10 Questions with ... Kris Daniels

NAME:Kris Daniels TITLE:APD/MD/middays STATIONS:KHGE WEBSITE:www.myspace.com/1027bigcountry MARKET:Fresno, CA COMPANY:Clear Channel BORN:Scottsdale, Arizona RAISED:Tempe, Arizona

Please outline your radio career so far:

I was Director of Marketing/Promotions for KJFX, KFRR and KUUS/Fresno; PM Drive/Fill-In at KMXZ/Tucson, On Camera Traffic Reporter for MetroNetworks, Morning co-host at KIIM/Tucson, Host/writer for Tucson Nite Live on UPN 18 and on-air personality/MD at KUZZ/Bakersfield, just to name a few.

1. Your dad, Larry Daniels, is a programming legend, having programmed KNIX and KUZZ in the glory days and then becoming a consultant- so was it a natural for you to get into radio- and did Buck Owens hang out at the house?

When I was 8 years old I remember my dad always asking me about new songs that would come out and ask me what I thought. I would always tell him what I thought the listeners would think about the songs and whether or not the songs where good - I was very honest. I think that it was in my blood. I loved going to station events with my dad and to me that seemed like a normal life. Since I grew up in Phoenix I don't remember Buck coming over to our house but when we would visit family in Bakersfield I remember going over to Buck's mother's house. I remember she was one of the nicest ladies ever. Different artists came to our house I didn't think anything of it - they were just my parents' friends.

2. You've also done some television work as well. What all have you done, and how did you get into doing TV stuff? Which do you like better- being on TV or being on the radio, and why?

I had done a lot of modeling and TV commercials and I wanted to see how I good do something entertaining with Country Music and TV. I had this idea with a girl friend of mine to do a TV show with all the artists that came through Bakersfield and do something fun with them before they really hit it big. We went on a Harley Ride with Montgomery Gentry, Bowling with Keith Urban and Fishin' with Brad Paisley on the Kern River. The show never went to a local channel so I still have all the footage. I did an entertainment show in Tucson and did some Metro Traffic for the local news. I really like TV a lot but still love radio, so if I had my choice I would do both.

3. You were raised in a very conservative Southern Baptist home. Were your parents very strict about what kind of music you listened to?

Yes and no. I loved the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Freaky Styley and Mother's Milk came out and I was probably 13 and I had to hide that CD and even had to sneak out to go to a Chili Peppers concert once. But then again when I was five years old Eddie Rabbitt came to Phoenix and they were filming a Miller High Life commercial in front of a huge crowd. I was in the audience and remember my dad bringing him up on stage and he sang "I Love A Rainy Night" over and over for the commercial they were filming - so I was five, and in a beer commercial!

4. You are absolutely gorgeous, by the way. Your bio says you grew up as a tomboy and your tomboyish-ness even got you cast in Kenny Rogers' movie The Gambler. How did that come about, and have you done any more acting since then? Would you consider leaving radio to pursue an acting career?

First - bless YOU!!!! I have two older brothers and looked like a boy and acted like a boy until I was 16; all the boys at my school thought I had a great personality but they all liked my girlfriends. A DJ that worked at KNIX was an actor and told my dad that he was taking his daughters to the filming of Gambler 2, and that they needed extras. I showed up and they told me I would play a boy, and I told them I was a girl, but they thought I would be a perfect boy - because of that I will never have short hair again. I love acting, but since I live in Fresno, there's not a lot of opportunity here to do a lot of acting.

5. When choosing music for the station do you kind of go right down the middle or is your audience open to more adventurous records, say the new Kid Rock for instance? What kind of listener input do you consider when making music decisions?

I am a listener in our target audience, so I go a lot by instinct. When I start getting a lot of legit requests for a song I take that into consideration. We take more of a chance on songs that are on smaller labels or indies if they are good songs.

6. What are some of the artists and songs that you are high on right now? There's so much music out there- can you name a couple of things that you thought were sure fire hits that slipped through the cracks?

We started playing "I'm Still A Guy" by Brad Paisley and "Bob That Head" by Rascal Flatts before they were released as singles - we thought they were good songs. I really like "All Summer Long" by Kid Rock, Zac Brown Band's "Chicken Fried," Crystal Shawanda's "You Can Let Go" and anything by Taylor Swift. There are so many out there that are good. The only two songs that I thought should've been bigger hits would be "100% Cowboy" by Jason Meadows and "All My Friends Say" by Luke Bryan.

7. What makes Big Country different unique from the market's heritage station KSKS? How do you guys try to stand out?

There are only two of us that work at the station - with only two full time jocks nothing slips through the cracks. We are very in-tune with what our listeners want. We both handle the marketing, promotions, music, etc. We communicate with each other on everything revolving around the radio station.

8. You do a 5-hour live shift, schedule music, write and voice imaging and take care of the station's website- how do you find time for family and hobbies? What are your hobbies, by the way? We hear you've earned the nickname "Annie Oakley" for one particular hobby. Tell us about that.

It is very hard to balance family and work, but I manage my time extremely well. I also go to school online full time. It's all about time management. I used to love target practicing but now that I have a 10 year old and a one year old my hobbies have changed to taxi driver, snow cone maker, and lifeguard at our home pool. On most days we have five to six kids running through our house, and my husband and I cook for everyone that comes through our door. We hang out with our family/friends - our kids are with us a lot of the time. If I had spare time I would be playing poker (I used to play a lot), or sports - I love sports.

9. Give me three songs you can think of that have had a particular impact on your life.

I have too many songs that have impacted my life but it's more where I've been in my life and they bring back memories at that point in my life.

10. If your daughter Sam (whom you call your "mini me") or your son Cash wanted to get into this business, would you tell them to go for it? What advice would you have for them if they wanted to pursue the same career path you chose?

Sam would be perfect on any morning show, but I would tell them to get a degree first and if they really wanted to go into radio then go for it after they finish school.

1. In the course of doing 50,000 things during the day, what do you usually do for lunch- healthy or junk? And by the way, what is your favorite junk food?

Sometimes I eat healthy but usually I don't. I don't like sweets, but I love chips and salsa - the hotter the better. I could (and do) eat that all day!!

2. If you could spend a day with someone famous that you admire, dead or alive, who would it be and why?

Merle Haggard - I think he's one of the greatest songwriters and just all-around cool!

3. You little boy Cash recently turned a year old. (Happy belated birthday to him!) Is it true you were on your way to a Keith Urban show and ended up delivering him instead?

I knew I was going into labor - I didn't feel well, so I went to the station on my way to the hospital. I voice tracked, scheduled music for the week and made sure I had everything handled - and then I went to the hospital. I was waiting to see what the doctor said about going to the concert, but I had Cash about the time we were supposed to be at the meet & greet for Keith Urban - so it was probably a good thing we didn't go.