Kerry Jackson (left), Bill Allred and Gina Barberi. Photo courtesy of X96/RADIO FROM HELL
For 40 years, Bill Allred, Kerry Jackson and Gina Barberi greeted Utahns who “woke up feeling like hell.” A mix of news, comedy and conversation, Radio From Hell’s hosts have outlasted every radio show in Utah by doing something simple: being themselves.
Great Moments in Radio From Hell History
1986 | Proto-Radio From Hell hits the airwaves
Beginning on KJQ-N in Ogden, the proto-Radio From Hell is called The Fun Pigs, a morning show hosted by Kerry Jackson and Bill Allred.
1988 | Pigs Be Gone!
KJQ music format changes from Top 40 to Alternative and Kerry and Bill drop the Fun Pigs moniker and strike up Radio From Hell.
1990 | Kerry and Bill go to the U.S.S.R.
In a promotion for Morris Travel, Kerry and Bill join a trip to what was then the Soviet Union. The group all stayed with different Russian families. “We took meals at their dinner table, we drank their vodka, and stayed up late almost every night,” Bill says. “It was a highlight of my life.”
1993 | RFH is reborn at X96
After spending a year apart following KJQ’s implosion, Kerry and Bill reunite at the recently launched X96. The pair revive the Radio From Hell show, laying the foundation for the next three decades.
1996 | Gina Barberi joins the show
In 1996, Gina is working for KUTQ on a competing show called Woody and Barberi with Scott Woodmansee. Her move to X96 prompts a legal battle between the two radio stations.
1995–2004 | Kerry and Bill go to the Olympics
In cooperation with Coca-Cola Radio, Kerry and Bill record live from the Olympics in Atlanta, Nagano, Sydney, Salt Lake City and Athens.
1999 | RFH joins the Utah Pride Parade
KB&G are invited to join the Utah Pride Parade and meet pushback from management. Undeterred, they decorate a personal vehicle to ape the station’s branding. The stunt leaves egg on management’s face and RFH becomes a staple at the Pride Parade.
2001 | The 9/11 Moment
After the second tower was hit, KB&G pivot to non-stop news coverage. “On 9/11, we stopped playing music and just talked,” Gina says. They patch in national networks and stay on the air to read wire updates, open phone lines and attempt to process the tragedy in real time with the audience. The broadcast proves the counterculture rock morning show can handle serious, historic events.
2005 | Radio From Hell goes to Gina’s wedding
X96 partners with a travel agency and sells an exclusive “Radio From Hell in Hawaii” trip. Dozens of dedicated Utah listeners fly out to the island alongside the gang and attend a fans-only reception.
2006 | 20th anniversary
The show celebrates 20 years dating back to its KJQ origins and reaches its 5,000th broadcast two years later, in 2008.
2009 | First Sundance appearance
KB&G broadcast live from the Sundance Film Festival and each year after.
October 2010 | 10 cities in 10 days
RFH records live from 10 Utah towns. The tradition continues for five more years.
October 2010 | RFH Goes Back to School
KB&G tour cities and Utah colleges “inspiring Utah’s youth” with “no curriculum prepared and zero respect for formal education.” The show had hoped to broadcast on the BYU campus and even offered to change the name to “Radio From Heck.” The offer was not accepted. KB&G do the show from a business across the street from the school.
2016 | Radio From Hell Takes Manhattan
The tour features high-profile segments including visiting Jon Stewart at The Daily Show, recording interviews across the city and dinners with dedicated East Coast fans. This year also marks Gina’s 20th anniversary with the show.
2026 | The 40th anniversary
With more than 8,000 live broadcasts, RFH is the longest-running morning radio show in Salt Lake City history.
This article was written by University of Utah student journalist Laney Hansen for the Spring 2026 Voices of Utah capstone class. It is published by non-profit Amplify Utah to elevate perspectives in local media through emerging journalism.
