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10 Questions with ... Phil 'PK' Kukawinski
July 30, 2019
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. I'm not here to placate or mislead anyone. If I think something sounds good, you'll know. If I don't think it sounds good, you'll definitely know. I feel that honesty is important to everyone. If I don't like a song, I don't want 10 different people asking me if I'm going to play it. I'll be the first to admit that if there's something I don't like that shows positive signs, I'll happily play it. Personal taste can sometimes be a bad thing when it comes to making those decisions, but I'll always trust my gut (at first)
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Started out as an intern at 89X (CIMX) in Detroit, MI. Climbed the ladder there until 2017 and moved to Scranton, PA to be PD at ALT 92.1 (WFUZ). Two years later, now here at ALT 105.1 (WGHL).
1. After a couple years in your first PD gig at WFUZ (ALT 92.1)/Wilkes Barre-Scranton, what led you to your current job at WGHL (ALT 105.1) earlier this year?
I was looking for a change in the atmosphere that I was in. I ran into a lot of hurdles while I was in Scranton (a lot of false hope, disagreements with the future of the station, etc.). After a few years of helping really launch the station, I felt it was time for a change. I had positioned the station into the top 5 in our key demo for the first time and was proud of the job I had done. The appeal of the station here in Louisville was mainly that it was the same situation I had been put in when I arrived in Scranton with a recently flipped station, so I was eager for the challenge and to have the opportunity to put my stamp on a new station. The team here with Alpha was incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic; it made the decision very easy.
2. Louisville had been without an Alternative station for about 10 years before the station flipped to Alternative about a year ago. What are your goals for growing the ALT 105.1 brand in Louisville?
It's been far too long since there's been Alternative and Rock in the market. Honestly, I think it's even longer than 10 years, which is insane to think about. Right now we're still building and developing the station for people that are still discovering us. There's a lot of excitement from the community about having an Alternative Rock station back, so we're really making sure that we do things right and continue to develop that new base of listeners that have missed out on this sound for so long.
3. Give us the 411 on music and imaging on ALT 105.1.
Musically, we're right down the center with the Alternative sound. We don't have a problem leaning one way or the other, though. We're really looking to build the station for new listeners, so we're sticking with the core sound that we know can be successful, with artists like Cage The Elephant, Black Keys, Twenty One Pilots, Mumford & Sons, etc. We're not afraid to think outside the box, though, with things like the Ed Sheeran - "Blow" record, or Marshmello x A Day To Remember - "Rescue Me." We're really looking at things that are exciting for our listeners, and then wrapping it all up with a tight Gold library so you know exactly what you're going to get. Our imaging is the same way, but we're really starting to hyper-focus on what makes our station unique to Louisville. We're continually looking for ways to differentiate ourselves from any station you can listen to online that's just plugged in from somewhere else. Especially in our Diary market, we want the focus to be on the community and the listeners.
4. ALT 105.1 launched with Brooke & Jubal in mornings and now you're on in afternoons. What's the plan for other dayparts?
Currently we're grooming some new talent in house. We have a couple of green youngsters who we'll soon be giving some weekend and overnight slots to. As far as continuing to fill middays and nights, we'll cross that bridge when we get there, but there's no immediate plan or search going on. These first three months that I've been here have been focused on the station's sound and positioning first. We'll get there, though.
5. What's it like working for Alpha Media and how does it compare to your previous jobs?
It's been absolutely incredible working with Alpha Media. In the past, I've really had to rely solely on either people directly in house (which is usually pretty limited when it comes to programming), or strictly help on a corporate level where they have no idea what's actually going on in the market. I feel that the Alpha Media team has the tools on both a regional and corporate level where it just makes everything a lot easier. I can go to my team here in Louisville and immediately get suggestions or feedback, but I can easily pick up the phone and talk to our corporate team with the same questions. They really seem to have it figured out as far as their approach to how to successfully communicate between all the markets, departments, and individual staff.
6. How would you describe your approach as a programmer?
In one word: Honest. I'm not here to placate or mislead anyone. If I think something sounds good, you'll know. If I don't think it sounds good, you'll definitely know. I feel that honesty is important to everyone. If I don't like a song, I don't want 10 different people asking me if I'm going to play it. I'll be the first to admit that if there's something I don't like that shows positive signs, I'll happily play it. Personal taste can sometimes be a bad thing when it comes to making those decisions, but I'll always trust my gut (at first).
7. What do you love most about being on-air?
The best part of being on-air is being able to interact with the listeners. It's more than just doing a shift and answering some phones or social media; having the opportunity to be out in front of people and getting to meet them and talk with them in person is what I love most. These are the people that you connect with every day on the air, but it's the human connection that reminds you why it's important.
8. How do you use social media?
In today's world, as little as possible. It's so toxic sometimes, so it's hard to scroll through feeds and see all the garbage. Anything that goes up on social media for the station is always done with a positive spin. There's enough negativity out in the world, so I like to approach everything in a way that says, "Look, I know everything sucks, but read this and it will make it suck less."
9. What's your take on the current state of the alternative format?
I think Alternative is in a healthy spot. I know that there have been some stations that have flipped and got away from the format, but I don't see that as a sign of something wrong with the format. Just like any other format, if you don't establish a connection with your listeners and your market, it doesn't separate you from any of the streaming services, so why would your listener put up with that? The desire to discover new artists will always be there, and Alternative has done a great job of helping break new artists and really elevate them to new levels. With all the new music from some of the biggest Alternative bands right now, it's a very healthy pulse.
10. What are you loving most about living in Louisville?
It sounds cliché, but the people. Louisville is a Midwestern city with Southern charm. Everyone is incredibly nice and supportive. You can talk to any stranger on the street and it will be like you've known each other for life. Being surrounded by so much positivity just makes life a lot happier. Also, I live right down the street from a Qdoba, and money can buy happiness in the form of queso.
Bonus Questions
What are your favorite places to eat in Louisville?
Some of the best pizza I've had has come from a place called Garage Bar right in downtown Louisville. Locally sourced and made, and it's delicious. I've also been a frequent visitor of Porch, which is just a short walk from my office.
Favorite food?
Easily pizza. It's easy enough to change up in so many different ways. I'll never get sick of eating pizza.
Favorite drink?
Since I got here, I've leaned back into bourbon (stayed away from dark liquor for a long time), so I've been really into Bourbon & Sour.
How often do you get back to Michigan and what are your top priorities when you get back home?
Not too often, actually. I feel like that will change after we're a little more settled, but everyone has been so excited about us being in Louisville and being a lot closer than we were when we were in Scranton. We've had a lot of visitors in the last few months, and are still expecting more, so there hasn't been much need to make it back to Michigan. When we do go back, we spend as much time as we can seeing our families, and then we try to carve out the remaining time to see as many friends as we can. Family always comes first, though.
I know you're a huge hockey fan. Rank your favorite sports teams in order of passion.
Detroit Red Wings will always been my number 1. No matter how bad they suck, they always take the top spot. From there, just go down the line of Detroit teams. Tigers, Lions, and Pistons. Since arriving in Louisville, I've started to pay more attention to the Louisville Bats and also to the Louisville City FC soccer team. I suspect I'll end up at a lot of those games in the near future.
Favorite new band over the past year?
I know it's been more than a year, but I think that 2019 has been a big year for Morgxn. I think he's truly a special artist with a great voice and great songwriting ability. I was really impressed with UPSAHL when I saw her at The Gathering. SHAED has had the best year for a new artist in 2019, in my opinion.
Anything else you would like to add?
Just want to say thank you to everyone who has been so supportive for me in my career so far. I started as an intern 10 years ago, and I'm happy that there are still a lot of familiar faces from that time. And even with the moves that I've made, I'm glad that I have a lot of good people in my corner that I can rely on, whether I'm at a reporting station or not, whether I'm in their territory or not, or whether I'm in their format or not, it means a lot when those relationships mean more than business.
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