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10 Questions with ... Brian Karre
September 26, 2006
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NAME:Brian KarreWEBSITE:www.briankarreonline.comTITLE:PD/MorningsSTATIONS:KZJH (KZ-95)MARKET:Jackson Hole, WyomingCOMPANY:Chaparral BroadcastingBORN:May 24, 1973RAISED:Omaha, Nebraska
Please outline your radio career so far:
KEFM 96.1 Omaha, Nebraska 1997-1998 (Weekend Overnights)
KZJH KZ95 Jackson Hole, Wyoming 1998-2006 (current employer)1) What led you into a career in radio? Early influences?
My first experiences in radio were at a few colleges in the Nebraska and Iowa area. I wasn't really a great student. At any given time, I would be willing to bet that I was pretty much the dumbest person on whatever campus I happened to be at. Sometimes I would just stare at what the professor wrote on the chalkboards with my jaw dropped and eyes turned up, like a pedestrian who just witnessed a horrible accident. I very rarely had any idea what they were talking about. The broadcast type things were always fun though. I remember Omaha radio being good when I was just getting started. Some great morning shows, and some really strong stations AM and FM that had been around for awhile. A lot of those same stations and personalities are still there today. I go home a couple times a year, and when I'm there I always make sure to catch some of that stuff.
2) Who is your favorite air personality not on your staff?
I have always been a pretty big Free Beer and Hot Wings fan. I will check out their web site a couple times a month. On a national level, Jim Rome and Dan Patrick, Imus and Dennis Prager. I've never really lived in an area that had Stern, but when I have heard him it's always been pretty impressive. I like some of the talent within our cluster as well. Our four morning show hosts alone have close to 50 years experience just with this company. I think radio is healthy these days.
3) What career path would you be following had it not been for this industry?
I would pursue writing more aggressively. I have not had success with anything I have completed at this point in time, and probably never will, but it gets me away from the business a little.
4) What's your take on current music? Is it as good as six months ago, better, or about the same? Elaborate.
I don't really see a difference in the strength of writing or melodies. The deliveries seem to change with technology, but I have never been one to think that one generation is better than another.
5) What motivates your co-workers? Describe the relationship you have with them?
Their show is pretty much their show. Everybody working on our station has their own interests in the community. We have an investigative reporter type newspaper guy who is always interviewing somebody you would never expect to be on the radio. A local actress who gets her theatre friends involved. So they get to be who they want to be. We are definitely not the most normal people on earth, but I think everybody really understands each other.
6) How do they motivate you?
I get motivated when they repeatedly tell me how much I suck.
7) How do you stay in touch with the latest music trends?
I listen to all the songs listed in the Cool New Music Section in ALL ACCESS a couple times a week. That is a pretty strong feature you guys have. I will also check out Radio and Records and listen to pretty much anything that comes into the station. We get a lot of cool deep cuts from people on the street. Every time I see somebody I ask, "what are you listening to?" You never know where the next three minutes is going to come from.
8) How do you position the station musically?
We consider ourselves progressive Hot AC. Hit orientated retro, rock and top forty from today and the past. Pretty much anything on that interchangeable highway of pop bells that makes us all feel good. Steve Miller "Rockin Me," Bob Dylan "Like a Rolling Stone," Bruce Springsteen "Born to Run," AC/DC "Shook me all night long, Def Leppard "Animal," Whitesnake "Here I go again," The Killers "All These Things That I Have Done," U2 "Beautiful Day," Colplay "Speed Of Sound," Green Day "Holiday" and "Whatsername," Taking Back Sunday "Damn Sure," The Strokes "You Only Live Once," New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle," Depeche Mode, "Blasphemous Rumors," Replacements, "I'll Be You," Psych Furs "Heartbreak Beat," The Cure, Counting Crows, Los Lonely Boys "Diamonds," Sheryl Crow "Steve McQueen," Billy Joel and Elton John, Sting "You Still Touch Me," The Veronicas "When It All Falls Apart," Kelly Clarkson "Since You've Been Gone" and all your Fall out Boy, All American Rejects and Panic at the Disco.
9) Why did your company choose this direction?
There is a Triple A station down the hall that has a large selection of your Adult Alternative, Jam Band, Allman Brothers, Grateful Dead and Reggae stuff. This gives listeners a couple totally different options. For the most part we try not to step into their ground, but I still follow that chart, so we don't let "The Fray's" and "KT Tunstall's" slip by us. We will even mix in some acts that haven't been signed to big labels if they sound good. A singer/songwriter named Jay Nash had a record called, "Eleanor," this year that seemed to fit really well with what were doing.
10) Please describe the best promotion you've ever been part of?
Dressing people up in gigantic cartoon-like costume has worked well. Five or six years ago we started this "KZ-95 Dancing Santa" thing around Christmas. We strap a boom box on his shoulder with the Kingsmen, Louie Louie, playing over and over, while dancing on street corners and giving away presents. We also had the KZ-95 free bird, a giant human-sized bird giving away Lynard Skynard tickets. Since the shows inception Mckinly the perverted Irish Midget on St. Patty's Day (He gooses women who don't wear green) has always been around. I always end up driving hundreds of miles away to get the costumes, and for some reason every time we rent anything with tights I never get the deposit back.
Bonus Questions
Who would be your dream guest on the show?
I've always been a huge Chevy Chase fan, so that would be a good time. Tons of others, but I won't bore yah to death.
Who do you owe a debt of gratitude in the business?
Dwight Lane and Sean Lowman, the PD's who hired me. Woody our weather guy has been great to work with every morning and the current management here at Jackson Hole radio, for giving us the opportunity to keep this ever-expanding format growing. That's really been fun.
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