INDIANAPOLIS — Friday marked the end of an era on radio airwaves across central Indiana.
A familiar voice has decided to hang up the microphone and call it a career.
For 35 years, listeners have driven to work each weekday morning with Jim Denny.
On this day, though, the long-established announcer team "Jim, Deb & Kevin" is fighting back tears during Denny's final morning drive.
As radio hosts go, Denny is pretty much an icon.
Inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame in 2014, he and the team have earned countless honors over the years, including awards from the Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association.
And in an industry where announcers are often shuffled, contracts not renewed or jobs eliminated, Denny has managed to do what many only dream of.
"I don't think of it as I have anything special," Denny said. "I just ... God's given me a gift."
A gift Denny thanked his listeners for.
"I can't thank all these listeners enough for being a part of the family and the years that you've given me the time and the privilege of that time," he said.
And when Denny's show ended for the the final time Friday morning, coworkers had one more gift for him. A plaque carved in the shape of a guitar will be mounted just outside the WFMS studio, dedicating it in his name.
Jim Denny has left the building, but in the studio, his name lives on.
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