Rich Cain Shares Stories of 99Q Days & Being a Quincy Weatherman

He's truly a Quincy, Illinois broadcasting legend and he's got stories to tell. Richard Cain shared fun stories from his radio past and explained how he became one of the most trusted weather broadcasters in the tri-state area.

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You likely know him from KHQA where he currently keeps track of our weather. I first met Rich Cain in 1987 when I joined the legendary staff of what was then 99Q in Quincy. Rich was the program director and I was a punk 21 year old DJ. Rich was the man to first give me the "Doc" nickname, but more on that in a little bit. Let's begin with how Rich first got into broadcasting, first with radio. He got interested in radio as a kid when his father would introduce classical music at Ohio State on a program which brought him in contact with St. Louis Cardinals legend Jack Buck. That led him to the mic himself years later.

Rich Cain - "My first job was in Moberly, Missouri and I was a programmer. You weren't an on-air programmer per se, but you basically had to do what you were told to do and then some. I had done news. I did weather. I was Doppler radar operator...they liked me."

Eventually he ran out of ways to grow his career in Moberly and Rich Cain headed to Quincy to WQCY (aka 99Q) which had been on a meteoric rise since it's famous format change in 1985.

Rich Cain - "It was June in 1987. I had to replace David P Norman who had left...I was offered the job in late April...it was like significantly more than what I was earning in Moberly, so I accepted."

I have the honor of being the first person that Rich hired at 99Q after another personality had left. He entrusted the afternoon show on 99Q to me.

So, what about the "Doc" nickname?

When I was hired at 99Q, they had multiple Jeff's in the building already. Jeff Dorsey, Jeff Johnson, Jeff Myers...my God-given name of Jeff wouldn't fit. So, it was Rich that came up with "Doc".

Rich Cain - "It was just off the top of my head...I thought it fit..."

After almost 20 years in radio, Rich Cain was given the opportunity at WGEM to transition to television. It was a long road of great accomplishments that led them to offering him the chance to go back to school and pursue those earlier weather passions from his beginning.

Rich Cain - "It was through time and accomplishments...I was hired cross-town as an afternoon AM talk show host. A couple years later I was shifted to morning show producer/talent working with the one and only Jeff Dorsey. After that, they needed somebody to do the morning show weather fill-in. I did that. Eventually, the progression, the interest...I had the skills to do the job so they basically hoisted me into TV exclusively and that's how it ended up."

Rich Cain went back to school at Mississippi State and got his degree in meteorology and has now been a trusted weather voice in the Quincy, Illinois area for 20 years putting that earlier Doppler radar skill to work. He's now the Chief Meteorologist for KHQA in Quincy.

I've had the pleasure of knowing Rich as a friend for 35 years. If not for him, I would not be doing what I do and loving it every day. If you don't already, I highly encourage you to follow him on his official Facebook page and through the KHQA website. He's one of a kind and the tri-state area is fortunate to still have him sharing his knowledge after all these years. You can listen to our full 25 minute conversation on-demand in our radio station app.