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10 Questions with ... Kidd O'Shea
February 20, 2012
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
- WKTI/Milwaukee, WI - Nights/Production - (1996-2004)
- WZEE/Madison, WI - Weekends - (1998-2000)
- WMYX/Milwaukee, WI - Mornings - (2004-Present)
- WISN-TV (Channel 12)/Milwaukee, WI - "News This Morning" Lifestyle Reporter - (2005-Present)
1) What Got You Interested In Radio?
I found a cassette tape of my brother and his friends doing a "fake" radio show in our basement. Like any younger brother you want to be doing what your older brother is doing, so I started making my own "fake" radio shows. Then I started calling radio stations at night and spending endless hours chatting with the DJs.
2) What is it about your station that you feel really makes it cut through?
We are local. Elizabeth and I are both from Milwaukee. We grew up listening to The Mix and now we are doing mornings here. You don't HAVE to have a local morning show to win, but when a big local story breaks, no one covers it like the locals do. I do believe listeners know they can trust we will let them know if something BIG is happening in Milwaukee!
3) How do you stay in tune with your audience?
One word. FACEBOOK. You can tell in an instant what is NOT important to your audience by checking out Facebook status updates. We are able to get a pulse on "What Women Want" by posting a poll or posing a question before we even go on the air.
4) What do you view as the most important issue facing radio today?
Content Delivery. How are we going to provide compelling content for our listeners in a non-traditional way? The FM signal is only one form of delivery and the other forms are highly saturated, so what are we going to do to stand out on the web?
5) Apple, Amazon, Spotify, and many others have recently introduced music in "The Cloud." What effect will these new music services have on the radio and music industries?
I think they will have the same effect that all the other Internet and satellite services have had. Does it change the way people listen to music or content? Yes. But, it will never replace radio. You can't listen to live sporting events on the cloud. You can't connect with your community on Spotify. Radio needs to finds ways to interact with these services and blend our current form of content delivery with these new ways. I am a big believer in our business and I am confident that we will continue to deliver and reach more listeners than any other form of media for a long time to come.
6) Where do you see the industry and yourself five years from now?
I think we will continue to see station staffs get smaller with syndication and voice tracking. You will hear the best talent and music on more stations. And I don't think that is a bad thing. It makes radio stronger and more proven, which in return makes the stations more attractive to advertisers. It is the job of programmers and personalities to constantly be the best you can be. You can't have a bad break, every break TRULY counts.
7) Your thoughts on Syndication and Voice-Tracking?
Become great at it and you won't hate it. If you create a compelling, topical, and entertaining show then your listeners are not going to care where it originated from. Learn it and become an expert at it!
8) Besides your own, what is your favorite radio format?
Oldies...I love this format. It gets HUGE ratings in the markets where it is done well like in LA, Phoenix, Chicago, Milwaukee, and New York. It is the "feel good" format and as we know, women turn the radio on to "feel good." Hats off to those that have mastered this format!
9) What do you consider the key to your success?
Entercom invested in our morning show by giving us access to talent coach Lorna Ozmon. She has changed the way we approach every break. She has taught us how to effectively communicate with our audience. She is the best!
10) As you look back over your career ... any regrets? Missed opportunities?
No Regrets. There have been opportunities have I passed up. I often wonder if my career would have taken a different path had I pursued those. But, I wouldn't have been able to do mornings in my hometown on a huge station with a great company. Everything happens for a reason, and I am proud of the accomplishments I have made thus far in my career. I am excited about what the future holds!
Bonus Questions
What do you do in your spare time?
Read All Access Net News. It really is a daily activity for me to keep up with what is happening in our industry. I can also spend hours on Mediabase comparing playlists and looking at logs. I stream a lot of other Hot AC stations to help generate new ways of presenting our format.
How did you get your on-air name?
When I was working at WKTI, I was using my real (and extremely German) last name. Rick Belcher walked in one day and said, "You're going to be Kidd O'Shea!" I said, "OK...I am 30% Irish." So it worked!
Tell us what music we would find on your MP3 player right now and what is it you enjoy about that particular selection?
I have a ton of music from the 60's and 70's. My parents always played The Beatles, Billy Joel, The Byrds and Neil Diamond. That music makes me "feel good" and I truly believe it is some of the best Pop music every recorded. You will also find all of "Today's Hit Music" with "Yesterday's Favorites."
What sound do you believe will be the "next big thing?"
This girl named Adele might have something?
What career path would you be following had it not been for this industry?
I don't know and it scares me. I'm not sure what else I can do? I have only done radio. But I do think I would make a good waiter or bartender?
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I wanted to be on the radio and TV. It's odd that I host a weekly morning show on 99.1 The Mix, and I spend my weekends on TV with WISN-TV the ABC affiliate in Milwaukee. I am living out my childhood dreams everyday.
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