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10 Questions with ... James Kurdziel
June 16, 2020
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
- 1999-2000: WEDG/Buffalo, NY Internship
- 2001-2020: A lot of luck and a few promotions
- 2020-Current: Cumulus RVP Content and Programming, Rock Formats, KQRS PD
1. What led you to a career in radio? Was there a defining moment, which made you realize “this is it”?
Probably like anyone my age it was being a little kid and hearing Howard Stern for the first time and thinking “oh my God I want to do THAT!” For me, that feeling never went away. As I got into my teens, high school, college, etc., I only wanted it more. So I started paying attention to local radio and really just wanted to work on a morning show. I didn’t even know what that meant. It wasn’t until my first year or so in that I saw what other possibilities were there. The more I was exposed to programming, the more I started to lean in that direction.
2. If you were just starting out in radio, knowing now, what you didn’t then, would you still do it?
Yes and no. It’s still a great medium and a great art form and I’m bullish on its future. I love not only what we do but what I believe we CAN do. But there are just no opportunities for young people to find radio and make a living doing it. It’s a huge problem to be honest. We have to create our future and that means finding talent and giving them opportunity. I think about all the things I did to get where I am and they don’t exist. If I interned today, it would end, I would get well wishes and maybe get hired to board op every 3-4 months. I had opportunities to show what I can do and there is so few of those opportunities anymore. It’s something that needs to be addressed by the entire industry at some point.
3. Before we talk about your new gig with KQRS, you are coming over from Buffalo where you programmed Alternative WEDG (103.3 The Edge). How was that experience for you?
It taught me a whole lot from working with a big morning show, to having to navigate a format and how to keep a brand relevant. But more than that, I can tell you The Edge and Buffalo as a market are loaded with talent. There are people in Buffalo who could work anywhere they want and it makes you better. It’s such a great place. The Edge is a part of me as much as a station could be with a person. I’m pretty excited to continue a role (albeit different) there.
4. Congrats on your new gig as PD of KQRS in Minneapolis. These are legendary call letters, but what in your opinion makes this station so unique?
The talent for sure. I know that’s the answer everyone says but it’s because it’s the truth. KQRS is hyper-focused on MSP and that is evidenced by so many references I still don’t understand because I have to learn the market. It’s the station with Tom Barnard, so how much more unique do you need to be? But it is. Whether that’s Ray Errick and his wealth of music knowledge as it relates to the Twin Cities or Lisa Miller who is about the finest afternoon drive jock I’ve ever heard, the station is loaded with people who care deeply about the Twin Cities and it really cuts through.
5. You’re working with the legendary morning personality Tom Barnard. How has that experience been so far?
Tom is so much fun. We talk a lot and laugh just as much. There wasn’t a lot I had to “learn” about him because his career speaks for itself but it amazes me how much he still wants to win. He rests on nothing. He could so easily point to his history and do a victory dance but he doesn’t. He acts like someone who wants to continue learning and navigating these new landscapes. It’s the benefit of managing someone who has something to prove with the track record of someone who doesn’t. Plus he’s a really great guy. That always makes transitions easier.
6. Now let’s talk about the music on KQRS. Coming over from an Alternative station, what’s your perspective been so far in working with a legendary Classic Rock station like KQRS?
Well, for me, I’m a broadcaster, not necessarily an ALT broadcaster so my passion is with the medium more than one particular format. I think that allows me to gain a better understanding of the bigger picture. So you look at a station like KQ vs EDG. The whole purpose of a station like The Edge is to find hits; build a library There’s hits and there’s stiffs and we have to figure that out. At KQ more emphasis is placed on evaluation. How do you decide a hit from a hit? That can be much harder because the songs are timeless. There’s less risk. I suppose as we take steps into the 90s, that could be called risky but we are being deliberate with what we add and when. The important thing is to make sure we present properly the music that doesn’t have much history with KQ. You can’t be like “holy s**t we’re playing Nirvana!” We need to be as comfortable and confident with that as we are with AC/DC. We are fortunate to have a good amount of resources to make those decisions. Thematically, it’s the same for me. I’m a comic and a writer by nature so whether it’s alt or classic, it’s about imaging, promos, social, events and a thousand other things that exist regardless of the music.
7. What's your take on the Classic Rock format as a whole?
It’s alright. It’s fine. I don’t know. The music is still relevant and amazing but does that mean a format featuring that music is? I’m not sure they’re mutually exclusive. The format entirely needs to get younger, right? And “younger” is right in front of us wanting to be a part of it. Presentation needs a serious makeover. The music isn’t the problem. You see teenagers everywhere obsessed with Pink Floyd, AC/DC, etc. The issue is like 15 years ago classic rock decided to ignore anyone under 40. It was a mistake because that young end is now over 55. So you see classic rock stations like #2 35-64 but #10 25-54. I don’t mean to downplay how serious that is, but I do think it’s a pretty simple fix: talk to younger people. Let 25-year-olds come to the party. Make them feel welcome. Speak their language. Do that and the music will take care of the rest. I have an 18-year-old daughter. She’s finding and getting into a lot of classic rock. David Bowie is her favorite artist. What’s going to happen when she tunes in to most classic rock stations? It’s not to pick on anyone but we all know she wouldn’t exactly feel comfortable listening to most stations much less attending most of the events. That should probably change if continued relevance is your goal. I get we need to super serve core listeners, but who are they really? And more importantly, who do we want them to be? My opinion is the format as a whole needs to recalibrate.
8. One of the programming challenges of the Classic Rock format has always been how to keep the station sounding fresh and relevant while it’s playing Rock music that’s sometimes 30 or 40 years old. What have you done to keep KQRS sounding relevant in 2020?
Imaging…Imaging…Imaging. The entirety of our success will be predicated on how much fun we can be. We have 20 hours per week of original content (Tom’s show) and we have to not only utilize that throughout the day but also add to the tone and reflect the content our jocks deliver. Imaging does that. Social media needs to be a major priority and it has to be more than “today in classic rock.” Jocks need to be active and fun. The station accounts need to mirror the tone. From there, coming up with the right events and being a part of things that already include the people we want. Fresh and relevant stations come from broadcasters who are committed to staying fresh and relevant themselves.
9. Speaking of 2020, how has the Coronavirus impacted your programming of KQRS, and what has the station done to inform and entertain the listeners during the pandemic?
Well I’m responding to this from Buffalo, so you can imagine. It’s hard, you can’t minimize that. It’s tough on everyone. But we’ve encouraged our talent to stay authentic. When they’re frustrated or afraid, they should communicate that because listeners relate to the humanity of it. Cracking a mic and saying “concerts will never die” or whatever is fine but that can’t be all you do. You have to talk about what’s open and closed. You have to find a creative way to give health statistics. Imagine the difficulty of that! Truth be told, I think it’s made decent jocks good and good jocks great. No one had a choice but to be the best we’ve ever been. And now there’s a new importance because as things reopen people will absolutely come to us for that info and it can be confusing. We have to always be ready.
10. Finally, the eyes of the world have been on Minneapolis since the death of George Floyd. I noticed the KQRS website has lots of info on how to help communities and businesses in the Twin Cities. How has the station handled this on the air?
It’s become a national movement hasn’t it? I wish I could be like “we’ve guided things from Minneapolis” but that fact is our company has straight up led us and supported us. Our CEO posted a statement that was direct and inspiring. She rallied everyone and didn’t mince words. Brian Philips has been a supportive voice while adding directives which make very clear our stations will have a positive role in the future. It’s been awesome. With that guidance, we’ve tried to take KQ and create a focus on unity within the Twin Cities. We are focused on the conversation and our talent continues to do the right things while we talk to and with people as our neighbors. We also joined every other media outlet in the state in promoting the Twin Cities Night of Light, a demonstration of unity in which we encouraged all who could hear to turn on their lights at 10pm last Friday. It was great and really well received. 92KQRS will be on the right side of history in this, I assure you.
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