-
10 Questions with ... Sean Knight
March 13, 2017
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Brief? In reverse order: KRCB-FM PD/OM/etc. currently; KSXY PD; KMXH afernoons; Entertainment, Inc. Marketing & IT; KBCD MD/afternoons; KQAR/KDDK-A producer & overnight VT/middays; WMPS mornings & MD; KQAR night stalker; Roadrunner Records Alt. Promo; Immortal Records Promo Dir.; Smash Records Promo Coord.; Chicago Music Pool/AudioTalent record pool Director; Club DJ for 30-some-odd years.
1. How did you become interested in radio?
The big Magnavox stereo in the living room playing then-Top 40 KAAY. It sounded like F-U-N. And it was. HUGE signal that you could hear from Minnesota to Cuba at night. Clear-channel 50kw blowtorch with PERSONALITY. That, and knowing the late, great Pat Walsh.
2. How long have you been at KRCB?
Eleven years!
3. What kind of market reach does KRCB have?
Being an "under-funded, listener-supported, community-powered public station" with a compromised signal, it is better than many expect! We are a Triple A/NPR station co-located with a TV station. We have the FM on all available Comcast systems that our TV station covers. So we have available an area from Ukiah to Mountain View and East Bay to the ocean.
4. How would you describe the music on the station?
Awesome. We are generally a Triple A station with people passionate about the music. We cover rock, blues, folk, bluegrass, world, R&B, jazz and even some electronic. We have about 30 local programmers and carry programs like World Café, Beale Street Caravan, eTown, Folk Alley and Mountain Stage.
5. How do you conduct your music meetings?
It varies. We have a weekly new music show that airs on Tuesdays at 11a. MD Brian Griffith and Music Librarian Doug Jayne go through huge piles of music to figure out what best fits the personality of the station. Then they play them.
6. Tell us about some the specialty shows you air.
How much time have you got? KRCB sounds like Sonoma County. We have a blues show; a show that focuses on percussionists, a three-hour folk and roots music show on Saturdays, a four-hour jazz program Saturday nights. We also have shows for prog-rock, world music, electronica, ambient and chill; one dedicated to New Orleans music; one for folk, bluegrass, alternative country, singer-songwriter, Americana and more. That’s just some of the LOCAL programmers.
7. Do you get to tap into some the video capabilities of your sister TV station?
We do! I’ve had many of the programmers make video promos for their shows and we air them throughout every day of the week. We also tape artist interviews when they come to the studio. We edit them and some make it to TV as interstitials; and post whole interviews with song performances and edited individual song performances on YouTube, Facebook, our website and other social media. I’m always thinking of ways to use our TV station to help the radio station.
8. What is your biggest challenge at the station?
a) Our "compromised" signal. We have a main signal licensed to Windsor, CA that doesn't have a lot of southern penetration in the area, supplemented by a translator in downtown Santa Rosa. It's not a lot of power, but we're making the most of it promoting the app and the cable coverage. There are more than 40 different full-power signals that get into the market, I don't know how many LPFMs, and dozens of translators. It's a lot to work around. Then there's this same-frequency station to the south that can cause interference.
b) No marketing budget and no staff to be out at many of the events in the area. I've personally donated banners, hundreds of hours of time, thousands of miles on the car to try to be at events that are pertinent to our format, or other initiatives that we are working on.
c) A commercial station in the market that's sort of a competitor, but not really. We're just trying to expose artists both local and national just like I think they are. They have like 200x the power that we do. So there's that. Ha!
d) Fundraising. We've had a bit of an upswing on fundraising, but we've also endured some very lean years.9. What is your typical day like?
Crazy! Since I have four different computer systems in my office – one for business, one for production, one for the automation and one that records all of the local programmers’ programs as well as the 24/7 skimmer – it’s perfect for someone with adult ADD. When one takes too long to complete a task, move to another one and finish a task there ... and repeat. With 30 volunteer programmers, I also have to be sure they are up-to-date on happenings, check to see if they have artists coming into the station, or any other on-air shenanigans going on. I also have to be sure the website is on point with programs for the week, schedule all the programming -- sometimes find programming in case something doesn’t happen as it’s supposed to -- make sure all the promos are current, engineer and produce pre-recorded programs that air on weekends, engineering ISDN sessions for national and international clients, train interns, make sure the underwriting is in the system and correctly worded, wading through the hundreds of daily emails, plan for staffing at events (well, that’s usually me + banners, T-shirts, stickers, schedules, fundraising forms, sound, canopy, beverages), and always thinking about fundraising. You know – typical PD/OM/Traffic/Production stuff at a public radio station. Oh – and getting great music on the air. That’s just some of the things I have waiting for me every day. When I’m good, I get to use the phone.
10. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without ... ?
... music, my "Taylor Maid" coffee, pecans & almonds, and dark chocolate.
Bonus Question
Last non-industry job:
I can’t remember that far back, or remember any job not around music, the music industry or radio.
First record ever purchased:
ELO Eldorado. Can’t get it out of my head. Oh, no, no, no.
First concert:
Emerson, Lake and Palmer. It was supposed to be Lynyrd Skynyrd on 10/22/77. I wish I knew where those tickets are hiding.
Favorite band of all-time:
Oh. Gosh. How do I pick just one? Beatles. Yes. ELO. ELP. Pink Floyd. Fleetwood Mac. Depeche Mode. New Order. Parliament/Funkadelic. Chicago. Cheap Trick. Heart. Blur. Jesus Jones. Rage Against The Machine. Korn. U2. Psychedelic Furs. The Band. Rolling Stones. ZZ Top. Kool & The Gang. Weezer. Bob Marley & The Wailers. The Police. Rush. Queensryche. Alice in Chains. Temptations. This could go on for days...
What do you do in your spare time?
What is this "spare time" thing you speak of? I have this yard full of weeds. Oh - you said enjoy? Traveling!
-
-