10 Questions with ... Kenard "K2" Karter

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

My career has been filled with adventure and adversity, from programming two heritage radio brands in two amazing cities 106.1 KMEL in San Francisco and 107.5 WGCI in Chicago. Conversely, the challenge of leading and managing veteran on-air talent, large staffs and moving across the country multiple times has led to a growing family and plenty of self-reflection.

1) What got you started in radio?

I started by taking a radio class in college as an elective course. The station manager and PD compared me to the legendary Walt Baby Love during the on-air portion of the class and I had no idea who Walt Baby Love was, but I took it as a compliment and it motivated me to pursue a communication degree with a broadcast focus. I felt radio was a calling, when I achieved some early success as a radio sports color commentator for the Arena Football League and a sideline reporter for my college football team, the Illinois State Redbirds. Later, I picked up a weekend part time on-air talent slot with AAA Entertainment WRPW/WZPW 92.3 Peoria/Bloomington, Illinois. This set the stage for starting at 107.5 WGCI as an overnight talent in 2004.

2) Do you ever wish you would have perused something in sports broadcasting?

Yes. I often wish I had been more intentional with making the connection of my background in sports with my love for broadcasting. While I'm grateful for the success I've had building a career as a commercial radio professional, I'm guilty of allowing new radio opportunities to dictate my direction in broadcast. I've performed roles as an on-air talent, promotions assistant, production assistant, assistant production director, MD, APD and PD to OM. If I could do it over again, I'd aggressively pursue being a sportscaster on ESPN and a career path similar to the late Stuart Scott. Most of us discover what we want by the process of elimination and my career course has been no exception to this.

3) Why did you make the change from being an air personality to doing things with the programming department?

Making the change from on-air talent to the programming department has given me the opportunity to understand the "Why" and "How" of radio. Why do we play the same songs over and over? Who is our competition and how is our competition changing? Why and how have we've built a strong bond with the community as an industry over the years? It has also allowed me to understand audience demographics and who we're targeting with each radio format. Most importantly, I still believe in the power of radio programming and our messaging. Our on-air message is the core of our product and delivering great content our listeners can use. Being a PD is a privileged class that I've been fortunate to part of and I would urge every on-air talent to expand into a programming role if the opportunity presents itself.

4) You are leaving radio and going into marketing with the Agar Agency; how did that all come about?

It started with the opportunity and my personal passion for partnerships becoming available at the same time. The owner of Agar, Josh Heuser, has a very unique and evolutionary vision plus a multitude of expansion opportunities; I was inspired by his desire to bring me on-board and lead various charges into new business and impactful work such as the creation of Ubahn Festival, the world's first underground music festival. Ubahn Festival is one of many Agar products, but this alone will revolutionize the consumer concert experience and lead the way into the virtual-reality event experience. Agar is rooted in cultural activation and audience engagement, heavily influenced by excellence, originality and creativity. Josh understands the relationships I've built as a local influencer in Cincinnati and my reputation on the global stage. I'm convinced we'll do some amazing work together, not limited to the integration of media and content development pairing them with dynamic brands and strategic partners internationally. Check out our website at www.agaragency.com

5) What surprised you about radio when you first got into the business?

I was surprised that radio would stretch me and helped me discover new abilities I didn't know I had. Radio has allowed me to live in some amazing cities, but also exposed my strengths as well as weaknesses from coaching, networking, managing self, collaborating with team members, operating with humility, taking the high road and mentoring staff to working across departments to cultivate positive relationships with other leaders. I've learned to always have an open mind; moving to Cincinnati required me to have an open mind. In fact, Cincinnati was a development ground of all my experiences at once, mainly due to a nimble operation, the increased responsibility and the limited presence of leadership and experience; a smaller market demands more as compared to Chicago and San Francisco. Being in a smaller market, has been tough and rewarding at the same time, professionally all my skills have been at work and proven, from programming three radio stations, keeping them relevant and growing the overall listening share of our radio cluster in my tenure.

The personal demands of family have also increased, so the need for flexibility and raising my children in a safe environment was a tough balance to maintain, while still driving income. This is another example of 'radio' taking me to another great city, with plenty of upside and rewards for my family. Not to mention, advancing my career in a 'smaller market' with the discovery the Agar Agency - radio is ultimately responsible and I won't forget.

6) How do you advise college students on the business of broadcasting?

I tell students to do every broadcasting job possible and don't discount any of them, whether it's directly tied to audience engagement or a support role. Many students are attracted to the opportunity to be on-air or in the programming department, but radio will always have a place in our world, but it will exist differently - at least outside of the top-10 markets in the near future.

7) What were your early years like?

I grew up on the southside of Chicago, so avoiding gangs and crossfire in my neighborhood or when traveling to high school was considered a success by itself. My parents raised me with a high value for self and regular church attendance was required - just like many other youth; playing basketball motivated me, but football became my way to a free college education. My mother urged to me to pursue medicine as a career and I attempted to please her, but organic chemistry and genetics got in the way. (I was a C student in those courses). Communications and marketing became a natural fit and I later received my BS degree from Illinois State University.

8) How do you see the future of radio?

Traditional broadcast is evolving and eventually you'll be required to have all the skills at once. The traditional broadcast and sales model will evolve into more programmatic buying and employees will need to be part of the pitch process to attract new customers, which is sales, the ideation of the opportunity you are selling is programming and the execution of the idea, is promotions. So, the chance of being disconnected from any part of the customer acquisition process will be less likely; this is a positive note for brands and companies that need quality employees and service providers. This the already started to disrupt the traditional radio business model.

9) Who did you grow up listening to and who have been some of you mentors in this business?

I grew up as a fan of gospel music from Fred Hammond, John P. Key to Yolanda Adams, but I was secretly listening to 2 Pac, Biggie, 8ball & MJG and Master P. I discovered southern rap from family members who lived in Memphis and various parts of Mississippi. My roommate in college also helped me discover Master P, Cash Money and other '90s Rap and R&B artists.

I was fortunate to develop some key relationships with people who eventually became mentors. I want to note that there were many managers in my career, that were not mentors or leaders, but I respected them as such; mainly because I did not know the difference. However, when I discovered that I needed substance, depth, purpose and a sounding board for my pursuits, my mentors presented themselves; some were already in my life and others I had to pursue a little more, from my father, Arthur Killingsworth, Elroy Smith, Richard Simpkins, Kevin Liles, Chaka Zulu, Doc Wynter and Don Parker. It is true when they say, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear."

10) What knowledge from radio will you carry over to your new career in marketing?

All my radio knowledge and experience will carry over into my new career. In fact, I wish I could have attended formal radio sales training during my career. I was most sales minded while in Cincinnati, but I've always had a knack for integrating creativity and opportunity with radio's non-traditional revenue model. I have been preparing for this day over the last 15 plus years. Radio will always have a place in my heart and I'll continue to utilize it as a way to mobilize and engage consumers locally. I intend to be a trusted radio partner globally, in my new role as well.

Looking back, what would you change about your career path?

The short answer is I wouldn't change anything because every moment prepared me for the next, including being fired from WGCI. I've grown to understand that you learn and grow more from losses than you do from wins; so perceived failure can actually produce valuable rewards -- if you are not too proud and embrace humility. I appreciate the research and development process more today than I did in 2004 and before that. Trial and error sets the course for the future and in a human sense, it builds character.

Now, I'm not flawless or perfect, so I didn't always think this way and it's tough to be optimistic when you're facing challenges. So, I've been asked, "Would you not go back to Chicago if you knew you would be fired?" Honestly, I needed that experience in my life, but I do think there were some disruptive opportunities that I was being presented with that absolutely scared me at the time because they weren't as structured as I had gotten used too.

Some of those start-up companies are doing well and others have failed - naturally I think, "What if I would have joined a company pre-IPO?" I might be rich, but it wasn't my time. Joining Agar today resembles that time in my life, but this time I'm taking the leap from a very calculated stance and I'm thankful to be in this position, being ahead of the curve and understanding this progressive opportunity without second guessing myself.