10 Questions with ... Sean Knight

1) What was your first job in radio and early influences?

I started at Oldies 101.1 KEYF in Spokane, WA in April of 1999. I remember listening to the night jock Pat Davis and thinking how fun something like that would be. I would take a CD player and a tape deck at home and pretend I was doing my own radio show.

2) What led you to a career in radio? Was there a defining moment that made you realize "this is it?"

When I was 16, I had to write a career paper for English class. Since music was always a passion of mine I tried to think of a career field revolving around that and radio came to mind. Since my parents would always listen to the Oldies station I took a liking to it and started out as an unpaid (yes they did that back in the day) intern. Six months later after learning the ways, I was officially hired on as a part-timer.

3) You've worked for some great Rock stations including KHTQ/Spokane, KXXR/Minneapolis, KUPD/Phoenix, and most recently KQRA/Springfield, MO. What are some of the best highlights from your previous gigs?

I have been honored to work with what I feel have been some of the best PDs and have learned a lot from them. Barry Bennett (RIP) and GA at Rock 94 ½ were both instrumental in my development early on as were a couple of the jocks (Beavis and Geoff Scott). Then when I was at 93X, Wade Linder and Pablo both took me under their wing and really helped to define me as a jock. Larry McFeelie at 98 KUPD helped to fine tune my skills and even give me little insights to the behind-the-scenes aspects of programming. Shadow at Q102 showed me more in-depth things on the programming side such as music scheduling, working with labels/bands, etc...

4) Congrats on your new programming positions in Yakima at Classic Rock KRSE (105.7 The Hawk) and Active Rock KHHK-HD3 (106.9 The X). What can you tell us about these two stations and the market overall?

Yakima is a small market (#193) but it feels like a tight-knit community. The Central Washington State Fair takes place here and the Mexican food is AMAZING! Tons of wineries, breweries and outdoor activities to enjoy. It's called the "Palm Springs of Washington."

The Hawk flipped to Classic Rock about four years ago from a Bob FM station, and the change was welcomed by people here in the valley who were looking for a true Classic Rock station.

The X was launched as an Alternative station a few years ago. Last year it switched to hybrid of Alt meets Mainstream.

5) You are also the new morning host on 105.7 The Hawk. Are you doing anything special in the morning on The Hawk?

It's football season, so football picks happen every Wed morning. We cover a couple "news-y" items with Hit N Run Headlines, find out about the latest dumb-ass criminals, plus I have a couple contest/other features in the works.

6) You also recently launched an Active Rock station KHHK-HD3 (106.9 The X). Where are you now with the development of this station?

As I mentioned before this station was a hybrid of Alt meets Mainstream when I came in. I have been putting in a lot of time (weekends and late afternoons) to bring this station to a truly Active station. I've been working on acquiring all the music needed, creating a new website, logo, voice guy, and imaging. I'm shooting for a full launch mid-late November so stay tuned for that!

7) What's your take on current Active Rock music and the format as a whole?

We could spend hours on this topic, but I'll just say this. I think the format is alive and well; it's just changing a bit and we need to be able to adapt to that change.

8) What are your three favorite Active Rock artists or songs of this year so far and why?

Have I mentioned that I love this format? There are so many great bands/songs out there, it's hard to pick three, but here it goes:

1. Adelitas Way "Still Hungry" - I've always loved these guys and I think this song speaks volumes about the format and doing something you love for that reason.
2. Godsmack "Bulletproof" - The video for this song should be enough reason for people to love this song, but it's got a great message about not letting other people bring you down.
3. Pop Evil "Waking Lions" - A great song about standing up for what you believe in and finding the courage to do so.

9) How much does both of the stations and you in particular use social media (Facebook and Twitter) to interact with your listeners?

I've always been a believer that social media should be used to complement and accent your on-air product not the other way around. I don't think there should be a set number of posts you need to make every day. If there's entertaining, compelling, or relevant content then post it. Sometimes that's once a day, other times you might be posting every hour.

10) What do you like to do for fun and relaxation when you're not in "radio" mode?

I love playing/writing music, sports, coffee, craft beer/craft cocktails, food (I'm a big foodie), my cats, travelling, video games ... I'm just a regular dude!