After 35 years in the radio business, 103.7 Q-Country (WQNY-FM) morning host and Operations Manager for the Cayuga Media Group (Saga Broadcasting, Ithaca, NY), Chris Allinger announced to his listeners this morning that he is set to retire later this year.

Entering the Ithaca radio business in 1990, Chris has had the rare good fortune to spend his whole career hosting the morning show on the same frequency, 103.7FM, waking up the region with a combination of music and quirky personality.

Chris was known for a series of fundraisers in the form of creative radio broadcasts supporting local charities. It wasn’t unusual to see him spend days high up in a 50-foot bucket truck or 100 feet in the air in a pickup truck to collect canned goods. He even spent 2 days sealed in a solid block of ice. Most recently, Chris took to the streets again, spending a week walking to each town in Tompkins County to collect donations to fund programs of the Food Bank of the Southern Tier. Many locals will remember being among the 5000 who descended on a gas station in Groton to try to set the “Line Dancing World Record”.

“It’s amazing to me that Radio gave me the ability to raise a family, be a part of a community and have so much fun making so many ‘best friends’ “, says Allinger.

“It’s been a pleasure to work with Chris over the years,” said Cayuga Media Group President Chet Osadchey, “He is truly one of the kindest and most authentic people I have ever worked with. Chris is the same person to everyone in the building that he is to all his massive radio listening audience. He has been a truly great radio ambassador.”

While no actual date has been given. Allinger told listeners that he’d be winding down the show in August. In the meantime, the station has several fun and unique promotional and programming features to air throughout the back portion of 2025.