10 Questions with ... Mark Keefe

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Started in radio in the '80s at Xavier University; experience in Cincinnati at WVXU, WNKU and WMJI; to western North Carolina and WNCW mid-'90s-2003, started WUIN/The Penguin in Wilmington, NC; to KTHX in Reno in 2006 as OM/PD/middays; became PD of WYMS in March of this year.

1. How did you become interested in radio?

I was a radio junkie even as a little kid in Louisville, but I wanted to be like Andy Travis after "WKRP in Cincinnati" hit TV in the late '70s.

2. How did you get the job at WYMS?

The desire to get closer to my family was getting stronger in the last year, so an industry friend let me know WYMS was looking for a PD with my kind of experience - commercial and noncommercial. A few phone conversations later I was interviewing for the job.

3. 88Nine Radio Milwaukee is taking a unique approach to its music mix. How would you describe the sound of the station?

We're certainly one of the more unique stations reporting to the Triple A chart. The plan has always been to musically represent what Milwaukee's city population is comprised of, but that, like the population, is ever-changing. We incorporate Indie Rock and World music elements into our mix, but our Urban lean attracts a lot of attention and keeps us from being easily labeled Triple A.

4. Is there much music overlap with other stations in the market?

We share some artists with the full-service NPR affiliate, WUWM, when they're playing music, but we also share artists with the Urban stations, the Alternative station, and even the ACs

5. How committed is the station to the local music scene?

Like no other I've been involved with. "Milwaukee Music" is not just for branding; we play a song from a Milwaukee artist every hour, every day. That type of commitment keeps local music as a constant throughout our programming, instead of isolating it here and there. We also have "414 Music" each Friday afternoon where we invite a local artist into our studio for some live music and conversation.

6. The station is very involved with community building. Tell us a bit about that.

Again, the commitment to public affairs is like no place I've ever been. There are five "Initiatives" broadcast each year; we're currently in the middle of the seven-week "Neighborhood Project," where we broadcast a profile of a different Milwaukee neighborhood each week. We have a fantastic producer, Adam Carr, who spearheads all of the initiatives. The Neighborhood Project is comprised of 12-14 capsule pieces for each neighborhood spotlighted each week that air each hour from 6a-midnight, plus reinforcing web content. The next initiative is "Safe Streets, Healthy Kids," followed by "Make A Difference" (volunteering), "Meet The Need" (50 local charities in 50 days), and "Make Milwaukee" (people involved in the arts).

7. The station is owned by the public school system - how active a role do they take in the station?

Milwaukee Public Schools is our license holder, but we operate the station without direct oversight from them. One of their administrative personnel is a board member and they're supportive through their facilities and all very nice to work with; our studios are located in their main administrative building. We're obligated to air their school board meetings, which generally take place once or twice a week in the evenings. Interestingly enough, we rarely hear complaints from our listeners about the board meetings; people understand how it's an important part of our community service.

8. What is the biggest misconception about your station?

There are several, but most have to do with an expectation that all public radio stations must follow a certain format or deliver certain content. People who have experienced a public radio station in another town arrive here and wonder why we don't necessarily sound like the station they listened to before, or that we don't have the same kind of news and information programs they're used to hearing on other public radio stations. Milwaukee has several strong public stations - two broadcast news and information, and another is a community station that is block-programmed. All are great at what they do and I listen to them regularly.

9. Although You're fairly new there, what do you see as your biggest challenge at the station?

Shepherding the station through its next phase of life in every area. At three years of age, infancy is almost over - now it's time to grow up healthy. The foundation is stable, so we're working hard to build on it.

10. You have worked at both commercial and noncomm stations. What do you like best about working on the public radio side?

Several things, first among them is the ability to make public service an integral part of our overall sound and not just a "requirement" fulfilled for a half-hour on Sunday morning. A close second would be playing music that fits our sound without waiting for someone else to take a chance with it. The success of what we play is determined more by the number of people willing to financially support us and not by its test score.

Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without ...

Walking my dog, Glenn!

Last non-industry job:

I worked part-time for a physical therapy company in Cincinnati in the early '90s

First record ever purchased:

The DeFranco Family "Heartbeat, It's A Lovebeat"

First concert:

The Rolling Stones w/The Wild Tchoupitoulas, 1981, Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY

Favorite band of all-time:

The Clash