iHeartMedia/St. Louis PD Kathy Brown Gets Some Good Ink

Kathy Brown

The ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH has published an interesting write-up on iHEARTMEDIA Urban Oldies KMJM 100.3 (THE BEAT) and Gospel KATZ-A PD KATHY BROWN, who was asked if she is a big fish in a small pond or a little fish in a big pond.

“I’m a shark,” she said. “My job is to devour everyone in the pond. That’s how I look at programming a radio station.”

Since BROWN started last year, she rebranded KMGM from MAJIC to THE BEAT, playing ’90s Hip-Hop and R&B with songs by MISSY ELLIOTT, LUDACRIS, CHINGY, USHER and LAURYN HILL. “There was a real sense of awakening there of the 18-49 target audience, a forgotten group of listeners who grew up in the ’90s and love hip-hop, the swag of hip-hop, ‘MARTIN,’ ‘FRESH PRINCE OF BEL AIR,’” she said. “Hip-hop during the ’90s was fun. I get the music of today. I listen to FETTY WAP AND WALE. But I call that mumble music."

Other notable changes under her watch include the departure of TONY SCOTT, which broke up the “THE TONY and TAMMIE MORNING SHOW” with TAMMIE HOLLAND, and a revitalized commitment to the community with its on-air FERGUSON coverage anchored by BROWN and HOLLAND. The shooting death of MICHAEL BROWN and its aftermath “awakened my staff and awakened me to the urgency and sense of community once again.”

The station remains a mouthpiece of the community as it relates to FERGUSON. BROWN’s parents, the Rev. JESSE JACKSON JR., the ACLU, grief counselors, lawyers, clergy, city politicians and listeners have spoken on-air about the issues. The tragedy reminds BROWN of when she was in MILWAUKEE in the early ’90s when news broke of serial killer JEFFREY DAHMER’s murders. The radio station where she worked was a forum for the community.

“It felt like JEFFREY DAHMER but in a different sense. Black boys were the majority (of DAHMER’s victims),” she said. “People wanted to be able to express how they felt about what was going on, the outrage. It was full circle. There is this real tie and connection to the community with radio that continues to keep me wanting to do radio.”

To continue its connection with the community, the station is sponsoring the 6th Annual SISTA STRUT, for women of color battling breast cancer and breast cancer survivors, on OCT. 3rd at SOLDIERS MEMORIAL. Last year's walk drew 8,000 people.

Read the entire story here.

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