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10 Questions with ... Brian B. Shynin’
July 21, 2020
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
I was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri with a passion for Urban music, culture, and sports. After graduating from Northeast High School in 2003, I went on to graduate from Northwest Missouri State University on December 12th, 2008. Early in my tenure at Northwest, I received an opportunity to do radio, which led to an internship at Hot 103 Jamz in 2006. In the Summer of 2007, I was then hired as a part time announcer for Hot 103 Jamz, where I remain to this day. Along with being the co-host of The Morning Grind with Shay & Shyne, I was recently promoted to Music Coodinator of Hot 103 Jamz this past January. I also serve as the mixer and host for the highly rated Friday Night Mixtape.
1. When did you decide that you might try your hand at radio?
It all started my freshman year of high school when my father and I were just sitting around watching television, and we had an in-depth conversation about my future. He said “In about three to four years, you’re going to be going off to college, so we need to figure out what you’re going to do for the rest of your life. What do you want to major in?”
Trying to impress my father, I kind of made up some things that I had no clue about. I said, “I think I want to be a lawyer.” I think the only way I came up with that is because I knew that profession made a lot of money. So my father (who always kept it real with me at all times) knew me better than I knew myself said “Now you know you are too lazy to read all of those books that lawyers have to read…” or something similar to that.
He challenged me to really think about what I wanted to do. About 30 seconds later, I said “What about a stock-broker?” After he quickly dismissed that idea, he said “What about broadcasting? You listen to the radio all of the time and you love to turn the volume down on football games and pretend to broadcast them.” And the proverbial light bulb went off in my head and I went after radio full steam after that conversation.
2. What is it that you like about radio and being a part of the morning show?
I love to entertain, I love to laugh, I love making people laugh, and making people smile through radio and music has been a passion of mine. Even when I was in high school, I would try to find an appropriate way to insert some type of joke to lift people’s spirits and to make people smile. The morning show has been a blessing to me and my development as a man personally and as a jock professionally. I owe my partner Shay Moore the world. She has taught me so many things on and off the microphone about how to attack radio and to maximize my performance. Whether it is having the right attitude or finding different ways to be creative with my wording or shortening my words to be effective, quick, clear and to the point. She has truly been a blessing to Hot 103 Jamz, the city of Kansas City and me. She is the best and I’d put her up against any personality in the country.
3. Is there a funny or memorable radio moment that comes to mind?
My most memorable radio moment came in May 2014 when 50 Cent came to our station and I had a chance to interview him face to face about going independent after being on a major label for a number of years. We're about 15 minutes into the conversation and who comes walking into the studio? Kansas City's own Tech N9ne, who just so happens to be the number one independent artist on earth. Who better to talk about music independence than Tech N9ne and Travis O'Guin of Strange Music? I will never forget that moment.
4. How did you get into radio?
I first attended Northwest Missouri State University in 2003 and I already knew that I wanted to have a degree in broadcasting. The great thing about Northwest is that they throw you into the fire quickly. Fast forward to 2006, I had the opportunity to do an internship at Hot 103 Jamz. I worked hard, made an impression and on June 13th, 2007 I got hired and they have been stuck with me ever since.
5. Do you think COVID-19 and recent protests have brought your community closer to KPRS?
Our relationships with our listeners are the backbone of what we do at KPRS. Some people look to us for valid information so that we can provide some clarity into what is going on in and around Kansas City. I believe that during that past several months, we have not only given our listeners the truth as to what's going on but provided credible information to resources for those who needed help. With that being said, I think our listeners have gained a substantial amount trust in us and we take that very seriously and are blessed to have many great listeners from every race, nation, creed, and gender. We love our city.
6. What are you most proud of?
Shay Moore and I were able to get to number one last year in 6+ shares. I always wanted to have the number one morning show, or number one anything for that matter, but I was skeptical in us achieving that goal. Kansas City is only 13% Urban, and in a PPM landscape that isn't exactly having the best hand. But with our Operations Manager Myron Fear's unmatched music methodology and work ethic, with Shay's meticulous attention to detail and my little two cents added in, we were able to reach number one. To me, it really substantiated my partnership with Shay, and it verified KPRS' decision to trust me to be a part of a morning show. I could not have been prouder and more fulfilled.
7. How do you view your job on and off the air?
I don't think my job ever stops when we're off the air, it's an ongoing thing 24/7. What I mean by that is, if you're out in your city and you're at a gas station and some listeners recognize you and want a hug or a picture (in which I'm always honored), then are you really "off the clock"? Or how about social media, when some listeners want to ask you a random question or they want to just connect with you outside of your show? No matter if the mics are on or off, our job is never finished. On air, feel like sometimes we are counselors to a degree. Sometimes people just want a little validation that they're not the only one who feels a certain way about a subject. For an example, Shay and I were talking about what foods people would make during Thanksgiving. During our back and forth we mentioned the obvious foods like turkey, dressing, sweet potato pie etc. Then Shay mentioned potato salad, and I was flabbergasted because I knew of potato salad being a summertime BBQ item, not Thanksgiving. So, we went to a commercial break and the phone lines lit up after our discussion and needless to say, I learned that day that some people do eat potato salad as a side for Thanksgiving.
8. What people have influenced your life and career?
Three people come to mind, the first is Myron Fears, who is our Operations Manager at Hot 103 Jamz. This man really has been a gift to me ever since I first met him in May of 2006. He's helped me in countless ways, professionally and personally. He's had to reprimand me a couple of times for some questionable decisions that I have made but he's always been there for me through tough times and great times. If it wasn't for Mr. Fears, I don’t know where I would be. I remember he gave me a piece of advice when I was about 22 and I promised him that I would pay him back. He responded, "Just pay it forward." And from that day on, I have used that phrase. That's just one of many life lessons he's taught me, and I am forever in debt to him.
The second person is my partner Shay Moore. From the day that we met, she hasn't stopped teaching me about some of the things that she, unfortunately, had to learn the hard way. Shay could really create her own broadcasting school if she wanted to, because she is one of the smartest people I have ever met. I really thought I had things figured out when I first met Shay in September 2015 but looking back now I realize that I knew nothing I think that is a great mark of someone who God puts in your life and they teach you so many things that you mentally become a different but better person. I owe that debt of gratitude to Shay Moore.
The last person that comes to mind is my older brother John. If it wasn't for him, I definitely wouldn't be as cultured as I am now. He's 10 years older than me, so from the start I was always an older soul when it came to entertainment compared to my peers. I mean, I was a seven or eight-year-old kid singing Jodeci songs and reciting Snoop Dogg lyrics (which may have not been the best thing). We'd always listen to the radio, that's something that always brought us together besides sports.
I mean, we'd spend hours listening to Hot 103 Jamz, whether it was "The Breakfast Brothers", or segments like "On The Phone With Tyrone" and "The Clarence Update", or if it was "Club Jamz" (1990's mixshow) or "Radio Scope" with Lee Bailey. John really molded me early on culturally. Not only was it radio, but it was movies like "New Jack City" and "Menace 2 Society", we'd watch "Yo! MTV Raps" and "Video Soul" with Donnie Simpson and I'm not sure if I would have been introduced to that if it wasn't for John. All of these things engulfed me into Urban music and entertainment. I can't thank him enough for all of the things he exposed me to that shaped who I am today.
9. How do you balance work and your personal life?
I am a creature of habit and I absolutely love a set schedule. Now of course some things change and you have to adjust, but I believe the key to having a balanced and healthy work/personal life is setting times and not being a procrastinator when it comes to getting your work done. In college, I used to be the biggest procrastinator, I would often put off projects and assignments until their final due date. Which isn't the healthiest thing to do because all of a sudden you can't get any sleep, staying up doing all-nighters, your eating habits are off, and then your project may suffer because of that.
Along with radio, I DJ, and I coach my little league football team, the Kansas City Seminoles. In order for me to able to do these extracurricular activities, I have to make sure I get my work done and not put things off until the last minute. Planning ahead is definitely a skill I acquired by being in this industry and it's necessary because often times we have people in radio with multiple titles and that comes with a lot of extra work that needs to be done. But as long as you are a diligent in getting your work done within a certain time frame, you can have a great work/personal life balance.
10. What makes you happy?
Well, besides the Chiefs, Royals and Lakers winning titles, I'd have to say a perfectly executed break in radio. When Shay and I are both on top of our game, when we hand the topics off to one another seamlessly without any hiccups, it really makes me feel good. Or when I'm on the board and I drop a perfectly timed soundbite in reference to the conversation, that really makes me love what I do. One other thing that makes me happy in relation to radio is when we make an instant impact on people's lives. Some folks are really going through a tough time right now with the pandemic, unemployment, and racial tensions. Some people are just looking for a small glimpse of hope to keep going another day. When we are able to provide some type of information or have a funny bit that can uplift some people, that really touches my spirit.
Bonus Questions
What’s the wisest advice you’ve ever been given?
It's actually a tie, the first is a Jay-Z line from 'Takeover' off of his 2001 Blueprint album. "A wise man told me don't argue with fools, cause people from a distance can't tell who is- who." That quote hits me hard because of social media, which is now a big part of our business. Sometimes you'll have certain people in your mentions on social media talking reckless about something they have absolutely no clue about or they make the most asinine statement you have ever seen.
But it's very easy for folks to misinterpret what was said and it's very easy for context to get lost and some people just want to believe what they believe in anyway. It's always wise to let people think what they want to, keep it moving and let your actions do the talking for you.
The second piece of advice that I carry with me is "Don't count your money until it's in your hand". Often times in our industry there are con-men, sharks, and shady promoters who love to take advantage of talent. I remember back in 2012, I had a number of events and remotes lined up that I was DJing/hosting and I was really depending on that money for my budget. Of course, some of the events that month had cancelled and some of the events didn't do well and of course the DJ always is the first to get shorted on money. From that day on, I never counted another penny until I had it in the palm of my hand or in my bank account.
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