Ian Camfield is hosting five different shows a day in multi-formats in five different markets. He hosts mornings on 99.5 The Mountain in Denver and Alt 94.9 in San Diego. He does Middays at Alt 103.7 in Dallas and Alt 98.7 in Detroit, and Afternoons on 107.7 The End in Seattle. He began his radio career on Virgin Megastore’s Radio in the UK & Country 1035 in London when he was just 16 and still at college. He was part of the launch team at Xfm, the UK’s first Alternative station, in 1997 and did some work at MTV & VH-1 in the UK. He moved to New York for K-Rock in 2008, KDKB & KUPD in Phoenix in 2016, and moved to Dallas for KVIL in 2020. Fast forward to now, where he balances his five shows for Audacy.
Let’s Start with The End in Seattle, a legendary station that is largely responsible for the birth and success of the Alternative format in America and some of its biggest bands. “Back at Xfm in London, I desperately wanted to live and work in the US,” says Camfield. “I used to take all my vacation time in America in markets with great stations and/or influential programmers and market managers so I could have meetings with those people, regardless of whether they had openings. I felt it important to get in front of them in an attempt to be in their minds when opportunities would arise. Part of this process was my having a good aircheck. I took advantage of the fact that Xfm had no great grasp of what it was, meaning I could mold my show as I pleased. I would often change what we were doing in afternoons to suit the station I was about to visit or send audio to in the States.”
“At one point, someone told me KNDD was the way Alternative radio should sound. I listened online and agreed. That day, I took a bunch of their principles and implemented them on Xfm, which is one of the many disciplines I still employ today. The next quarter, the afternoon show on Xfm had the best ratings on the station…ratings which have never been beaten. So, I was always impressed with the techniques of ‘The End,’ and that’s before you even get into the station’s music choices and how it connects with Seattle.”
“There is a great responsibility to be plugged into the music scene and vibe of Seattle, especially since KNDD has been Alternative for so long in a market so closely associated with that genre of music. There is always an element of ‘radio is radio’ in whatever you do, but you will fail without a feel and respect for the nuances of the market. The core programming team talks regularly about what is going on in the market and discuss what we are doing well and what could be better. Christine Malovetz (Brand Manager) and I live outside of Seattle, but we both listen to Christy Taylor and Gregr, who are there, as to what’s happening and their feelings regarding all aspects of what we do. Also, KNDD has a ‘Locals Only’ show on Sunday nights, and we choose a focus artist from that show who gets regular daytime play on a segment called the ‘Locals Only Artist of the Month.’”
“As for the format, I’m passionate about it because it’s always evolving, and the catalog is the music I grew up with,” says Camfield. “Plus, I think those nuances I mentioned earlier are greater in the Alternative format than they are in something like Top 40 or Country, which makes being on in various markets more interesting. It may be challenging, depending on how you look at it.”
“The format is still very vibrant,” adds Camfield. “There is absolutely enough new music to keep it relevant. We play a varying amount, depending on the station and the makeup of the market. But it’s also now a format that’s 30 years old, or 40 if you want to include the New Wave stuff like The Cure and U2. So, it would not make sense not to play the catalog, as it includes some of the greatest songs and biggest albums of all time. But it’s a good combination with new music.”
“The Alternative lifestyle is impossible to describe because Alternative can mean anything that’s not mainstream. So, what Alternative means to one person will be different to someone else. That’s as true now as it was in the 90s. And even saying it’s something that’s not mainstream is maybe not true, as last week Paramore, who are clearly an Alternative band, were supporting Taylor Swift in London. And she is about as mainstream as it gets.”
Camfield says the most exciting thing he’s experienced over the years was moving to the States. “I never tried to get a gig in New York; I was always more drawn to the West Coast because it was so different from London life. However, the opportunity to work in New York was obviously immensely exciting. Plus, I was moving by myself to a place I barely knew, where I hardly knew anyone. When I moved to London, I was excited because I was leaving home at 19. But London was only an hour from where I’d grown up. So, the New York move was a great learning curve, both personally and professionally.”
“The radio side of it was absolute chaos. Two people hired me; one was fired in my second week, and the other was fired in my fifth week! It was my first real taste of Corporate America, but I learned a lot and utilize that knowledge to this day. And most importantly, it taught me I way prefer America, as opposed to the plodding mediocrity in England.”
Speaking of Corporate America, with Camfield doing so many different shows in different markets, he’s got to stay focused to stay successful. “I talk regularly to the people who are in my markets, looking at what is happening online locally and taking the time to do the prep,” he says. “I work alone in a studio, but there is a great team around me in the various markets who know those markets, assist, and guide me on what’s going on, ensuring we stay on track. I can be good, but I need the right people to be good with. These days, that means colleagues in different locations and time zones, so communication and work ethic are key. It’s a team setup, and I couldn’t do it without the right people in the right places.”
“I have a process for collating notes for each market; some content is relevant everywhere, and some isn’t. Some are evergreen, and some need to be used on a specific day. I have a spreadsheet and a system that works for me. It may not work for everyone. Some people excel at one thing in one market and do not have the versatility to thrive in several.”
Over the years Camfield has had some success in helping to launch bands with his platform. “In Alternative, I remember Coldplay delivering their demo to Xfm’s building in London,” he explains. “And it’s funny because I never really spent much time with them, but anytime I talk to them now, they remember me because they remember hearing their songs played on the radio for the first time, and it was on Xfm. From the Rock side of things, I was one of the few people playing Rock on the radio in the UK in the late 90s and early 2000s, as England has never had Rock or Alternative radio anywhere near to the extent America has. I remember introducing London to Slipknot.”
“As far as favorite artists go, from Alternative, I’ve always been drawn to the great storytellers—Arctic Monkeys, Lou Reed, Morrissey. For Rock, it’s probably The Stones and heavier acts like Maiden and Motorhead.”
As far as the use of AI in the industry, Camfield says he has done some experimenting with it. “I think it’s interesting but somewhat scary, not just for radio, but for humans in general. But then, all tech has been feared to a certain extent, probably from when people were scared of the car replacing the horse and cart. AI is obviously here to stay, so we must embrace it. However, I also think it’s in its infancy, so we have yet to discover its full extent and limitations.”
“As far as impacting the industry, I know this is where most people say human interaction and connection can never be replaced by AI, and radio is something special in that regard. In some cases, that’s true, and we should use it to our advantage. On the rare occasions I get time to listen to other radio, I do hear some great content I find hard to believe would work were it not for a human on air. However, I’ve heard other stuff and thought, ‘JESUS! This show sounds like it’s begging to be replaced by AI!’”
“As far as my legacy is concerned, I think radio is fun. I think it’s great when it engages with the community and does good things,” says Camfield. “I hope the people listening have fun or are enlightened in some way. But let’s be honest, it’s a ‘commercial’ concern. It’s show ‘BUSINESS, and the business side is the most important. My impact needs to be that I get better numbers than the other guy. If I don’t, they fire me. It’s a numbers game. If you’re not winning, you’ll eventually have to get a real job.”
Follow Ian Camfield on X – @iancamfield and Facebook & Instagram @camfieldofftheradio.
Charese Fruge’ is an award-winning Content, Broadcast, and Marketing executive with over 20 years of experience in markets like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, San Diego, and Las Vegas. As the owner of MC Media, she works with radio brands and individual talent, especially young women, helping them grow their brands and negotiate on their own behalf. She is also a Voice Actor and Voice Over Talent as well as a Freelance Writer for International Broadcast Outlets. Find her at @MCMediaOnline or www.mcmediaonline.com.
