WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) -- Pat James, a longtime radio personality in Wichita, Hutchinson, and Hays, has died. James first came to the Wichita area in 1996, where he was an announcer for KYQQ. The station was purchased by Great Empire Broadcasting that year, which owned KFDI-FM. James spent 3 years on the air at KYQQ before going on-air with KFDI, serving as Assistant Program Director. He became a sidekick to on-air personality Cornbread until 2004 when the show moved to St. Louis' WIL-FM. Community steps up after Cheney family loses everything in house fire, including pets He returned to Wichita in 2012 as Program Director and on-air personality for 97.1 BOB and 100.5 HANK-FM. In 2017, he was named Operations Manager for Eagle Media in Hutchinson, serving as an on-air personality for Country 102.9 and two other Eagle Media stations in Hays and North Platte, Nebraska. With a radio career of nearly 40 years, James won CMA awards for Radio Personality of the Year in both medium and small markets. He was nominated four times by the Academy of Country Music. He was also an avid photographer, capturing everything from music artists to natural landscapes, which lined up perfectly with another of his favorite pastimes: camping. James is survived by his wife, Tracy, two daughters, and a son-in-law.