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10 Questions with ... Colt Parkey
November 8, 2016
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
I took an internship when I was 16. Ever since then I've been hustling hard! I started as a night show co-host at WJZQ (Traverse City, MI), then branched off to do my own thing at nights at the following stations: WKSZ/Appleton WI, WIXX/Green Bay WI and WJHM/Orlando. After connecting with listeners at night, I decided perfect my craft in an afternoon slot. Those afternoon stops include WKTI/Milwaukee and WKSL/Jacksonville, FL.
1) What led you to a career in radio?
My uncle got me into the game. I was always curious, and when I shadowed him I knew it was for me. Radio was this attractive sexy career that I couldn't say no to ... I still can't. Having a creative outlet to express myself and impact people in a positive way is what ultimately made me want my own show.
2) What makes your station unique? How would you compare it to other stations you've worked at?
The team/resources we have! I've never seen such a hungry bunch of crazy radio people. The competition in our building is friendly but fierce as well. It really keeps you motivated. My SVPP Tommy BoDean has introduced me to "branding" myself on air and socially. I've never felt more connected with an audience ... btw ... @ColtRadio if you want to stalk my life on social media. Let's be bffs.
3) Are you wearing more "hats" than you have in the past?
I have always worn multiple hats, but I'm currently sporting a new ball cap at KISSFM ... Social Media Manager. There are so many aspects to this specific hat and I have a love/hate relationship with them all. At the end of the day it all comes back to branding. Whatever message your station delivers on-air should correlate back to its social media accounts. It's pretty neat chasing the "goal" as well. When you score big on a blog it feels amazing.
4) What are your favorite show prep sources?
Life in general is my favorite show prep. Any sort of information/journey/story that I would share with my friends goes on-air. The challenging part is brevity ... making those stories PPM-friendly. That's an entirely different story though. Besides life events, I love to use sites like Wisebrother, Dailymail.com, huffingtonpost, thefrisky, NY Post, Facebook (great for phoners), and fmylife. This list could go on and on, but those are my top choices.
5) What's the coolest promotion you've been involved with recently?
#PrayersForStAugustine. We just got hit hard by Hurricane Matthew. A city in our listening area got completely flooded out. To help give back we teamed up with a few clients and collected items for people in need. It was such a surreal moment that made me realize how powerful radio is. I'm tearing up just thinking about it. Don't judge, ha ha...
6) What's the coolest promotion you've ever been involved with?
"Colt's Super Awesome Amazing Milwaukee Day Adventure!" MKEs area code is 414, so on 4/14 we celebrated Milwaukee Day. I did my show live on the streets while visiting over 15 iconic places in the city. It was a long a** day, but I learned so much and got a ton of listener interaction.
7) Who is your favorite air personality not on your staff and why do you like them?
Lord I have so many! If you don't mind I'll give you my top three in a random order:
- Billy The Kidd - He makes his show sound so connected with audience. He's also great at talking to the demo.
- JJ Kincaid - His morning show is great! I like listening to his earlier stuff, too. He is so quick-witted with callers and he makes you feel like you're just having a casual conversation.
- Jake Kelly - He's been my mentor through it all. I learned personality radio from him, and he helped shape my career. If you want a personality driven show check him out!
8) What's the most unbelievable on-air bit you were allowed to do?
One day I was sitting there thinking about how I could get more followers on Twitter. I decided to get listeners involved and used my cohost as a stripper to make this happen. For every follow I got, "Sam the intern" would take off an article of clothing. We took video and teased with photos. He ended up nude in the studio. It was wild. Looking back I did a lot of crazy things with that intern. I even had a listener win a "Shave the stache" prize. This poor girl shaved his mustache off on-air. Good times!
9) Who were your mentors? Who would you say has influenced your career the most?
Jake Kelly. He's actually my uncle. When he got me into this awesome career. He's taught me so many things that have helped elevate my on-air skills and I'll always be thankful for that. I've bounced around a few times and I've actually landed on the same station as him. I was doing nights at WIXX when he was doing afternoons. It was incredible to dominate that market in both dayparts. Before I ever make a move I always consult him. I should probably buy him a gift sometime.
10) What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?
Content is key. Never throw away breaks. This is done way too much. There's so much happening in the world. When I hear a break that only consists of a back-sell to a front-sell with nothing in between. It makes me so upset. Even if you only have four seconds, you should always have something to say. Own it.
Bonus Questions
What's the biggest gaffe you've made on-air?
My first break ever! I decided to go live with it. It sounded like this.
"Yo coming up next we got um ... uh ... I don't ... we have something up next." My cheeks were so red and I thought my PD was going to axe me right then and there. Thankfully he didn't.
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