Professionals like Kristina Koppeser play a key role in leading traditional media outlets into the digital age in today’s rapidly changing media and journalism industry. With a unique background that includes working at Twitter, now known as X, Koppeser brings a fresh perspective to her job as Brand Manager at KYW Newsradio.
Koppeser is passionate about the future of the journalism business, and she talked about KYW Newsradio’s Newstudies program, which has been running for over 60 years. The program allows local and regional high school students to gain hands-on experience at the station.
Kristina Koppeser stressed the importance of adapting to the multimedia landscape, recognizing that aspiring journalists need to have a versatile skill set in the age of social media and constant connectivity.
Having previously worked at a tech company, Koppeser understands the significance of branding in journalism. She emphasizes that journalists, like on-air personalities, must establish a solid online presence and recognize that audiences seek information across various platforms. This viewpoint aligns with her belief that being present on platforms like Instagram Reels and staying on top of breaking news is essential in today’s media landscape.
Reflecting on her journey as a young brand manager at a heritage station like KYW Newsradio, Kristina Koppeser acknowledges the challenge of learning the intricacies of radio after a background in tech, digital news, and television. However, she sees this as an opportunity to blend forward-thinking, pioneering knowledge with the institution’s wisdom, ensuring a holistic approach to managing the brand.
Koppeser’s leadership philosophy is based on trust and learning. She values trusting her team to excel in their roles while actively seeking knowledge in areas where she may be less experienced. Her openness to learning from the experienced team at KYW Newsradio reflects her commitment to continuous growth and improvement.
Regarding the potential use of artificial intelligence (AI) in reporting or writing, Kristina Koppeser views AI as an intriguing efficiency tool. While acknowledging the need for caution and thorough vetting, she sees AI’s potential to save time in tasks like event coverage, provided it is used with proper parameters and awareness of its strengths and weaknesses.
The interview also discussed the dynamics of KYW Newsradio within Audacy’s larger corporate structure. Koppeser expressed her desire for the corporate office to recognize and appreciate the station’s excellence, emphasizing the benefit of being in the same city as Audacy’s corporate offices.
Ryan Hedrick: What is KYW Newsradio doing to attract young journalists to the industry?
Kristina Koppeser: I am very passionate about the future of the business and getting young minds interested in broadcast media. We are just wrapping up our Newstudies program. We’ve been doing this program for over 60 years, with local and regional high school students, sophomores, juniors, and seniors interested in broadcast. They come into the station and use our recording equipment if they want to. They learn from our award-winning journalists who are instructors and volunteer their time to do this. These students write and record a piece for air that airs on KYW Newsradio throughout November and December.
RH: What excites you as a brand manager about the positive trends you see from young, aspiring journalists?
KK: I see many people interested in multimedia production, which is smart because it’s 2023, and everybody has a device that they look at hundreds of times a day. Young people are coming out of college knowing full well that you can’t just be one thing. You have to learn how to create a presence on whatever the app of the month is.
When you are trying to become a journalist in this multimedia landscape, they are conscious of your Instagram Reels and broadcast content and making sure that they are on top of breaking news.
I used to work at Twitter, now called X, and working at a platform, I see that branding is important for everyone, not just on-air personalities but journalists. People look to you for information, and they will get it wherever they can find you. Being in those spaces is important.
RH: What challenges have you faced as a young brand manager rising through the ranks of a heritage station like KYW Newsradio?
KK: I have only been here for two years, so one of the challenges was learning the space. I came up through tech, digital news, and then television, so I worked at Hearst Television for five years. Before this, one of the biggest challenges was learning radio because that was the one thing I had not had experience with on a professional level, but I also think that that’s a benefit.
Our Assistant Brand Manager, Tom Rickert, has been here for a long time and has all the institutional knowledge. I can think more about the big picture and toward the future and lean on him when I don’t know something or want to learn how the board works. I have learned a lot in the last two years, especially the last year since I was promoted. And I am learning the broadcast side, taking my forward-thinking, pioneering knowledge, and marrying those two things.
RH: As the Brand Manager at KYW Newsradio, what is the most important thing you’ve learned?
KK: To trust people to do the job that they know how to do well. That’s important. We have an amazing group here. They are so smart and dedicated. One of my biggest superpowers is knowing what I don’t know, so when I don’t know something, I want to learn it actively, seek it out, and understand. I have 60 people in the newsroom that I can go to and find an expert.
RH: As a radio station, are you open to using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for reporting or writing?
KK: AI is a really interesting efficiency tool. It can cut corners in a way. I have played around with it myself, both personally and professionally. One interesting thing about it is that it will do the searching for you, and of course, with anything unvetted, like AI, you have to be careful. You have to treat it like you would with any source, fact-check it, and do all of those things. It saves time is one of the biggest places I find useful.
If you’re looking at doing things like events coverage, you can ask it to spit out a list, and of course, you will have to check that list, but it’s doing some of that work for you. Whether or not I give it an OK, like anything else, I would put parameters on it and ensure everybody knew its strengths, weaknesses, and the best way to use it. The jury is still out. I would have to do more investigative work to ensure I am comfortable with it, but it could be a helpful tool.
RH: Do Audacy’s corporate offices in the same city as KYW Newsradio make executives pay closer attention to the radio station?
KK: I don’t know about that. I want our corporate office to have us on in the morning when they are driving into the office as I am. It is also a benefit. When I was at Hearst, we had 26 stations there, and if one were in New York I would have felt very lucky. I want to be recognized, and I want our station to be recognized for its excellence.
RH: Where do you look to for inspiration outside of your building?
KK: I look to digital audiences. I look to friends and family. Because I come from a curation background, I am always thinking about whether this makes sense to everyone. At the end of the day, we as journalists, our job is to inform and educate, and I want to make sure we are doing that on any given day. I do look to people and I also look to other stations because I think of some of the work that other Audacy stations do. I lean on my colleagues. And I look to some of the other brand managers, like at WINS and KRLD.
