that mixes personal stories, commentary and recurring comedy segments.

Their chemistry has endured through major changes in the radio industry, including the rise of podcasts, streaming audio and digital media. The hosts say their connection with listeners has been the key to their longevity.

The show gradually evolved from a music-heavy morning format into a talk-oriented program. The hosts said a major turning point came during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, when they stopped playing music and focused entirely on conversation and listener interaction.

“On 9/11, we stopped playing music and just talked,” Barberi recalled.

Listeners called into the show throughout the morning, while others gathered outside the studio seeking comfort and community.

“We didn’t ask them to come down, but [people] just felt like they needed a place to congregate,” Barberi said. “This horrible thing is happening and we all want to be in the same place.”

Afterward, management embraced the show’s push toward a talk-radio format.

“We had been saying to management for quite some time, we really ought to cut out most of the music we’re playing and just do a talk-oriented [show],” Allred said.

Today, “Radio From Hell” reaches audiences through livestreams, podcasts, YouTube broadcasts and online chatrooms in addition to traditional radio.

“We have listeners all over the world,” Barberi said. “We have people that are from here that move and take us with them.”

Despite their decades together, the hosts say they intentionally spend little time together away from work in order to keep on-air conversations fresh.

Though the hosts acknowledge the demands of the job have become more difficult with age, they say their listeners continue to motivate them.

“I don’t want to let them down,” Allred said.