10 Questions with ... Kris Daniels

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Daniels joined Radio Disney in her current role in January 2019. She formerly was PD/morning host at Beasley Country KCYE (102.7 The Coyote)/Las Vegas. She later held the same duties at internet station Country AF Radio, an extension of Las Vegas-based nightclub, Stoney’s Rockin’ Country. Previous career stops include MD/mornings at SummitMedia Country WQNU/Louisville, KY and iHeartMedia Country KHGE/Fresno, CA, with additional stops in Tucson, AZ and Bakersfield, CA.

Her duties at Disney included music programming, and label, artist, management, and talent booking strategies for Radio Disney and Radio Disney Country, along with serving as the network’s main liaison to the music industry. With last month’s surprise announcement that Radio Disney would be shutting down, Daniels is on the hunt for her next opportunity when this job ends in February. She can be reached at Krisdanielsradioresources@gmail.com.

1. Let’s start at the beginning. Your dad, Country Radio Hall of Famer Larry Daniels, is such a legend. Can you describe what role radio played in your childhood?

I loved going with my dad into the radio station. He would be scheduling music and I always wanted to go into the studio. “W” Steven Martin, the morning guy [at KNIX/Phoenix], would let me hang out in the studio with him. He told me if I put away the carts, he would teach me how to run the board. I told him, “If I put all the carts away and pull [music for] the next hour, I want you to teach me how to run the board and then I want to talk on the radio.”

Mealtime in the Daniels household always was spent listening to KNIX (or KMLE if my dad needed to monitor them). When the jock talked, we all stopped talking so my dad could hear what the jock was saying. If there was dead air, we knew my dad was going to hotline the jock.

I was the kid in parades or hanging out at remotes because I went with my dad to these, and concerts as well … I have a million stories about hanging out with my dad at the radio station. He loved what he did and I loved it too. I saw how people at work were having fun!

My dad never helped me [get a job]. He believed I needed to do it all on my own and I’m so glad he didn’t … When I first went on the air at KNIX, my dad, obviously, wouldn’t hire me but George King did for weekends and fill-ins, (I also worked in the research department and as producer for Real Country the network). I still lived at home because I was probably 19, and my dad would monitor and aircheck me every show.

I got home one night after a Saturday night 6p-12a shift and there was a cassette tape and three-page monitor on everything good and -- mostly -- bad that I did or said on the air. At the end my dad said, “We can go over the aircheck in the morning.” What else are going to tell me that you didn’t in the thee-page report? Since he was constantly monitoring me I really think it helped me on air and as a manager.

2. Was radio a pre-destined career for you, given your family background, or did you consider other things?

I wanted to be a fashion designer. I started going to classes in college for it, and loved the design and sewing part, but didn’t care for the business end of it. I went and talked to my professor (who ran the radio station on campus), and told him I wanted to be on the radio. He said I couldn’t until I was a senior. So I called my dad for advice and he said I should call Guy Christian, the owner at KAFF Country in Flagstaff, AZ, and see if he has any openings. I called Guy, met with him and the PD, and I was hired to work weekends and fill-ins.

3. You continued your studies during your radio career, earning a Masters degree in 2015 and became a licensed marriage and family therapist, correct?

That is correct, a LMFT “intern” (until you achieve however many hours your state requires under supervision). For California and Nevada 3,000 hours are required under supervision.

4. Can you elaborate on why you decided to pursue that degree, and how you have been using it, or hope to use it in the future?

A listener, who would call in every night, was in a bad place and I knew I wasn’t qualified to help, so I gave her a number to call and, from that, things worked out for her. I decided I wanted to help people and do something I loved. I thought, after I get my degree, I could create a night show that is a cross between “Love Lines” and “Delilah,” but on Country radio. That was the plan.

5. In what ways has your education and experience as a therapist assisted you in your radio career?

It helps in so many ways. One way is really understanding what people are saying and feeling. This could be clients, employees [or] listeners. I can listen to someone talk and understand where they are coming from and what type of personality I’m dealing with. It makes me a more empathetic manager, which has a lot of benefits.

6. It had to have been a huge disappointment to learn that Radio Disney was being shut down. What are you most proud of accomplishing during your time there?

It was disappointing, but I’d rather focus on the incredible time I had working for [GM] Phil Guerini and everything I learned from him, my amazing team and working for a legendary company like The Walt Disney Company.

I have many proud moments. I think the biggest accomplishment was championing female artists. There are so many great artists out there (male and female), but sometimes the female artists get overlooked. It was nice to give them a platform so they could be heard. I’m also proud of the unique conversations (I say conversations because unless you are a news outlet, I don’t like the word “interview”) that I helped create. Finding an artist that had an engaging personality to have conversations with another artist makes [for] great content. [Also,] working with our marketing department, content team, and digital media team to help create unique content. Lastly, leading a team to grow and expand their roles.

7. What are some of the challenges of programming for children and teens, especially on the Country side? I assume all the many Country songs about booze and drinking are off the table, but what else factors in?

I always try to be “family friendly,” so it wasn’t too much of a challenge. Radio Disney was the more challenging station. Certain pop songs we couldn’t play because of the tone or lyrics, and there were songs that we would need lyrics changed so we could play it. Radio Disney Country was aimed at an older demo, so this wasn’t an issue. With Radio Disney Country, we always wanted to make sure, as any company would, that it fit our brand, which was to empower women.

8. As you mentioned, Radio Disney Country really championed female artists with its “Let The Girls Play” initiative and other programming. Why was that such a priority?

This was started by my boss [Guerini] before I started at Radio Disney. I don’t want to speak for him, but this is something that was missing in our format and it was something different. It was great to be able to run a station that focused on females.

9. Are there success stories you can describe where your support and airplay helped launch one or more female Country acts?

There are several. Gabby Barrett is an artist that we believed in and supported before she even had a record label. Mickey Guyton is an artist we’ve supported from the beginning. Kelsea Ballerini, (before my time at Radio Disney Country), Maren Morris, Carly Pearce, Cam, Lindsay Ell, Ingrid Andress, Avenue Beat, Madeline Merlo, Jessie James Decker, Abby Anderson and the list goes on and on. There are so many.

10. Finally, tell us a fun fact about Kris Daniels!

I love Country music and can guess most songs (if they were radio hits) very quickly. We used to do this thing called “Can’t Beat Kris” on my morning show. It came about because when my husband and I listen to [a] Sirius/XM Country channel, he will cover the radio at the start of the song and ask me to identify the song. I usually get it quickly. He’s impressed when I can guess an older song like Porter Wagoner’s “Carroll County Accident” and others. My husband always says, “How do you know that?” I don’t even know sometimes, but that’s probably because I’ve listened to everything Country old and new since I was a kid.