On July 26, 1968, Mark Kanov began his first day in radio as a green, 23-year-old salesman at WQXI-FM.

He had no clue how difficult it was to sell FM radio at a time when only 15 percent of the population owned one. But that day, he persuaded a contact at Atlanta Wig Imports to buy $950 worth of ads, the biggest buy ever for the fledgling station.

"How did you do that?" his amazed boss, Jerry Blum, asked him.

"Isn't that what you're paying me to do?" Kanov replied.

Today, 40 years later, Kanov works his final day as general manager, credited as the man who shaped what is now Star 94 into a powerhouse top-40 station.

Grayer but still grinning, Kanov said four decades to the day seemed a fitting departure point.

"I've accomplished everything I ever imagined here at the radio station," he said Thursday. "I just turned 63. I'm healthy. I want to enjoy the rest of my life. I want to travel and do charity work."

He stayed so long because he loved his job, never needing an alarm clock to wake up.

"I kind of knew I had a great situation," he said. "We were allowed the freedom to work as if we were entrepreneurs. We were never kept under a microscope."

Kanov took advantage of the rise of FM over AM, endured three station name changes (WQXI to 94Q to Star 94) and three ownership changes. He embraced the popular 94Q Chattahoochee Ramblin' Raft Race and sold millions in ads for two legendary morning shows.

But Kanov wasn't anything like cheesy sales guy Herb Tarlick or his clueless boss, Arthur "Big Guy" Carlson, in the 1970s sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati," which was actually inspired by sister station WQXI-AM.

Rather, Kanov wore impeccably starched shirts and spotless suits during his stint as a sales guy, sometimes vacuuming his own office. He developed warm and lucrative relationships with clients such as Coca-Cola and HiFi Buys.

"HiFi Buys filled my house with stereo equipment," said Gary McKee, a popular host on the top-40 station from 1972 until 1989. "Mark had a lot do with that."

As Kanov rose in management, he developed a sixth sense in hiring the right people. To this day, annual turnover at the station is below 5 percent, an unheard of rate in a notoriously volatile business.

Rob Stearns, a salesman at the station since 1985, said Kanov's test of character is whether he'd want you over for Sunday dinner.

"He wasn't necessarily going to invite you over Sunday night, but he did want to know if he could do it," Stearns said.

Kanov also protected his people from the higher-ups.

"He'd push back," Stearns said. "Corporate would say you need to increase sales 12 percent. The other general managers would just nod their heads. He'd say, 'That's an unrealistic number. ... Let's make it attainable so people have a sense of accomplishment.' "

Kanov also watched the bottom line, making sure on-air staff didn't cross sponsors.

Tommy Sullivan, an on-air personality for the station for 30 years, said whenever he uttered anything that might peeve an advertiser, he could count the seconds before Kanov appeared behind the studio glass giving a "slit the neck" motion.

Yet Kanov also employed a self-effacing sense of humor.

When he won a lifetime achievement award in 1999, he planted Sullivan in the audience. After Kanov said, "Every employee is well-treated. We value them," he had Sullivan stand up and yell bull. Five seconds of silence ensued, then the audience got the joke.

Kanov nurtured the Star 94 brand. For many years the station geared itself to soccer moms and their kids, led by Steve McCoy and Vikki Locke, chipper morning hosts who were like the Regis and Kathy Lee of Atlanta.

"They had relatability and likability. They connected with people's everyday lives," he said. "They just became comfortable."

Ratings peaked in the late 1990s, with the station even landing at No. 1 for one quarter.

But with competition from new stations the Beat and Q100, ratings have eroded this decade. "Everyone wanted a piece of us," Kanov said. "The audience fragmented out."

The station ranked No. 12 in the most recent winter 2008 Arbitron ratings among 25- to 54-year-olds, down from consistent top-five finishes a few years ago.

Despite the ratings slide, Star 94 last year ranked No. 3 in Atlanta in revenue behind R&B/hip-hop station V-103 and news/talk WSB-AM, according to BIA Financial Network. Star 94 generated $24.4 million in 2007, vs. a peak of $30 million-plus earlier in the decade.

Last year, Kanov made the most difficult decision of his career: letting the Steve & Vikki show go. Their audience, he said, had gotten too old for the station. Neither host took to the move too kindly, and neither would comment much about Kanov.

McCoy said he had 16 great years out of 17 there while Locke said only, "I wish him the best." Neither showed up at his going-away party last week.

Kanov leaves a station in transition. A new morning show, the Morning Mess, alienated many Steve & Vikki fans. He said it will take at least a year to determine whether the Mess can build audience, but he likes its fresh, younger feel.

Naturally, Kanov is confident Star 94 will shine without him.

"This station is not about any one person," Kanov said. "This is an organization that has incredible professional people. They'll bring someone else in to take Star to the next level."

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MARK KANOV CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

> As WQXI-FM's first full-time salesman, proved FM was a viable format in the late 1960s.

> Sold millions in ads during Gary McKee's heyday as morning host of 94Q in the '70s and '80s.

> As general manager, helped build Star 94 into Atlanta's biggest top-40 station in the '90s with Steve & Vikki at the morning helm.

> Gave high school student Ryan Seacrest a chance to be a DJ years before he became "American Idol's" host. "A natural born talent," Kanov said.

> Brought in Cindy & Ray in 2002 for a personality-based afternoon show, a risky move that paid off in spades.

> Leased 790/WQXI-AM in 1997 to Steak Shapiro and Andrew Saltzman, who built successful sports station the Zone.