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10 Questions with ... Chris Swick
March 28, 2023
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
I got my start in radio at 16 working for my small town Kansas station. Been in media pretty much ever since (including a four-year tour as a newspaper sports editor). I've worked for my hometown station in McPherson, KS (formerly KNGL 1540 AM/96.7 FM KBBE), as well as Hutchinson (KXKU 106.1/KSKU 97.1) and now Manhattan with KXBZ (B104.7) and KACZ (Z96.3) where I serve a program director for both. And I help out with the other three stations as needed in our cluster.
1. How would you describe your first radio gig?
Churchy. My first gig was five hours of religious music and programming on Sunday mornings. The station hadn't moved into the computer age yet (in 1996), so I was playing Southern Gospel off reel-to-reels for half an hour, then either a syndicated program or a tape-delayed service from one of the local churches for the other half of the hour. The programs were off cassette, not even CDs. The few commercials were still off carts. Working that way early on has definitely given me an appreciation of how good, technology-wise, we have it now.
2. What led you to a career in radio?
My tenth grade English class. As part of a research paper, we had to interview a member of the local media. Our choices were the radio station, someone with the local newspaper, or drive down to Wichita and interview someone on TV down there. I picked a guy named Pat Foster (who has sadly passed), and he made radio seem like the coolest job. I then bugged them for a job for the next six months until the Sunday morning gig above opened up.
3. You're on the air every day covering middays, what does that part of your day mean to you?
It's a chance to get to connect with the listeners and to outlet my crazy a littlel. We get to talk what's going on in our lives, in our community. The way I do my time on-air is very much "friends hanging out and shooting the (redacted)." If there's something big happening in town (like K-State's NCAA tournament run), I'm talking about it. Especially on Country radio in a rural area, you have to be a real human being and not just a liner factory. Is there some of that? Absolutely. It's radio. We have to promote our stuff. But do it in a way that's relatable, not just straight reading the copy you're handed.
4. Who would be a dream guest to have come to the studio and plug in across from you?
I'm going to say Charlie Daniels. I loved him as a kid and had a chance a few years ago to interview him on the phone, and my mind just misfired because it was Charlie Freaking Daniels. Terrible interview. I would have loved to get a do-over.
5. How do we become more attractive to the potential Gen Z and Generation Alpha audiences?
I had a conversation with someone in the building about this and he was adamant that radio needs to get back to our music discovery roots to hook Gen Z as listeners. As in, we have to be the place they go to discover new music. I disagreed. Because of TikTok and the like, a song is going to go viral before we get a hold of it. And then we play it way past its expiration date (Looking at you "Running Up That Hill'). Building around 'music discovery' worked for Gen X and older millennials, because radio was what we had. For Gen Z, that's definitely not the case. I think, to attract Gen Z, we have to feature Gen Z talent and not try to force them into the same radio box that a lot of us have become settled in. They're the ones who are going to best know what their peers are interested in experiencing, not this 40-something dude from Kansas.
6. What is the most challenging part of your job these days?
Right now, it's staffing. Because we're a community built around a D-1 college and a military base, people move on constantly. We're pretty barebones at the moment in areas that absolutely require local talent (i.e studio engineers of sports broadcasts and news reporters). I have to do some of that myself, in addition to my other duties, just because the people aren't there.
7. How's the talent pool been…are you finding that there's a 'next generation' of broadcasters looking at a career in radio?
I work a little bit with the K-State radio station (KSDB 91.9), and they have a lot of talented kids who are doing some outstanding things, especially on the Talk and Sports side of things. The next generation is absolutely out there.
8. What's your all-time favorite backstage memory?
My birthday one year happened to fall on a Josh Abbott Band show at a local bar called Longhorns. It was the spot for country music in Aggieville at the time. After his set, Josh Abbott hung out with us in the back and had a few drinks. Did not get him to sing "Happy Birthday," though.
9. What was your favorite station(s) to listen to when you were a kid? Jock(s)?
T95 and KFDI in Wichita. I did my homework in the afternoons to Paul Harvey's "The Rest of the Story" on KFDI, which aired at 4:20 p.m. every day. I also listened to my hometown station a lot, even before I worked there, because it was what my grandparents always had on.
10. Who were your mentors? Who would you say has influenced your career the most?
This section could be huge, because I try to learn something from everyone I work with. Early on, though, it was Bob Hapgood, who was the morning show host when I broke in at the McPherson station. He and Gary Jordan, who worked nights. Both were always willing to give pointers and tips.
Bonus Questions
With the venue of choice at your disposal and an unlimited budget, which 6 acts would you pull together to throw a massive listener concert?
Red Rocks Amphitheatre. As for acts, George Strait, Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift (Don't judge me…. evermore and folklore are awesome.), Eric Church, The Rolling Stones, and Zach Bryan.
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