10 Questions with ... Kevin Cruise

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I was lucky enough to start in the 90s with carts and CDs working in my hometown of St. Louis. From there, I landed an on-air job at former Top 40 WGTZ in Dayton while completing my degree at the University of Dayton. I graduated college and packed my bags for Salt Lake City to work for KUUU, which had been on the air for about 1 year. I stayed with KUUU for 13 years from 2000 - 2012 moving from middays, production director, PM Drive, MD, APD, and finally PD. At the end of 2012, I landed a gig with iHeartMedia to work at WWVA/Atlanta. In 2014, I moved back West to head the Impact Radio Group cluster in Boise, ID and took the cluster from last in the market to #1! In 2017, I did a brief stint at TuneIn overseeing their owned and operated Top 40, Hot AC, Alternative, and Classic Alternative stations. In 2018, I returned to KUUU under the new ownership that is Broadway Media.

1. What got you into radio?

Not that I want to age myself, but it was the 90s and I ultimately thought radio would be a "back door" to doing something else in the entertainment industry. Little did I know I was going to be completely wrong. I also played a variety of instruments through college and decided that I didn't want to be a broke musician and I'd rather be a broke "radio guy". I'm still not sure if that was the right decision - either way, I'm broke so I guess it all worked out like it's supposed to.

2. What did you dream of becoming when you were a kid?

I wanted to be on Broadway. I guess in some weird twist of fate it worked out for me considering our office is literally on Broadway Ave. in Salt Lake City, and the name of the company I work for is Broadway Media. Again, I think it all worked out like it was supposed to.

3. How much has Salt Lake City changed since your first "tour" there?

Seems like there's a lot more SALT in the city. A poor job at a pun. A lot can change when you leave a city for five years. It's definitely less Mormon in Salt Lake County. The city is definitely changing as we become more of a tech hub for the Mountain West. There are more people moving in from other cities that have a more liberal lean which affects attitudes and politics locally. The nightlife has definitely picked up over the years. There is more competition for entertainment from concerts to general activities to participate in if you're an adult. The better question would be, how have "I" changed since the first go 'round in Salt Lake. Look at me getting all deep and introspective in 10 Questions!

4. What's the first KUUU-specific thing you do when you get to the office?

I literally drop my bag in my office and head to the studio. U92 is celebrating 20 years on the air this year and I host a 2-hour throwback show. We don't schedule the show in GSelector on purpose. I create those two hours by hand every morning, and I take care to program it as if I were in GSelector. We have 20 years of records to play and a lot of those records didn't make it nationally. There was a good chunk of records that really took off in Salt Lake City, but not anywhere else. That is what makes the throwback show unique to any Old School station in the country. I really try to change it up based on my mood and the mood I feel from the city during that morning. You may hear me play "Waterfalls" on a rainy day - yeah, it's kind of corny but I want to really get a feel for the city on each day. There have been recent days where I'm digging up West Coast records for those warm, sunny days when the windows are down and the top is dropped. I track a four hour shift on U92 among the many responsibilities so I usually need to get right into the studio and get the show together so I can move on with the day.

5. What would probably surprise most people about Salt Lake City?

That you CAN get drunk here...or whatever else you might be looking for. We're a major metropolitan city, just like any other city in the Top 30 markets in the country. We just happen to be more outdoors...and some people are really into their religion. I grew up in the Upper South, and lived in the South - tell me there aren't religious people there.

6. You've worked and lived in Atlanta, St. Louis, Dayton, Boise and Salt Lake City. What makes Salt Lake City stand out to you?

Salt Lake is simply GORGEOUS. I was recently with some friends and we were at an event watching the sun set over the valley. My buddy, who travels the world for work and has been in amazing places, asked why I moved back. I gazed over the valley and said...this is why. Prettiest place I have ever lived and very grateful I get to call Utah home. And in case anyone was wondering, I'm not Mormon - and there's nothing wrong with those who are, but religion isn't the reason I'm here.

7. Did you work in the streaming music business give you some insights to programming contemporary terrestrial radio today?

I'm very grateful for my time in the streaming side of the music industry. It helped me break away from being a "radio listener" and listen like anyone who prefers digital consumption. It helped break some old rules that don't necessarily apply to what we do today. Sometimes I think we get stuck in the mindset of "I was taught it has to be this way"...and there's nothing wrong with being taught the right way to program. It has helped me evolve my thinking and become a better programmer, or at least more well-rounded.

8. If you went into record promotion, what is the biggest lesson you'd take from your programming experience?

Everyone is busy and doesn't have the staff we once did. Everyone...labels, too. Patience is probably the biggest lesson because we all have so much on our plate and it's easy to forget that someone else has other priorities.

9. If you weren't in radio, what do you think you'd be doing professionally?

Easiest question! This happened...I wasn't necessarily "in" radio in 2017; although I was tracking for a station. I was in events and worked on producing the Utah Governor's Energy Summit conference, Utah Governor's Economic Summit and more. I learned a lot about politics...and that I don't like politicians! LOL

10. What do you like to do in your spare time?

I'm currently ripping out most of my yard. Utah is high-desert so it's very dry here and my landscaping is zero-scaped with drought tolerant plants. Most of them are ugly...so we're starting new and changing out to more desirable drought tolerant plants. Exciting, huh?

The Voice, American Idol or The Four?

Sabrina The Teenage Witch (Netflix)

If you could be an Avenger superhero for a week, who would you be?

Why does it gotta be Marvel? I'm Batman!