Dreams don’t always come true in radio, but they have for Kevin Rolston. He’s not only living the dream as a top-rated and beloved morning show host, but he’s also receiving the coveted Kid Kraddick award next month from his mentor and idol Dave Ryan of KDWB-FM in Minneapolis. (Ryan’s the reason Rolston got into radio.) The torch will be passed at the Morning Show Boot Camp Awards at the Hard Rock in San Diego.
The 51-year-old Logan, Ohio native, graduated from Ohio University. He’s married to Kim, who he calls “The Mexican Queen.”
They have a 16-year-old son, Cannon, and 26-year-old twins, Colin and Caitlin. He’s a sports and family fanatic and spends most of his time off-air enjoying both.
Loyal Hosts, Loyal Audience
Part of the reason Rolston’s so content is that he’s curated a show with co-hosts who’ve got chemistry, and they’ve been together on the airwaves for 25 years on the KVJ Show, (for Kevin, Virginia, and Jason), now on WMRF-FM weekdays 6-10 am in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Chemistry and Clicking
“You have to build a show with people that you click with. Chemistry with me was the number one thing. Because I had been on shows that did not have that and it was tough. So I wanted a show where people had the same sense of humor and the same sensibilities and agreed on how they want to do radio.”
Rolston found his co-host, Virginia, in 1999. He says, “It took 5 years to find Jason, so when we found him, it all came together, and we all hit the ground running. And found a groove.”
The show succeeds, Rolston says, because “the characters are very defined, and everyone plays a signature part on the show.
“And then it’s grown into respect and love and everybody on the show is like one big family, and it’s what we do. And it’s really important. Our kids have grown up together and we’ve really spent our whole lives together and grew up together. 25 years. We are where we are and we love it. We love each other and that’s how it comes across.”
Rolston’s loyalty to his co-hosts is matched by the listener’ devotion to the KVJ Show. One fan shaved “KVJ” onto the back of his head. Others convene, yes, at 6:00 in the morning, to hear the show together.
They sold out their latest live event in twenty minutes. 300 fans packed the Black Box Theater in Boca Raton for the live version of the KVJ Show, which Rolston describes as a vaudevillian show including live music and stories as well as an in-person, interactive version of the segments they feature on their show.
“A big part of our live show is about connecting and creating in-depth personal relations with our audience. We cultivated a loyal fan base and we really work on it. They’re a part of us and we’re a part of them. All of our listeners have my phone number so I get texts and calls from people randomly,” he says.
Fans may have gone too far, though, when the show ran in Miami. When station changes required the KVJ Show to play music and fit a Hispanic format, the audience balked. They flooded social media and even put explosives in the station’s mailbox.
“At that point they said you know you guys probably have to go. So we sat out the rest of our non-compete.” Fortunately, they ended up right where they wanted to be, at WMRF-FM in West Palm Beach, which, Rolston says, “goes down to Key Largo and covers West Palm Beach and most of Florida.”
Connection
The connection with listeners is strong and the KVJ Show’s community outreach tentacles are many. The show has a clearinghouse of “Go Fund Me” pages for listeners in need called “KVJ Cares.” What’s more, they have a community wing, The KVJ Volunteer Army.
“We really believe we should be giving back to our community. People love to give back, but they don’t really know how, and there are a lot of hoops to go through. We made a volunteer army taking a Saturday morning, and you can come out and easily help for 90 minutes to 2 hours, tops, and we walk you through the motions of building a house, cleaning up the beach, or cleaning up the street or other projects. Families come out so kids see what it’s like to volunteer.”
Inane and Intimate
Rolston’s morning show is a mix of the inane and the intimate. Inane: co-host Jason put on 47 pairs of briefs under his trousers. On World Record Wednesday, they tried to beat the record for breaking matchsticks in 30 seconds. “Do It, Bitch,” “Little Kid or Drunk Adult,” and many more morning show bits keep the audience in stitches.
Personality with Vulnerability
But it’s the day-to-day discussions about real life that really hook the listeners. Everyday topics like the price of orange juice draw you in because, Rolston says, the co-hosts aren’t like your average Joe. They’re interesting people, and their idiosyncrasies and vulnerabilities make them very relatable. “Listeners like to hear your opinion on things and your emotions about things and they’re emotional about it as well,” says Rolston.
Rolston showed his vulnerability live on air after his 74-year-old mother died of COVID in 2021. Rolston calmly shared the news of his mom’s passing with the audience.
“Those are the kinds of opportunities where you can make a deeper emotional impact with somebody. We’ve all chosen to share those kinds of things, and that’s what is relatable, and most people are going through the same problem. We’re all here together in this old thing called life, and when you hear how others are doing, it helps you as well.”
“The best email and the best feedback we get,” Rolston says, “is how we help someone through a tough time. We’ve had people on their way to chemo, dealing with divorces or loss or in a dark place, and we provide them with humor, and we also connect with them.”
Embracing New Platforms
While some more crusty radio veterans are averse to new additional multi-platform responsibilities (you can’t just show up and talk in the mic anymore), Ralston likes “the challenge of where we are in media now where it’s multiplatform, and there’s so many different ways on each platform to connect with the audience.”
The KVJ show is available everywhere as a podcast, and it shares content on social media like YouTube and X. This allows them to engage listeners with questions like: Do you have a fear of driving over a bridge, and how do you cope? What big moment did you see in person?
As for the future, Rolston wants to do what he’s done for 25 years. “I love what I do, and I love who I do it with and I’m not planning on leaving here any time soon.” He trusts God, he says, to light his path.
Words of Wisdom
What does a radio star at the top of his game, who’s winning the coveted Kid Kraddick award, have to impart to those struggling to make it in media?
“If it drives you and you have a passion to connect and to inform then you keep creating. Say yes, keep plugging away. If you’re not swinging, you don’t get a hit.”
Amy Snider is a music features reporter for Barrett Media specializing on stories involving radio professionals working in Adult Contemporary/CHR/Top 40 formats. She brings over twenty-five years of media experience to the outlet. Based in St. Petersburg, FL, Amy works for iHeartMedia and the Total Traffic and Weather Network as an on-air reporter, appearing on dozens of radio stations including 98 Rock, Mix 100.7, 95.3 WDAE, and Newsradio WFLA. She has also reported and anchored in the Tampa market at Fox 13, News Channel 8, WMNF Community Radio and WUSF-FM, the NPR affiliate.
Amy is a music fanatic. She hosted a drive-time rock and roll radio show for 20 years on WMNF-FM and is known as a tastemaker in the music and arts community. She booked, hosted, emceed and promoted a wildly popular weekly live music event in Tampa’s Ybor City featuring original music with performers from all over the world. Her free time is often spent at concerts and music festivals. To get in touch, find her on X @AmySnider4.
