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Charese Fruge’ (@MCMediaonline) Talks To Ivani Bing
July 25, 2023
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Ivani Bing is the Midday Host for KMJK, 107.3 Kansas City’s R&B and Hip Hop. She’s on the air from 10a to 2p. “I see my show as a platform for the people in KC…I start off my show telling what’s going on in the city and add a little bit of news,” she says. “Then it’s interactive and I use a lot of listener participation and put THEM on air...it’s their show. I am just the ringleader of the fun.”
It all started for Bing in 2009. “My school, UMKC, had an internship brunch and I saw one of my favorite radio stations KCHZ, 95.7 The Vibe there. I went to talk to them, and the rest is history,” says Bing. “I was an intern in radio for one semester and then I went to do television news. Hard news wasn't for me, it left me depressed every day. I liked lifestyle and entertainment news but the TV station I was interning at didn't see that as real news or important... (this was right before TMZ got big) so I went back to radio and the second time interning I focused more on being a personality rather than working on promotions. I focused on production, and I loved it.
“When it came time for me to graduate college, I was offered a sales position in radio, and I took it,” explains Bing. “I needed to get my foot in the door. I would take an iPad to all the Chiefs games and sign people up for a Groupon type site called ‘Sweet Jack.’ Then shortly after Sweet Jack, I was put on the Promotions team and was the head of the Party Patrol for 95.7 The Vibe, which was kinda like gorilla marketing to get the word out about our station by taking pics of people, putting our logo on the pic and asking them to share on their socials.
“After Party Patrol, the PD of The Vibe (Jeff Andrews) asked me ‘what I wanted to be when I grew up?’ I told him I wanted to be on air. He told me that I’d get a chance at it, but he wasn't going to hold my hand. So, I would schedule time to sit in with different morning shows and other on-air personalities to run the board. My first chance was on air at midnight on The Vibe. I was quickly put on as the weekend talent...then filling in for people.
“I was told I was gonna be middays for the longest time...I went through them putting three people in place for middays thinking my day would never come, and then finally, I got my shot. I was put on middays on Magic 107.3, and I was thrilled. Like 95.7 The Vibe I had grown up with 107.3. That has been my biggest accomplishment, working for radio stations I grew up listening to as a kid.”
In addition to Bing’s radio role, she is also a TV personality. “I was TV talent and producer for Kansas City PBS for about 2 years. I have been the entertainment contributor on Fox 4 here in Kansas City since 2017. I have been the Arena Host at the 2016 Olympic Basketball games and
Paralympic Swimming Competition and I was on Wendy Williams as a “super fan” in 2019 and won $9000. I have also been featured on E! News as a potential date for the Bachelor Mike Johnson,” explains Bing. “I also worked for the Olympics and lived in Rio De Janeiro for 2 months as the host for the 2016 basketball games and swimming competitions. I am half Brazilian and fluent in Portuguese so that’s how I got such an amazing opportunity.”
It hasn’t always come easy for Bing working her way to the top, but she managed to stay persistent with her goals. “The biggest challenges I have faced in my career are people telling me that I was ‘never going to accomplish what I was looking to do.’ I had people tell me that I was ‘never gonna be on air, that it was impossible,’ but I did it!” She says. “I would say the most discouraging thing in radio for younger people is the older generation not giving us a chance or hearing our ideas and what we have to say. Which is why when interns have ideas, I am all ears...they are the future. When I was an intern, I applied for an on-air position, and the person who was the PD avoided me for three weeks and never addressed my desire to be on air. All I needed was someone to throw me the ball and watch what I could do with it, which is why I will forever be grateful for Jeff Andrews putting me on air on The Vibe and just giving me that opportunity and Al Payne for making me middays and FULL TIME!!”
Addressing one of the biggest challenges in the radio business today, Bing says we can capture loyalty, engagement and growth with Millennials and Gen Z by “being open to growth! There are so many radio people who don't like change. But we have to be open to trying new things, we have to be open to listening to other people, taking critique. I tell people all the time I do not know everything, and I never will, which is why I like to surround myself with different types of people from all ages to learn from them. You can never stop learning in this industry - that will be your downfall.... not learning new things or trying new things.
“As for diversity, equity and inclusion, it’s a work in progress,” says Bing. “Radio is still very much a male dominated industry and a lot of times we women have to choose between our career and having a family. Also, the pay is an issue too.”
Another big challenge for the radio industry is the use of AI when it comes to talent. “It TERRIFIES me!” Says Bing. “I really think there needs to be laws in place to regulate it. And companies need to focus on ethics when it comes to the use of AI. I think that many radio jobs will disappear. People get upset with syndicated shows taking away from local ones, but a computer taking a job made for a human and programming it to have our emotions, it’s really scary!
“Keeping a job in this industry already keeps me up at night. It worries me with AI and all this new technology coming in. Radio stations paying people less and less. It worries me and I think that is why you see fewer young people in this industry. I just want to make sure that I live out all my dreams and achieve everything I set out to do and make my parents proud. But I need to be able to pay my bills while I do it. It’s very hard to find a balance, I am still a work in progress. I want to be successful, so I have to grind now, but it’s been a grind since I got into this business. But I will say this, ‘There’s never a dull moment and I love it!”
Follow Ivani Bing on Twitter, Instagram, and Threads @itsbingybaby and on Facebook: IvaniBing
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