To support the launch of the new Barrett Media, we’ve created a special series titled “20 Brands In 20 Days.” Highlighting successful stations across the country in various formats by conducting conversations with their brand leaders. Up next is Hubbard’s Mat Mitchell. Mat is PD KSTP-FM (KS95)/St. Paul – Minneapolis the station we are highlighting today.
Jeff Lynn: Let’s discuss this legendary brand in Minneapolis/St. Paul KS95 “2k to Today.” You’re always a perennial market leader. What’s the magic formula?
Mat Mitchell: There’s a lot to it, but for me, it’s the amazing legacy of Hubbard Radio. We’re the home base here in St. Paul. Last year was Hubbard Radio’s centennial year, so the company is celebrating over 100 years.
The Hubbard family has continued to take special care of this flagship brand. It’s been a career highlight for me because. I’ve been fortunate to work with and even program heritage brands in my career.
I’m very grateful and fortunate to celebrate four years of managing this brand as of this past Monday. I think it’s the best brand content director position in the country because Hubbard Radio does the right thing by hiring great programmers to let them do their jobs.
JL: I’ve talked to other Hubbard programmers during this “20 Brands In 20 Days” series. And I’m just disappointed that, in a long radio career, I never got to work for Hubbard because it sounds like a tremendous experience.
MM: I’ve enjoyed reading the Q&A with Tommy Mattern [105.7 The Point/St. Louis] and Cat Thomas [X1075/Las Vegas]. They’re smart programmers who are forever searching for the right music for their brand before they look at the chart. I love reading that.
Because I have many data points that help me make music decisions for KS95, I always believe that gut and human instinct have a place in the decision-making process.
I created a custom edit of the Lil Durk—Morgan Wallen track last year. The song continues to raise its hand for us. I’m currently the only Hot AC in the country playing a track by Zach Bryan called “Pink Sky.”
Not only does our audience appreciate the song, but they’ll represent that enthusiasm when he plays at U.S. Bank Stadium next month. Hot ACs, particularly KS95, have the luxury of playing multiple genres and styles of music.
JL: KS95 has been traditionally known as a difficult add for new music. It’s refreshing to hear you say you’re taking some chances on stuff and still doing well.
MM: There still has to be the human element, the programming director, and good instincts that shake through the lip service that labels or influences can have on you.
Is this right for my brand? Even if it’s not on the chart, if it’s something I think will work well for us, I’ll take a stab at it. Not all the time, but many of those records often see their way through. When they do, I smile because I feel that much closer, and I’m feeling the pulse of the brand.
We have the freedom to make music decisions. When you put a song on the radio station, you’ll see it backed up by the audience’s reaction and all the data we receive. And it becomes something because many eyes are on this radio station and this brand.
JL: Minneapolis-St. Paul has a reputation as a pretty hip town, and I think that’s well deserved. What opportunities does that provide, and, on the other side, challenges?
MM: It’s a wonderful place to live. I mean, I don’t like the snow, but other than that, it’s a great place to visit. What challenges and or opportunities does that give you? The fact that we’re in our time of year right now, in the middle of summer, you’re quickly reminded that everybody maximizes that opportunity to be outside or do activities all over the metropolitan area.
When we can be in front of or participate in events in our community, that’s in the fabric. It’s in the DNA of KS95 and has always been a part of the Hubbard culture.
It’s interesting because one of the documents drafted by our founder, Stanley Hubbard, in 1939 is called the “General Policies of Hubbard Broadcasting.” One of the timelines that preempted that document is the company’s policy of putting community services ahead of other considerations.
So, we’re going to be out in the community, and there’s just so much going on at any given time. And you’re right. The Twin Cities is a very hip metropolitan area, and we must be a part of it every day.
JL: Tell me about “KS95 for Kids.”
MM: Oh, absolutely. So, this past year, our 25th annual KS95 Kids Radiothon raised over $1 million.
We raised $1 million for our partners at Gillette Children’s and Masonic Children’s Hospital the year before.
That is the largest fundraising total for the Radiothon campaign in the past 19 years. We can’t raise those kinds of numbers without a special connection and partnership with our Twin Cities community and sponsors. The 12-hour Radiothon event happens on one day every year in December.
One of the other things we established two years ago was with our KS95 morning host, Crisco. He lost his beloved dog to cancer. Immediately, the town and the community jumped into action with Pet Rescue Organization to raise money in his honor to find foster and forever homes for dogs and pets in the Twin Cities. In just two days this year, we raised $70,000. This brings the grand total of the campaign to over $250,000. Explaining that to people is one thing, but I’m always at a loss for words.
Our partners and sponsors are amazing. They speak to the strength of this brand and how much it means to people in this community. We’ve got a couple of other big ones.
We won the Crystal Heritage Award this year. It speaks to the working in the community.
JL: Teams in Afternoons seem to be a thing now, and you have a good one.
For as long as I can remember, KS95’s DNA has been rooted in a personality-forward presentation. To the present-day lineup with “Crisco Dez and Wes” in the morning, TJ is our midday host, who is also incredibly talented and fills in when needed for our drive-time shows. Our current afternoon show, Staci & Hutch, shares their lives on the air as parents, staff, school and community leaders, and neighbors.
And I smile when I hear our audience recite the storylines of our talent with ease and un-aided. And that’s the type of familiarity in our talent where we set the bar and what strong brands are built on.
JL: I used to tell my people; I won’t force you to share your business on the air. But I will tell you without doubt that the more you’re comfortable sharing, the more success you’ll have.
MM: One thousand percent, yeah.
JL: How important is contesting?
MM: It’s very important. I say that because we’ve run a long-standing contest on KS95 called “Double Your Paycheck.” We found that after running it for several consecutive years, it’s become an expectation of the brand.
With all of the choices and distractions in the present day, finding those sticky opportunities for our fans and audience to come back to us, have a little fun, and play along is incredibly important. And I think focusing all our contesting on our audience locally and not sharing it nationally is even more important.
I love the conversations that start with, hey, what if we did something like that? And it becomes that thing, and we go, wow, that started from a hallway conversation, and now we’re on the air with it. And it became something we weren’t expecting to blossom. That happens a lot.
It’s amazing what comes out of hallway conversations. And it’s part of our team and our staff.
The KS95 wing is not incredibly big. It’s very hallowed ground because many talented and respected names in the industry walk these hallways. But in this short hallway, so many people are standing outside their office doorways talking about what we can do, how we can be involved, or what about this idea and seeing it come to fruition.
JL: You talked about collaboration. Given how successful this brand has been for so long, I assume your sales team also believes in it.
MM: I can’t do it without them.
It’s nice to have a great relationship with a team and find opportunities to collaborate. We certainly want to make money, but they understand listener benefit very well. That’s always something I keep at the top of my mind when we talk about station promotions that might have a sales branch attached to them. But we certainly can’t do it without them.
We look to them for help with some of these unique partnerships within the community. We have a great relationship with Place Credit Union, which is incredibly supportive. Developing long-standing relationships with local businesses is very important and one of the standout pieces of KS95’s revenue success.
JL: Is there anything about you or the station that I haven’t asked that you want me to know?
MM: Again, I’m celebrating four years here. I didn’t think jobs like this existed anymore, where you’re going to hire somebody and let them do their job and see their vision through.
That’s one of my concerns for program directors. The role loses the integrity of the title. I find it frustrating to run someone else’s programming playbook but be held personally accountable for the ratings results of those decisions, especially if I didn’t agree with them.
We discuss all the music decisions, promotions, and strategies on the ground in this building. It’s one of the fortunate blessings and luxuries of working with a company that’s so supportive because that’s truly how I feel. It speaks to the success of everybody under the KS95 brand.
It’s been a great ride so far, and I look forward to every day. It’s certainly not Groundhog Day. Every day, I come in, and it’s always an exciting challenge, but it’s been one of my career highlights.
Listen to KS95 here. Find them on Facebook, Instagram, and X. Connect with Mat Mitchell here
Jeff Lynn serves as Editor of Barrett Media’s Music Radio coverage. Prior to joining Barrett Media, Jeff spent time programming in Milwaukee, Omaha, Cleveland, Des Moines, and Madison for multiple radio groups, including iHeartMedia, Townsquare Media, NRG Media, and Entercom (now Audacy). He also worked as a Country Format Editor for All Access until the outlet shut down in August 2023.
To get in touch with Jeff by email, reach him at Jeff@BarrettMedia.com.
