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10 Questions with ... Brett Andrews
September 27, 2022
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
103.7 KISS FM / Milwaukee – Weekends
99.1 The Mix / Milwaukee – Weekends
102.7 KFRX / Lincoln – Afternoons
Channel 963 / Wichita – Mornings
Hot 97.5 / Las Vegas – Afternoons
103.7 KISS FM / Milwaukee – Nights
Z100 / Portland – Program Director
WILD 107.5 / Portland – Program Director
Z107.7 / St. Louis – Program Director
WILD 104.9 / St. Louis – Program Director
97-3 NOW / Milwaukee – Program Director
95.7 BIG FM – Program Director
Nationally Syndicated AC/CHR/Adult Hits Show – 65 Stations
104.7 KISS FM Phoenix – Weekends/Fill-in
103.5 KISS FM Chicago – Weekends/Fill-in
Kool 108 Minneapolis – Weekends/Fill-in
101.3 KDWB/Minneapolis – Fill-in
The River 105.9 Hartford - Weekends
Z104 / Madison – Program Director
iHeartMedia Madison/Milwaukee – Sr. Vice President of Programming
1. How would you describe your first radio gig?
Exciting, confidence building, surreal. I did weekends and fill in at 103.7 KISS FM in Milwaukee while in college. This is the station that I listened to as a kid, so to get to be on the air there was amazing. At the time, the station was live 24/7 and had a stable of weekend jocks. At the start of each month, the APD would post that month's schedule and the part-timers would flock to see how many shifts they got and if they were in the light of day…remanent of the scene at the start of Tommy Boy when Tommy is pushing through the crowd to see his final grade post (D+….Oh my God I passed).
2. What led you to a career in radio?
It's really the only thing I ever wanted to do. I had the very typical "getting into the business" story for the time…I got a few internships, which led to a part time gig on the promo team, which lead to weekends on air. At that point, in my very early twenties, all I aspired to was to be a night jock and air awesome phoners. If you'd ask 20-year-old Brett if he'd end up as a PD or VP…the thought never occurred to me. At some point about seven or eight years in, I realized that I wasn't destined to make Seacrest money, so I turned my attention to learning as much about programming and station administration as I could, hoping that a move into programming and management roles was the best strategy to get to keep doing this for the rest of my career.
3. You have a lot of balls in the air. What's your recipe for making sure that they don't drop?
I'm sure you hear this from a lot of people these days, but time management is really the biggest challenge. Aside from overseeing two markets as SVP, I also do a live morning show on BIG FM in Milwaukee, afternoons on Z104 in Madison, and weekends/fill-in in Chicago, Minneapolis, Hartford, and Seattle. Someone recently said to me that if you're not multitasking, you're not doing anything…so lately I've challenged myself to focus on just one thing at a time and not overscheduling. That's not always easy or achievable, so simply triaging and figuring out what needs to be done right now and what can wait is a big tool. The two markets I oversee are about an hour and a half distance and while we conduct a lot of business via Teams and other virtual tools, I feel it's important to spend time in both buildings. I'm based in Milwaukee but try to get to Madison for a least a day or two every other week. Trying to juggle the job with a wife and two little kiddos at home is not always easy, but I've got an amazingly patient wife and being with her, our son Lennon and daughter Luna grounds me and helps me deal with the stress. It also helps that I'm still doing something that I love after 23 years, that fact is not lost of me.
4. Z104 is one of the country's great heritage Top 40 stations. The Milwaukee stations are steeped in history… As a Wisconsin native, what does it mean to you to be able to do your thing on your home turf?
I spent most of my 20s and early 30s moving from gig to gig and city to city, which was fun and I wouldn't trade that in for anything, but about eight years ago I knew I was ready to come back home. Now to have the opportunity to be home AND work with some of the most heritage and loved radio stations in the country and work with an amazing team of program directors and talent, is more than I could ask for.
Z104 has such amazing heritage in Madison, it's been around for more than 25 years, and so many of the listeners who grew up as fans of the station are STILL listeners now, as evidenced by how well the station does 25-54. Z104 is legendary and the listeners have grown to expect a certain sound, a certain attitude and vibe and it's been my challenge, taking over the station two years ago, to live up to the expectations the city has for the station. So proud to also be a part of Madison's 96.3 Star Country, 101.5 IBA-FM, Rewind921, U100.9, WIBA AM, and 1070 The Game.
In Milwaukee, FM106.1, V100.7, BIG FM, WISN, WOKY are all amazing stations I grew up listening to. 97-3 The Game is in its inaugural season as the Flagship Station of the Green Bay Packers Radio Network. Being a small part of these brands is quite surreal.
5. Who would be a 'dream guest" to have come by and plug in across from you?
I'd love sit down across from Seacrest, although that would devolve into a radio conversation that not a single person would want to listen to, aside from me. I've been obsessed lately with the podcast Smartless and would love to interview the hosts, Jason Bateman, Will Arnet, and Sean Hayes. When Barack Obama was still a Senator and running for President the first time, I was scheduled to do an interview with him, but as presidential campaigns change minute to minute…it literally got cancelled seconds before he was supposed to call the hotline, so…he still owes me one interview. I'd love to interview anyone who has ever acted in an Aaron Sorkin movie or show, or the man himself, my favorite writer.
6. What did you learn about yourself as a programmer and personality navigating the pandemic?
I did about 4 months working remotely from my house and while I had a decent set up, I did not have access to live phones. Since my early days at KISS FM, phoners have been a staple of my show…even short silly pointless phoners…so when I suddenly couldn't lean on them, I had to find another way to get my audience involved in the show. Thanks to social media, texting, etc., I was able to integrate that more into my show even when we can back into the studio.
7. n your opinion, what was the 'Song of Summer 2022'?
Unpopular opinion: Kate Bush – "Running Up That Hill" is a song I just didn't hear…but the masses have spoken! For me, Yung Gravy's "Betty" is in the discussion, as are Lizzo and Harry Styles.
8. What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?
Work Hard. Be Kind.
9. What was your favorite station(s) to listen to when you were a kid? Jock(s)?
Milwaukee had a great Modern AC for a few years in the late 90s called 106.9 THE POINT. This station lived on Third Eye Blind, Goo Goo Dolls, Barenaked Ladies, Sheryl Crow, The Wallflowers, Matchbox 20, etc. It was relatively short lived, but sooo good, I'd love to program a station like that some day! Of course, all the original jocks at 103.7 KISS FM…this was my first taste of a real, full steam ahead, pop station and I rarely turned it off. When I was in college…streaming was in its infancy and wasn't nearly as mobile as it is now, I remember being glued to my laptop listening to Seacrest, Sisanie, Ellen K, Gary Spears, Valentine, JoJo on KIIS.
10. Who were your mentors? Who would you say has influenced your career the most?
My first boss Brian Kelly at KISS. I listened to JoJo Wright nonstop early in my career. As everyone knows, JoJo's delivery and energy is unmatched. When my career focus started to lean toward programming, I went to the Tommy Austin Grad School of Programming while we were in Portland. Tony Coles and Maynard have lost sleep after letting me think a little unconventionally at times.
Bonus Questions
With the venue of your choice at your disposal and an unlimited budget, which 5-6 acts would you pull together for a Fall cluster-wide bash?
Wow. American Family Field. Elton John. Garth. Blake Shelton. Bon Jovi. Eminem. Drake. Dua Lipa. Harry Styles.
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