10 Questions with ... James Baker

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I began my career in research at KYUU/San Francisco, then college radio at KOAK Menlo College and WUOG/Athens, GA. I also worked as an intern at the Gavin Report, and in promotions at 610 KFRC. My first commercial stops included WRFC and WBKZ Athens, GA. Later I worked weekends at KYUU/San Francisco, before landing my first fulltime gig at WTBX/Hibbing, MN. Then, KEWB, WNVZ, and KZIO in Duluth. From there I moved to LA at Westwood One on the Bright AC Network, then KBIG 104/Los Angeles, KIOI/San Francisco, 106.9 KFRC/San Francisco and finally Saudi Aramco Radio since 2009.

1. What has it been like to program in Saudi Arabia?

Studio 1-FM and Studio 2-FM are the first English stations in the Middle East which went on the air in 1957 (concurrent with TV3) which was discontinued in 1999. Initially, when I came to Saudi Aramco radio, programming the stations was mainly for the expat community, even though the local population is far greater. We changed our focus when our current director took over in 2012. Many people thought the stations were out of Bahrain until we branded them as Saudi Aramco. Since then we have done research to determine what works best on both stations and we have adjusted accordingly.

Musically, because Saudi is more conservative, we have edited some lyrics from songs to make them more family friendly.

Programming these stations is a little different because we are non-commercial and do not accept advertising. However, we still talk about public events that are happening especially at Ithra, the world class museum that opened in 2018 in Dhahran.

2. Culturally, what was the hardest thing to assimilate?

The hardest thing for me is that I did not speak Arabic and did not know much about Saudi Arabia before I came here. What I quickly learned is that Saudi people are very welcoming and when you go to someone’s house to say hello, you will be there for a while for Arabic coffee and treats. Saudi is very family oriented. I did take several Arabic classes and had some of my team members speak Arabic to me, but I still don’t speak it very well. Writing Arabic is a whole other thing. Also, being in a country far away from home was difficult, but we live on a compound that is 5x5 miles with many amenities which made living here easier. Besides, family housing, the Aramco schools are American from Pre-K to grade 9. There is also 3 commissaries, restaurants (Chili’s), ample healthcare, a hospital, Fire Department and much more. There is even an 18- hole golf course!

3. You’re involved with hiring your replacement. How’s that going, and what would you be sure to tell potential candidates for the job?

We are finding some possible candidates, but the requirements are 10 years, with OM/PD responsibilities during that period, working with multiple formats and a college degree from an accredited college or university. The idea is that someone who comes in should be able to pick up from where I left off, maintain and build from where we are now.

I would tell potential candidates that you have a great team who will follow your lead from on air, to branding to digital and so on! This is a great job for someone who has programming experience and wants to be creative. Aramco provides the tools and you need to decide how to get the job done!

4. What was it like to go through the pandemic so far away from family and friends?

Fortunately, I had my family here with me so it wasn’t so bad. Since both sets of parents for my wife and I are gone, we didn’t have to worry too much. We were concerned about my wife’s brothers, sisters, their families and of course our many friends as the cases in the United States went up.

Saudi handled the pandemic extremely well. I went to work each day along with several others who kept the stations on the air with a majority of people working from home. In fact, we created over 100 COVID related PSA’s during the period March through December with help from Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare.

5. Are there any differences in musical tastes between the Saudi Hot AC audience and folks here in the states?

Yes, there are some key difference. One is that 60% of the population is under the age of 30 and many until the last 10 years were not exposed to radio stations. The 2 main formats of choice are Hip Hop and Pop, so we are a little more rhythmic than traditional Hot AC stations. We also reflect the multicultural and international makeup of Aramco which has employees from over 70 countries.

6. Are the air personalities “famous” in the Middle East like they are here at home?

The airstaff is well known throughout the region. I used to do mornings as Jim Kelly from 2011-17 and hosted over 1300 shows. Since then, I have come off the air to better manage the stations and the day to day happenings. In 2015, we hired Scott Boyes from QF Radio in Doha, Qatar. Scott grew up here at Aramco when his father worked here in the 90’s so he had a leg up on other candidates who applied for the job. Scott was initially hired to do the afternoon show and be my backup when I left on vacation. Now Scott does mornings and assists in many aspects of the station operations including the operation of Studio 2 (Jazz, Chill, Work, and Classical).

Marie Claire who currently does the afternoon show, weekdays on Studio 1-FM, she was at Radio Bahrain for 17 years and well known in Bahrain as well as Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, Claire is also the voice of Viva, one of the main telecom companies in Bahrain.

Additionally, 2 newcomers to Saudi Aramco Radio are Lamees Aloboudi and Danah AbuKhamsin who host our all request shows on Thursday and Friday nights (Our weekends are Friday and Saturday as opposed to Saturday and Sunday). Besides being on the radio, Lamees is one of the hosts of our news segments on both stations called F-Y-I. Danah is our Social Media Director and does the weather for both stations outside morning and afternoon drive. Then, Lamees and Danah worked together for about 18 months as the hosts of a company feature called “Saudi Aramco Insights.” This was a video news program produced by the Saudi Aramco Audio Video Unit and sent out on various channels including Twitter, so they are definitely the most recognized of the staff!

7. How would you describe your first radio gig?

My first radio gig was in call out research for Terry Danner at KYUU/San Francisco which gave me a behind the scenes perspective, particularly Music Auditorium Tests. My first on air commercial job was at 960 WRFC/Athens when I was going to the University of Georgia. I did 6-10p, but the job didn’t last too long, I did however learn a lot which I took to subsequent jobs at KYUU, KUFX and WTBX Hibbing-Duluth.

8. What led you to a career in radio?

I grew up listening to the Big 610 KFRC, but before I concentrated on radio, I was a singer in the San Francisco Boys Chorus. During the time in the chorus, I sang in several operas including Cavalleria Rusticana and I Pagliacci with Placido Domingo (remember I was in a chorus – not solo), also the next year Turandot with Luciano Pavarotti, and finally invited to sing at the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Washington for President Ford.

Like many radio brothers and sisters, I had a little make-believe radio station in my bedroom, where instead of turntables, I used cassettes to make tapes and have jocks like John Mack Flanagan, Big Tom Parker, and Bill Lee give me feedback. They were so helpful and I will never forget their advice and assistance.

9. What was your favorite station(s) to listen to when you were a kid? Jock(s)?

610 KFRC was it for me. I was fortunate to know many of the jocks. Some of whom became lifelong friends like “The Duke” Dave Sholin who invited me to work at the Gavin Report as an Intern (along with Ron Fell). Dave also hired me in promotions at KFRC when he was PD, and we worked together again at 106.9 KFRC when he was doing mornings with Celeste Perry, I was their producer.

I have known so many on air personalities through the years at KFRC, they were like family to me especially since I am an only child. The recent passing of Harry Nelson, really made how much I appreciate them and their friendships.

10. Who were your mentors? Who would you say has influenced your career the most?

There have been many mentors through the years, but I will only mention a few of them. Probably the first is KFRC afternoon man John Mack Flanagan. He really introduced me to the station by giving me a tour of the studios and staying in touch throughout my career with advice, and aircheck critiques.

Another important fixture in my career has always been “The Duke” Dave Sholin. Besides being a fellow alum of San Francisco State, Dave has always been there for me from KFRC, to Gavin, to 106.9 KFRC and even now here in Saudi. Dave has moved out of the Bay Area and now lives in Bend, OR.

The other mentor that I need to mention is Craig “Rock ’n Roll” Roberts, whom I first heard doing nights at 105 KITS/San Francisco in 1985. He urged me to send a tape in 1988 for a weekend job at KYUU/San Francisco. He actually got PD Joe Alfinito to hire me! Again, when I was in Duluth, Craig helped me out again by getting my tape to Bill Michaels and Bob McNeal at Westwood One Radio Networks in LA and they hired me for weekends on the Bright AC Network and later full-time nights.

When you return to the U.S. will you be looking forward to jumping back into radio day-to-day?

We will likely be returning to the U.S. in January 2022. I would like to jump back into radio again. I love radio and I can’t imagine doing anything else, although it will depend on where I live or maybe not.