10 Questions with ... Kristen Kurtis

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I attended Emerson College as an Audio/Radio major and Marketing minor, where I hosted and coordinated "The Coffeehouse" (morning drive) on WERS until my junior year, when I was hired as swing-shift talent at WBOS. Two years later (and nine months after graduating), I was hired for afternoons on sister Hot AC station KZZU here in Spokane -- a position I continue to hold even after accepting the MD and middays shift on KEZE.

1. How did you become interested in radio?

I grew up in a suburb of Philadelphia listening to WPLY (Y100) all ... the ... time! One day they announced they were doing a Sonic Session (private performance in a recording studio) with Fuel -- a band I loved almost as much as No Doubt at the time. You had to be caller 13; I was always caller 1 ... so I e-mailed nights host LeeAnn Curtis, whom I bothered often, and begged her to give me passes. She asked for my home phone number, called my Mom to make sure it was OK, and gave me them! It was my first concert ever; I got to meet the band, etc. It was a dream come true. I knew right then and there, at 13, that I wanted to work in radio so I could meet all the musicians and see all the concerts I wanted! Still waiting to meet Gwen Stefani and company, though, ha ha.

2. Who are your mentors?

Andy "Zack" Slostad (who did imaging at Y100 when I first met him - he's still at it in Philly) and Jack Casey (currently the GM of WERS).

3. How is the switch to new dial position and new call letters translating to the audience?

They caught onto the new frequency pretty quickly, but they're not happy about it because it's a much weaker signal. We just got our first book after the switch, so it's hard to tell how they're doing with the new call letters. It was a blow losing KXLY -- it's one of the most well-known call letters in the market.

4. How would you describe the music on the station now that you have made programming adjustments?

It has a singer-songwriter/Alternative focus, mostly from the '80s to today.

5. How many songs do you have active in your library?

Thirty currents, about that many recurrents, and maybe 500 in the back catalogue ... but that's my main focus right now -- expanding the primary and golds A LOT.

6. What new bands are you most excited about?

Hockey, Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Avett Brothers, Temper Trap, April Smith and the Great Picture Show ... and some we're not playing, like Fionn Regan, Janelle Monae, Melody Gardot and As Tall as Lions.

7. What type of features do you run on the station?

Saturday nights we have a listener come in and take control of the station for two hours. Sundays we run Alter-Native, a really cool reggae show. Soon I'm going to start doing a personal suggestion of the day - switching off between the listeners and myself. Every once in a while we'll run an entire album with little blurbs from the artist in between every song (we did that with April Smith's "Songs for a Sinking Ship" last month and it sounded great).

8. What is your typical day like?

Get to the station around 9a, go on-air at KEZE from 11a-2p and then KZZU from 3-7p (ALWAYS live! Hate is a strong word, but I really dislike tracking) ... sometimes I have to stay when I get off-air to produce commercials. And sometimes when I get home I pull out my laptop and do more work.

9. What is your biggest challenge at the station?

We were having a lot of technical problems when I first stepped in two months ago, but those are mostly ironed out now. We're in the new-staff stage of learning to coordinate with each other and work like a team.

10. What do you hope to be doing in five years?

I'd love to be part of a morning show in a top-25 market as either a PD or MD (or both).

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time away from work?

Singing, writing and playing piano, and spending as much time with my fiancé as possible -- plus planning the wedding. I love obsessing over the TV show, "Lost," wine tasting and traveling as often as possible!

Last Non-Industry Job:

Retail (at Funusual in Faneuil Hall (embarrassing!))

First Record Ever Purchased:

No Doubt's "Tragic Kingdom"

First Concert:

Y-100 Sonic Session with Fuel

Favorite Band Of All-Time:

NO DOUBT!