Meet the face behind KHND Radio, Rick Jensen
Nov 14, 2024
Harvey, N.D. (KXNET) — Have you ever wondered whose face belongs to the voice on your favorite radio station? Well, for The Mix 1470 KHND in Harvey, it's Rick Jensen. And you can't go anywhere in town without someone knowing who he is.Jensen grew up in Anamoose, North Dakota, and graduated from high school in 1985. He continued his education at Minot State University in 1986 and graduated radio school at Meyer's school of broadcasting in 1987. Then after that, he moved to Harvey and started at the local radio station there. Radio is something that Jensen says he's always wanted to do. "When I was about 5, 6, 7 years old, I had my first tape recorder, and I started my own little radio station in my room, and it was called KCIR. Now, if you spell those call letters backwards, it spells Rick," said Jensen as he giggled.
Jenson met Sheila in Harvey in 2000, and that turned out to be a great year for them, as they tied the knot and bought a local radio station. The couple then stole the show in Harvey.
"We reference her a lot, I guess on air. I'll once in a while play some bits of what she did. She had this English accent that was just so cool on air," said Jensen.
For several years, the two would spend time on air broadcasting to listeners within a 90-mile radius of the small town. One day, Jensen and his wife found a kitten on the outskirts of town."Just the cutest kitten and she fell in love with him and brought him here to the station," said Jensen. "I said to her, 'Of all the places why did that kitten end up at the tower?' She jokingly said 'Well, maybe I won't be here next year and that's God's way of giving you a companion. And she had no idea she was sick. She didn't know yet," said Jensen with a somber tone in his voice.
Soon after they brought their kitten, Shadow, to the radio station, Shelia was diagnosed with cancer and died in 2014. Shadow passed away this year and now Jensen has a new buddy, Shady Jensen.However, Jensen helps continue Sheila's legacy at KHND."She was a workaholic, and before she passed, she said, 'Don't do what I did which was work, work, work, and enjoy life' I'm trying to do that more and more through the years. But the legacy that we are doing, her business model for the sales and everything for the station from what she did, we continue that and it's rolling right along," said Jensen.
He said that workaholic energy still lingers within the building, and he can often feel her spirit there.
"I just feel her here all of the time, you know? If I happen to cut out of here early on a day, I can hear her in my brain, 'Why are you leaving here early for?'" said Jensen with a laugh.
Jensen also said although his team is small, he is extremely grateful for each and every one of them, because owning a radio station, you're not just the on-air talent.
"You wear a lot of different hats. As I joke, the janitor hat, computer technician, radio engineer at the tower site, I mean just every little thing and I'm blessed because we have so many people here that were a small organization, but the people that are here are very talented and can do a lot of different things, so that just makes it huge," said Jensen.
Jensen said his team covers many local events and even host their own community gatherings, which is something he says is important because the Harvey community has always supported the station. If you're within broadcast radius, you can tune in to the mix KHND on 1470 AM radio and 99.5 FM.You can also catch them on their website and listen live.Rick Jensen, owner, on-air talent, engineer, and janitor of the mix 1470 KHND radio in Harvey, is our friend at KX News, and someone you should know.Jensen has now been engaged to his fiancé, Tracey, for 8 years, and she continues to be a great support for him. And he said his new kitten, Shady, often steals his radio seat.