10 Questions with ... Scott Jameson

1) What was your first job in radio, and what led you to a career in radio in the first place?

My dream was to be on the PGA Tour, and I thought I was pretty good until I got to college. I wasn't. So, I started hanging out at the campus radio station at Bowling Green State University in Ohio; I loved it and never looked back. I grew up in Cleveland listening to WMMS, so I was weaned on good radio. My first job was actually cutting the grass at the transmitter site for a station in Toledo. Take that, millennials.

2) How long have you been at KQRS and what makes this station so unique?

I've been here six years. There are many attributes that make KQ special, but it all begins with our terrific talent. Combined, our key personalities have over 140 years' experience, not just in the radio business, but at KQRS itself. It begins with National Radio Hall of Fame inductee Tom Barnard in the morning and continues throughout the day with Wally Walker, Lisa Miller, Ray Erick and Jay Philpott. They're all unique individuals, yet execute KQ's brand identity exceptionally well as a team.

3) KQRS is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Give us a little history on how the station started rocking back in 1968?

The KQRS call letters appeared in 1964 and stood for "Quality Radio Station." The station was a small independent AM/FM combo in the western Minneapolis suburb of Golden Valley playing a mixture of light pop and standards. In 1968, it began experimenting with progressive album rock with a midnight-6a show called "Nightwatch," which was expanded to 6p-6a and eventually 24 hours a day. As a Rock station, KQRS first appeared in the April/May 1969 Arbitron ratings with a .9 and by April/May of 1971 has risen to a 5.0

4) Lots of 92 KQRS's incredible history is being documented in a special 50th anniversary website including "The KQ Museum." Can you give us the scoop on this site?

I'm so proud of our team for this; everyone has contributed and it's really cool. It's a work in progress with continuous updating as we populate it with aircheck audio, video content and photos from the station's archives along with contributions from our listeners. This celebration is in their honor with their content prominently featured. We'll be adding reflections from former station personalities and frequently updating the story of the station's evolution from a freeform FM, through the Lee Abrams "Superstar" years, as an early proponent of Classic Rock, being the first station ever to depose WCCO from #1 and the hyper-success of the Tom Barnard Show

5) I'm sure with 50 years of Rock history, there are a few choice stories to report. Any great "rock star" stories you care to share?

Chuck Berry was playing a local ballroom in the late '80's. Our night guy at the time (John Lassman, now executive producer of the KQ Morning Show) asked him for a station ID. Chuck read the ID as: "Hey, this is Chuck Berry, you're listening to KQ99." When Lassman said "Let's try that again; it's KQ92." Chuck said "You only get one son" and walked away. We played that ID as is for years.

John Mellencamp came by for an in-studio interview a week after a strict non-smoking policy had started inside the building. The first thing Mellencamp did when he sat down in studio was light up a cigarette. When he was told about the new policy, he put out the cigarette and apologized. He then asked for a soda. When the jock came back with his can of Coke, John had another cigarette lit up. When asked again if he could put it out, he said "I can smoke and stay, or I can put it out and leave." He stayed and smoked.

All Access President Joel Denver with Scott Jameson after KQRS won the Iconic Brand Award at the 2018 Conclave.

6) Beyond the rock stars, Tom Barnard has been the legendary host of the KQ Morning Show since 1986. What are some of the best Tom Barnard stories you can share?

Twenty-five taxis lined up in front of the station in protest of something Tom said. Raising thousands of dollars for charity, penny by penny with 'KQ's Penny's for Pitchers' (a pitcher for the Minnesota Twins wanted more money). As a joke, KQ's sports guy at the time ran for Governor as a write-in candidate. He came in a close third in the election. I found it funny that Tom quit college after one day. When I asked him why he said, "On the second day. I couldn't find a parking spot."

7) Who are some of the other legendary KQ personalities who have graced the airwaves over the last 50 years?

There are so many (another shameless plug) for our custom website: More personalities will soon be featured after coming in for special appearances on-air and anniversary podcasts. Alan Stone was an early PD and signature midday voice along with John Fine, George Fisher and Randi Kirschbaum (currently with Saga in Portland, ME), Hal Hoover and Dave Dworkin. The late Tac Hammer guided the station into the Superstars era, the late Doug Sorenson was PD here in the early '80s, Doug Podell spent a year here as MD and returned to great success in Detroit, Bo Roberts did a year in mornings and rules today at KZPS and Garth Kemp held down afternoons in the '90s before turning to a career in TV weather in Los Angeles. PD Dave Hamilton brought in some great people: Wade Linder PD at (WLS-FM) got his start here as did Cumulus' VP/Rock Troy Hanson!

8) What special features is KQRS doing on air to celebrate 50 years of Rock?

We created a custom campaign called "KQ Classic Moments" and sold it to an advertiser for non-spot revenue. We began collecting archived audio from KQ's past, including former jocks airchecks, rock star interviews, vintage imaging, artist IDs and assorted clips from 32 years of the "KQ Morning Show" with Tom Barnard. We've also created a "Show Us Your KQ" section on the site where fans can submit and share photos of their KQ memories for a chance to win tickets to upcoming "KQ50" concerts and events.

9) Are there any special 50th Anniversary concerts in the mix as well? What Rock bands are helping you celebrate?

Our signature show is Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band December 12th here in Minneapolis. Bob is a huge KQ artist and I'm so thankful to Punch Andrews, Craig Lambert and Mike Boila from Bob Seger's camp in Detroit for helping me get this done. We have premium seating along with special commemorative autographed vinyl from Bob's legendary recording career. Later this year Bob will do a full-length interview with Tom Barnard on KQRS that we'll share across other Cumulus Classic Rock stations coast-to-coast and our national network, Westwood One. In addition to our show here in December, KQRS will also celebrate "50 Years of Bob Seger" by offering our Cumulus Classic Rock stations cool items and premium experiences as Bob tours across the U.S. on his re-scheduled dates. Like KQRS, Bob Seger debuted in 1968 with Ramblin' Gamblin' Man. We're also planning a morning show experience with Metallica where fans can win suite tickets with Tom Barnard in "Be a Metallica VIP with Tommy B"

10) Finally, surviving and even thriving over a 50-year period is quite an accomplishment. What would you ultimately attribute KQRS's successful 50-year run to?

It's so many things, it's hard to itemize them. I'm sure if you asked Bill Weston at WMMR, Dave Richards at KISW or Keith Cunningham at KLOS, they'd say the same thing: It's not just being around for a long time, it's doing something consistently well over a long period of time that builds brand equity. The audience comes with a high level of expectation when you've been strongly woven into the community you serve. It takes hard work to be a Rock PD today, but I believe it's somewhat tougher at iconic stations because the bar is set high. You have to keep improving and continue to be content rich and take intelligent risks. Music alone won't get you there like it used to.