Keith Cunningham is VP of Programming, Research, Analytics & Measurement for Meruelo Media’s KLOS, Los Angeles.
He landed the number two spot on Barrett Media’s Top 20 Rock Programmers as voted on by his peers. Classic Rock’s PD’s get announced today. Could he appear on that list too?
KLOS’ Morning team “Heidi & Frank” and Matt Pinfield also landed spots on Barrett Media’s Top Rock Radio Shows. Pinfield was ranked 6th, the morning team finished 17th.
“I am honored to be in really good company,” said Cunningham. “It’s a great list. I’ve worked with a lot of guys and girls on the PD and shows list. You guys did a great job. I’ve seen Rock, and now I’ve seen Alternative, but it’s a really tight list, and I’m honored to be included.”
Cunningham has high praise for his morning show, “Heidi & Frank.”
“My history with Frank goes back to Denver. In the mid to late 90s, he was on air in Denver with Frosty and Jamie White. So, I’ve known Frank for a long time. We took a little sabbatical there for many years when we weren’t working together,” Cunningham shared.
“Heidi is pound-for-pound the funniest woman in radio, and that is her superpower. She reacts faster than anyone. She’s like an improv expert, and on the flip side, Frank is very funny, and they’re both very intelligent and seasoned, experienced broadcast veterans.”
“Frank works just as hard as anyone I’ve come across, especially for morning guys. It’s not uncommon for Frank to still be here at one or two in the afternoon working on the following day’s show, putting together outlines, and pulling audio.”
Cunningham was pleased to see Matt Pinfield’s weekly “New And Improved” recognized on the best shows list.
“He and I work closely together on booking the show each week and working on the countdown within the show. He works as hard as anybody in this industry. It is truly his passion. Rock Music is the core of who he is. I was happy to see his peers acknowledge him and get him on that list; it’s certainly well-deserving.”
And it all sits under a set of legendary call letters. That isn’t lost on Cunningham.
“KLOS was a bucket list job for me, and it would be for a lot of people. I think a lot of things have to line up right in the universe to land at a place like this. Timing is a big part of it.”
“I remember when I first started here, we would have these big staff meetings, and I would usually start off by reminding everyone that at least it was my philosophy that we owed it to all the great men and women who preceded us at KLOS.”
“We owe it to them to keep this radio station on top, strong, relevant, and focused on the community, and being local. There’s this rich tradition of great tremendous talent that has worked at this radio station.”
“We’re doing our best to maintain and keep their legacy as well as create new legacies moving forward so the history and impact of this brand are not lost on any of us. Not a month goes by where we won’t see something someone posts on social with one of the KLOS bumper stickers.”
Speaking of local and being involved with the community I asked Keith how things were going in light of the Los Angeles wildfires.
“It’s been really bad, but slowly but surely, for better or worse, things are getting back to normal from just an operational standpoint. It’s going to take years for the city to truly be back to normal. So many people have lost everything.”
“So yeah, it’s been pretty sad and a really tough time. It’s also been amazing to see the city come together the way it did in that first week. Still to this day, just the outpouring of support that people are giving to the innocent victims, it’s something to see for sure.”
Cunningham is grateful to an ownership and management team that allows it all to come together.
“Thanks to Meruelo Media for letting us do what we do. That certainly includes our President, Otto Padron, and our Senior VP of Audio for the cluster, Pio Ferro. We’re equipped, and able to do what we need to do to keep winning. I could not hop off the phone without giving them props.”
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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.
