10 Questions with ... Kevin Klein

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

• Lied about being in college to get an internship at WRQX while still in high school.
• 5 year later, lied about still being in college to get an internship at WHFS.
• Lied about being a paid employee at WHFS to get nights at WKRL/WKLL
• Lied to myself about being qualified to then take over mornings at WKRL.
• Moved to NYC to launch/host shows on MTV/VH1 Radio (formerly on XM).
• Weekends/Nights WXRK (K-ROCK)
• Hired by Sirius and Playboy to create/host a morning show on SiriusXM.
• Regular LOVELINE fill-in host w/ Dr. Drew.
• KITS Mornings
• Answering All Access 20 Questions while eating Lucky Charms out of a pasta strainer. #success

1. When we first met a lifetime ago you were Ed Levine's houseboy K'N Kevin in Syracuse. What has changed?

Ed Levine is my houseboy now. Although, I respect him too much for that, so I call him my "House Man." Honestly, not much has changed. I still think radio is the purest form of entertainment, and my beard is less patchy now.

2. Tell us about your TV career.

"Career" is a strong word. My last radio show turned into a TV show, so they were stuck with me. It was fewer hours, higher paying, and only 4 days a week, but I missed the grind and interaction of daily radio, so I chose to leave the greatest job anyone could have ever asked for to wake up at 3:30a and get my own coffee. Aside from that my mug pops up on TV from time to time, I've written jokes for a few Comedy Central Roasts, and I have a few shows in "development" (which is a fancy TV way of saying, they will never be made).

3. What led you to Live 105 2 ½ years ago?

My GPS. I know how rare it is to be able to start a brand new show with a whole new team in a major market these days. I saw it as an opportunity that I had to take. I actually had to get hired for this job three different times before it actually "counted." First, Chris Olivero had Michael Martin meet with me, and then I had to impress Kevin Weatherly and Doug Harvill. Finally, the new PD, Jacent Jackson had to sign off. Come to think of it, I'm actually still not sure if I've officially been hired yet.

4. You recently signed a new multi-year contract in mornings and your PD Jacent Jackson said your show sounds like nothing else on the dial. How would you describe Kevin Klein Live?

These days, radio doesn't get a lot of respect, and much of that is brought on by lame cookie-cutter shows that all pretty much cover the same topics in the same uncreative ways. I made a decision that I wouldn't waste a second of airtime talking about celebrity birthdays or Kardashian gossip, or reading TMZ to my audience, or celebrating National Candy Bar Day. Instead, we are forced to create content, and generate our own universe that is unique to Live105 between 6-10am. So how would I describe Kevin Klein LIVE? Gluten Free.

5. I read that Kevin Klein Live is the most interactive show in the future of radio. Explain and tell us about working with Ally and the rest of the team.

When I started talking with CBS Radio about building a morning show, I wanted to start from scratch with a team who had ZERO radio experience. I wanted to avoid the bad/lazy habits that so many people develop, so I found people who I thought were interesting and had good work ethics. Ally, Dead Eyes, Useless Weirdo, and Twinkie are a lot of fun to work with, but the interaction with the audience is the lifeblood of the show. What makes radio different/better than podcasts is the LIVE back and forth you have with your listeners. Why would you not maximize and celebrate that? Our audience has done far more to promote and grow the show than our own company. They have made us billboards, built us parade floats, gotten us exposure on ESPN, etc.

6. What is your show prep routine?

I work on the show from 10am until my wife yells at me for the third time to come to bed around 9pm. I see the other shows in my building sprinting out the door at 9:59am. People always seem so shocked that we are still at the studio until 3 or 4pm most days.

7. What is your favorite part of the show?

Don't have one yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I do. We invented a fake award to get higher caliber guests to join us. Famous people like winning awards, so we created The Millennial of the Millennium Memorial Award aka a MOMMA. We told a few hundred celebrities that they won it and shockingly, we've had about 30 come on air to accept it. We also accept a lot of invitations to speak at big events, even though we were never invited in the first place. We have forced our way into Christmas Tree lightings, graduations, weddings, Warriors press conferences, etc.

8. What do you love most doing mornings on Live 105?

LIVE105 has been through something like 10 morning shows since Howard Stern, so the thing I like most right now is that we get to keep doing this thing until 2026 (I haven't read my contract yet).

9. What is it like working for Jacent Jackson?

I would go on and on about how amazing Jacent is, but then he'd probably just tell me to do it in a more concise way. (See, I listen.)

10. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _________?

Claritin.

What are weekends like for you?

I have a new born baby, so my weekends are spent Googling ways to clean poop out of an iPhone. Also, I'm selling my iPhone is anyone is interested.

What do you love most about the Bay Area?

Very affordable rent. Everyone should move here.

What do you miss most about living on the east coast?

My grandmother. She's dead now, so thanks for bringing it up.

What do you hate more cats or kale?

It's a dead heat. Society is fake obsessed with both. I met a woman who named her cat Kale, so I'll go with that.

Anything else you would like to add?

15-20% depending.