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10 Questions with ... Kasper
December 13, 2005
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NAME:KasperPOSITION:APD/MD/Afternoon DriveSTATION:WAKS/96-5 KISS FMMARKET:Cleveland, OHCOMPANY:Clear ChannelBORN:4/16/75
Please outline your radio career so far:
6/93-8/98: WHOT Youngstown - Board-Op; Weekends; AMD/Overnights
2/98-8/98: WBZZ Pittsburgh - Part Time/Swing
8/98-6/99: WRTS Erie - APD/MD/Nights
6/99-3/00: WXLK Roanoke - MD/Afternoons
3/00-10/04: WAKS Cleveland - MD/Nights;APD/MD/Afternoons
10/04-9/05: WIOQ Philadelphia - Afternoons
9/05-Present: WAKS Cleveland - APD/MD/Afternoons1 Please outline your radio career so far:
I've also voice tracked for WKSC Chicago, WDCG Raleigh, WKST Pittsburgh, WKKF Albany, WZKF Louisville, WQEN Birmingham. Currently I'm 'tracking for WAKZ Youngstown and WFMF Baton Rouge.
2 What led you to a career in radio?
I got bit by the bug pretty early. My grandfather was a huge music fan with hundreds and hundreds of albums and some pretty hi-tech stereo equipment, so when I'd visit my grandparents as a kid, I would basically "play radio" while I was there. Keep in mind I was like 7, so this was pretty much me talking all over the song, lyrics and everything. He'd tell me not to do that and I would get all mad at him and say "I know what I'm doing!!!" Wow, I think I had a conversation like that with Dan just last week.
3 What makes your show special?
Not sure if it's special, it's just me doing my best to entertain in my own way with my own style. As far as the show itself, I try to bring as much to the table as humanly possible that will be compelling to an adult female. I'm constantly scouring US Weekly, Cosmo, the gazillion internet gossip sites, etc. etc. for stuff I can turn into a topic for the show. It's so cool when a 25 year-old female in the middle of a busy day takes time out to actually call me to make a comment about what she just heard on the air. That's the best payoff in the world - the connection we make with the listeners ...entertaining people and getting a reaction from them. iPods have their place, but they can't do that!
4 You returned to Cleveland after a stint in Philly at Q102. How would you compare the two markets?
Both are blue-collar, sports-loving cities, but it snows a lot more in Cleveland and you'll get cut-off in traffic more in Philly. So now I drive like a maniac on icy roads!
5 Tell us something about your PD Dan Mason that would surprise us...
He doesn't mind getting thrown into steel chairs! He wrestles on the side from time to time and I still think the WWE is gonna make him an offer one day.
6 What was your favorite station to listen to when you were a kid?
As a Youngstown kid living smack dab in the middle of the two cities, I listened to Power 108 in Cleveland and B94 in Pittsburgh all the time.
7 What music do you listen to when you're not working?
It really depends on my mood. I like almost everything, I'm a big music freak.
8 Please describe the best promotion you've ever been part of.
We did "Body Like Britney," at WAKS back in 2001, giving women the chance to pick the plastic surgery they wanted (implants, liposuction, etc.). We spun it so that it revolved around Britney, since there was all this talk at the time that she had some work done on herself. We ended up getting an amazing amount of local and national media coverage. Britney eventually heard about it but misunderstood and thought we were giving people a chance to have plastic surgery to look exactly like her. She sent out a press release calling the contest "sick" and that she was "horrified." Priceless!
9 What's next for Kasper? What goals have you set for yourself?
I'm having the time of my life right now with the best of both worlds - I'm back on the "strategic side" of things as an APD/MD and getting to entertain with my show every day. The next goal is that first PD gig; I'd also like to work in my dream market of Chicago. Maybe I'll get to do both, who knows?
10 Where did you get the name "Kasper" from?
It's actually part of my real name. You can probably figure out which. And yeah, I've heard all the "friendly ghost" jokes since I was in kindergarten!
Bonus Questions
Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _________?
Starbucks. I'm hooked. I gotta have one installed in my house like Tommy Lee!
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