-
10 Questions with ... JB King
March 3, 2009
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
NAME:JB KingPOSITION:APD/MD/afternoonsSTATION:KLUCMARKET:Las Vegas, NVCOMPANY:CBS RadioBORN:San Francisco, CARAISED:Oakland, CA
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
KDVS/Davis, CA (1992), KSFM/Sacramaneto, CA (1992-1998), KLUC/Las Vegas (1998-present)
1. If you weren't in Radio, what gig in Las Vegas would be your perfect gig?
Honestly....I don't know................I'd love to be a "Casino-Whale"......defined: A high roller, lavish "perks" from casinos, private jets, limos, the best suites, etc.........but in reality, probably something in local marketing or exploring the growing Las Vegas film industry.
2. Without mentioning names, ever seen a co-worker implode after coming to work in Las Vegas
Oh yeah.......a few times......and a few competing DJ's & programmers. In Vegas, there is a party somewhere 24/7......you always "know someone" that has you on their list, no line, celebs, open bar....many times the next party is better then the last.....constant invitations to the hottest new club, casino openings, magazine parties, LV shows.......always feeling like if you don't go out, or if you don't stay out, you'll miss something.....people constantly wanting you to stay.......leaving a club at 6 or 7 in the morning and rolling right to the station......it just doesn't work.
3. You have a ridiculous number of celebrity visitors in Las Vegas and at KLUC. Do you have a favorite? What about a least favorite?
I've been able to interview Akon and Usher multiple times and both are great guys, Baby Bash is in LV a lot and always stops by. The least favorite......most of the reality show peeps. They all seem to have some sense of entitlement, like we owe it to them to put them on the air......honestly 99% of them, I could care less.......what sucks is that many of them seem to gravitate to LV, lucky me.
4. What's your favorite record on the station right now?
I really like TI/JT- Dead & Gone, Keri Hilson- Turnin' Me On, The Veronicas- Untouched
5. Your market is a favorite and frequent stop for record promotion reps. Have you "heard" any juicy strip club stories?
HAHA.....for some odd reason, many seem to include the names **** and **** (omitted by CBS legal)....the best one is probably.... When **** and **** left a strip club, got into a taxi, arrived at a golf tournament for my PD Cat Thomas' b-day, where **** fell out of a golf cart, not once but twice......I don't think he made it to the 5th hole.......Another, I know a local rep who was with a one hit wonder hip hop artist who demanded she max out her card at a strip club. .........But probably, the funniest story is from 1999 or 2000 or 2001, when I was with a rep in a limo with a boy band member and his entourage, heading to a strip club and for some reason my key guard on my phone wasn't on (note the date)......well, the last number I called was my PD Cat Thomas' house. So, at about 3am, I get a call from his house, it's his wife, she just had there first kid and she proceeds to let me have it......my phone was in my back pocket and kept redialing there number, in the limo, at the club, etc.......that's one of the times I thought Cat might fire me.
6. When visitors come to Las Vegas, they generally see The Strip for gambling and the shows. Give us a hidden treasure in Las Vegas...somewhere a visitor may be very surprised to find?
Outside of the strip, Vegas is a really great city, with actually some very interesting history. Red Rock Canyon, Mt. Charleston, Lake Mead, are just a few areas. Its funny after people move to LV, they all say the same thing, "Wow, I didn't realize how much of a community feel there is in Vegas".
7. What about your Radio career might you have done differently?
Honestly, not much.......at times I have been too focused on work (Hi, I'm JB and I'm a work-a-holic)..... I have on occasion let work get in the way of my personal life, but I'm working on it.
8. You're in a great situation...great market...great station. What about a PD gig...ready?
Yea, I'd say so.....but to use your words from above, it'd have to be an equally great situation/market/station...... I really believe that I have one of the best gigs in the country right now. Love the city, a great boss, great staff, quality of life is hard to match in any other city.
9. What makes KLUC special in the market?
With Las Vegas being the entertainment capital of the world, the city oozes with a MAJOR market feel, that will rival NY or LA, but with the medium market closeness. I really feel like KLUC is a major part of the city and our listener's lifestyle.
10. You've worked with Dir./FM Programming Cat Thomas for many years. What secret about Cat do you think few people know? Keep in mind he is also a husband and father.
Everyone knows he loves the Buckeyes, he's kind of a gadget geek...... but many don't know that he has tons of stories, the bad part is, he forgets who he tells stories to, so you often get the same stories time and time again......sometimes I'll hear the same story 2-3 times in one week.
Bonus Questions
Compare your "perfect night out" in Las Vegas circa 2000 to "perfect night out" in Las Vegas circa 2009.
I still love going out and hanging out........in 2000, I'd do it a few times a week, great dinner, big club, possible strip club......2009, I only seem to go out once a week, dinner, and a cool lounge or just a mellow bar.....beers and video poker watching a game.
Do you listen to many stations that stream on the Internet? Any of them particularly impressive?
I listen on-line a few times a week and try to find good content with each station. Personally, there's something about listening on-line that doesn't give me the same excitement as turning on the radio in my office.....I know, kind of weird. I think one of the best is KIIS......we are constantly trying to upgrade what we do at www.kluc.com .... And KIIS is a great example......they have tons of ideas that need to be stolen. (HAHA)
-
-