-
Charese Fruge’ (@MCMediaonline) Talks To Kayla Walker
August 9, 2022
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
Kayla Walker is co-host of the Chet Buchanan Show on Audacy Top 40 98.5 KLUC/Las Vegas. Over the last seven years that she’s been there, she’s managed to find a great balance between her personal and professional life which makes for great radio in the morning. The recent newlywed originally started her career at Cox Media/Tampa, FL. “After pulling weekends and overnights and any sort of fill in position I could find in the building, a phone screener position became available on The Drew Garabo Show,” explains Walker. “After 4 years in Tampa, I saw an opening in Las Vegas with the Chet Buchanan Show. After talking for a month, they offered me the job and 2 weeks later, I packed up my apartment, said goodbye to my friends and family and moved across the country. Seven years later, I am still doing what I love; co-hosting a heritage morning show on a heritage station in the most electric city in the world.”
“Like most in radio, I have another job,” says Walker. “My therapist recommended it actually. And I knew I needed to do something that had nothing to do with radio on the side. I LOVE what I do in our industry, but in order for me to continue to love it, I need to separate at times...so I got a job at a golf course. I actually LOVE to play golf and I'm not too bad at it,” she says. “Fast forward 4 years later and I still work there a few days a week as their First Assistant Professional and Director of Resident Affairs. It gives me an outlet to focus on things other than radio at times.”
Unlike most in the business (radio geeks), Kayla sort of randomly stumbled into radio. “After college, I really didn't know what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go,” she says. “It wasn't until I landed at CMG/Tampa, that I realized that was what I was meant to do. I started as an overnight Board Op and filled in whenever/wherever they needed a body. After 2 years, a phone screener position on The Drew Garabo Show became available and I instantly knew I wanted to be part of a show. After working with Drew and growing for more than 2 years, I saw an opening on the Chet Buchanan Show in Las Vegas...and the rest is history.
“What's not to love about this job, by the way?” asks Walker. “Admittedly when I took this job, I didn't really know if I wanted to host my own show one day or maybe perfect my producer skills. It was pretty soon after starting in the co-host role that I realized that this is the chair I am supposed to be in. I love having a conversation with my friends and asking questions about their experiences. But that also comes with the comfort of the host. Chet and I constantly remind each other that this job is fun to do with each other. That we are truly blessed to have each other so our roles fit like puzzle pieces.”
Over the years she’s been in Vegas, Kayla has had some pretty exciting experiences. “Professionally? I would say our biggest accomplishment is being able to break the news to Bruno Mars that he took home the most nominations at the Grammys,” she says. “We were on the phone with him when the news came down and if you've ever had the opportunity to interview Bruno, you know he is animated. Now add a huge Grammy announcement on top of that...you can guess how he reacted,” says Walker.
“Now personally? My biggest accomplishment is meeting my husband. I moved to Las Vegas with no intention of ever settling down...and then I met my (now) husband a year in; we dated for nearly 5 years before we got married and it's been the greatest experience ever. Thanks for changing my mind on the whole marriage thing Bubs!”
Kayla has also had her share of challenges she explains. “A) Burn out - we all feel this at times. It's important to take time outside of work to exercise your demons. I am very lucky that my husband plans things for us to do like concerts, painting classes, etc. Make time to do things out of the normal routine or your show/show relationships will suffer. If you come in every day with the same convo, who is going to want to hear about that?” She asks. “And B) Being so far away from family - It sucks when you live across the country from your family. My brothers live within spitting distance of my folks so it's hard to watch everyone else in your family continue to grow; sometimes you can feel like you're eight steps behind the rest of the family. That being said, I see a therapist who helps me channel my emotions. Honestly, if I didn't have someone else to talk to, I would probably annoy the hell out of my family with the amount of facetiming that could happen.”
What’s the craziest thing that Kayla has been through so far? “If I don't answer pandemic, then I'm lying, right? How could anyone predict a worldwide, economically crippling disaster?” She asks. “I worked three jobs during the pandemic to make sure I was still saving even during a year where our industry took a huge hit. I learned not to count on gig money and spent nearly 2 years developing relationships with business owners around town just in case the bounce back was harder than predicted. Thank goodness we are getting back to normal, but the weight of the pandemic will forever haunt me. Just need to prepare in case something ever hits again.”
I mentioned earlier, Kayla has done a great job of finding balance both personally and professionally. She attributes a lot of that to the people in her inner circle. “Personally, I think everyone's journey is different, but what worked for me is finding my best friend,” she says. “Carmin and I worked in the same building in Tampa (she is still killing it every morning on The Mike Calta Show); she could be the greatest person I know. She works so hard, but more importantly, she listens. Yeah, best friends are supposed to listen to the good, the bad and the ugly, but having someone who works in the industry and knows its frustrations at times is something special. I only hope other ladies in the industry can find their Carmin because I directly correlate my success to having that outlet.”
Kayla also finds balance by being productive during her spare time. “Spare time? WHAT'S THAT?” She asks. “Just kidding! Most of my ‘me time’ is spent swimming or golfing. I find leisure workouts to be the best stress relievers...and, as the great Elle Woods once said, ‘Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy.’ In our case, happy people deliver AMAZING SHOWS.”
A few things you should know about Kayla: “I have a song written about me. It's nothing you would know, but my friends had a band in high school, and they wrote a song called "She a Keeper, Minesweeper," she says. “I used to compete in Minesweeper tournaments, and I guess they found it as inspiration. AND before you ask to hear it, know that I have reached out a half-dozen times to see if they still have a copy. No one has gotten back to me.”
“Also, nightmares keep me up at night... Seriously! I am scared of the dark,” Walker adds. “You know that movie ‘Darkness Falls’ where the scary monster could not go into the light? YUP, I literally cannot walk around my house unless all the lights are up in the room I'm entering. My husband even installed the lights that sync up with Alexa so I can tell her to turn everything on. This is also why I go to therapy A LOT. Which is great for our show because we can talk about my therapy sessions. So, in a way, my irrational fear of darkness benefits us.”
Despite Kayla’s already busy schedule, she does intend to continue expanding her horizons as well as her brand. “For now, I really want to work on my fun, improv style,” she says. “No, I won't be doing any standup, but I have a couple of things in the works including auditioning for a couple of game shows as a contestant. I study some of these people on Ellen's ‘Game of Games’ and ‘Price is Right’ and love that their reactions are so off the cuff; and while I do that now, I think practicing outside the studio would be a huge advantage. PLUS, who wouldn't want the exposure??” she asks. “Career-wise, I have started working on an audition tape for animated movies. I have a goal to be a Pixar character so I’m trying to perfect accents and inflections. This is the next move for me professionally.”
Follow Kayla Walker
Instagram: @RadioKayla
Twitter: @RadioKayla
Facebook: Kayla Jo
TikTok: @98.5KLUC -
-