Dave LaBrozzi brings a wealth of experience to Audacy’s KDKA Newsradio. His career spans nearly four decades, taking him to places like Nashville, Austin, San Antonio, Baltimore, New York City, and Pittsburgh. LaBrozzi is the Brand Manager at the iconic KDKA, the first-ever radio station in the U.S. The station just celebrated 102 years on the air.
KDKA is committed to Western Pennsylvania, where local stories take center stage. With a laser-like focus on its community, KDKA remains deeply rooted in its mission to deliver relevant, impactful, and engaging content that resonates with its local audience.
One of LaBrozzi’s recent triumphs at KDKA was the pairing of seasoned veterans Marty Griffin and Larry Richert on the morning show. Their chemistry and complementary strengths have strengthened the station’s connection with the Pittsburgh community.
Dave LaBrozzi acknowledges the importance of attracting a younger audience to a news/talk format in an era where the media landscape constantly evolves. Social media platforms play a pivotal role in this endeavor, offering the means to engage a demographic that might not traditionally turn to radio. For KDKA, it’s about evolving without losing sight of its core mission – delivering meaningful local news and talk that affects the lives of its community.
In an interview with Barrett News Media, Dave LaBrozzi discusses the growth of The Big K Morning Show, the role ratings play at KDKA, how he directs his talent to engage the critical money age demographic, and the importance that his star-studded newsroom plays in keeping KDKA winning in the eyes of Pittsburghers.
Ryan Hedrick: Is there a similarity in the programming of radio stations in New York and Pittsburgh that you’ve been involved with?
Dave Labrozzi: KDKA is much more locally driven, and we don’t dwell on national politics as much as WABC. WABC spends much more time on national politics than KDKA. We’ve learned that, in Pittsburgh, local news, local content, and local issues dominate our content recipe. KDKA is all about Western Pennsylvania and always has been. [At KDKA], there’s more of a laser beam focus on local stories.
RH: Since the pairing of two seasoned veterans, Marty Griffin and Larry Richert, how has the morning show evolved?
DL: That was fun to watch. The two market vets hadn’t really worked together in the past. But that show gelled right away. Marty brings a different perspective and has so much history in the market. At heart, he is an investigative reporter; that’s what he did for TV in other markets like Dallas. The marriage of the two really worked well right away. Larry embraced his new partner, and they enjoy working with one another.
RH: Do you have coaching sessions when you manage great talent like Larry and Marty? What is the extent of your interaction with them?
Dave LaBrozzi: We meet every day just to go over show content and kick around benchmark ideas. They are good at diving into what matters in Pittsburgh and ensuring that the show has a real, local focus. We still meet and talk, go over segments, and kick around ideas.
RH: Ratings play a significant role in determining the success of a product or service. How important are they to you?
DL: They are still very important. It’s a barometer of what we must live by on what we’re doing in the market. With that being said, a station like KDKA has a history, heritage, and reputation that is also an asset in selling the property.
RH: Do you think the news/talk format can reach a younger audience beyond the typical “money demographic”?
DL: I do, and I think that’s where our social media platforms have to play a pivotal role in that. Our social platforms have grown, and it’s become an integral part of what we do. That’s how I believe you can target the younger demos and attract them to the radio station.
It’s also the content you choose as well. I tell our staff that our target audience is 40-50. That’s the target demo that we are going after to try and stay younger.
RH: Would you hire an influencer with a big social media following to work at KDKA?
DL: I would entertain the idea and make sure that we look at as many influencers as we can and possibly try to book them as guests on our shows and make them a part of the fabric of what we do. We look at all those attributes and what they can bring to the radio station.
As you know, many qualities go into making a great talk show host. We would entertain the concept of trying to make them a talk show host and give them an opportunity to grow into that role and then take it from there.
RH: Can you discuss why a local newsroom is important to KDKA’s long-term health and stability?
DL: That’s really what we’re all about. When you look at what KDKA stands for. We are about to complete our 102nd year, and people come to us for news that affects their lives.
(Recently, KDKA moved a Pirates game over to another one of its stations when a man, whom deputies were trying to serve an eviction notice on, started shooting at police).
That decision goes back to what we stand for. We are Pittsburgh’s news and talk station, and we have to deliver on that.
Our number one attribute is that we are a news station and must deliver that product. We have a professional and seasoned news team led by Paul [Rasmussen], including all the others that we have in that room; I don’t want to leave anybody out. We count on their expertise and their background. It is really the fact that KDKA is a news and a talk station, and we have to make sure that we deliver on that, and that’s what our expectations are.
RH: How do you honor the 102-year history of the station while also appealing to a younger, broader audience?
DL: Show content choices; social media plays a big part, and daily looking for content that can attract that demographic and those people without chasing away the P1s that we’ve had for a long time.
RH: What is your opinion on car manufacturer’s attempts to remove the AM band from vehicles after 2024?
DL: We have an FM station here too, but AM radio is vital. If you look at all the important stations in the markets, New York is a prime example. There’s 770 WABC, 1010 WINS, and 710 WOR. You could go market-to-market and look at the pivotal role AM stations play. They all have important roles in serving the communities that they are in. With app usage climbing, it’s another avenue for people to have access to what we’re doing.
RH: What makes a great talk talent?
Dave LaBrozzi: It’s really two simple things: Authenticity and storytelling.
