Idaho Falls Radio: Brad Barlow To EXIT KFTZ

Brad Barlow and Tara Moss

He’s been waking up every day at 4:30 a.m. for nearly 20 years but soon Brad Barlow will finally get to sleep in.

The KFTZ Z103 host announced Monday he’s leaving radio in June to focus on his photography business. Barlow and Tara Moss have hosted the popular Brad and Tara Show for over 15 years.

“Tara is one of my best friends and I’ll miss her,” Barlow tells EastIdahoNews.com. “I’ll miss the Z103 audience. I’ll miss making people laugh. I’ll miss the station.”

Barlow began working weekend shifts at Z103 in 1994 when he was in high school. After graduation, he was hired for an afternoon gig and was then promoted to the morning show. He’s had a few different co-hosts through the years but when he was teamed up with Moss in 2000, something clicked.

“I thought I went to another level when it was me and Tara,” Barlow says. “The show got great when I realized that Tara was funnier than me. When I realized I could let go and follow, things got really good.”

In the ever-changing radio industry, it’s rare to have a team of DJs remain together so long at one station. The pair have “laughed so hard it hurt” and “ugly cried dozens of times” over the years, according to Barlow, and it helps that both were born and raised in Idaho Falls.

“I’ve loved Z103 since the day it launched on the air,” Barlow recalls. “My dad came home from work one day when I was in elementary school and said, ‘They ruined my radio station but you’re going to love it.'”

He’s pleased that Jakoby Winters, Z103’s evening DJ, will be joining the morning show next week as Barlow transitions out.

“I hired Jakoby for Z103 nights three years ago and he is funny and charming and kind,” Barlow says. “He will be perfect for this role.”