Billy Kidd is Country 92.5 WBEE Rochester, NY APD/MD’s morning show co-host. Kidd has been in the Rochester market for 41 years, starting with the station in 1984 as an intern.
Sue Munn, Senior Vice President and Market Manager at Audacy Rochester said, “Billy is a ROCstar here in Rochester. He is beloved by so many and has embraced the Rochester community like no other. He is one of the kindest, hardest-working people in the business.
When Bo Jaxon was downsized in a recent round of Audacy layoffs, Kidd got the call to move from afternoons to a morning co-host position. The “Bee Morning Coffee Club” includes Kidd, TJ Sharp and Hope Breen.
So, aside from getting up early, what is the biggest difference experienced doing mornings?
“I was doing a solo show in the afternoons. I think I moved to the afternoons in 2004. I’ve been doing a solo show that entire time. So, stepping into the morning show with two co-hosts has been a big change.”
Did the show’s chemistry come together quickly?
“It came together really quick. We have all been working together, TJ and I, for over 10 years. Hope has been with us for over a year now. I already had great chemistry off the air with them, and we genuinely enjoy each other’s company. Getting to work together with them has been fun. And it’s been very different.”
Who is the show’s on-air leader?
“I’m driving the show, but we all provide content. We do a lot of personal stuff—stories about our life, kids, family, and things like that. We put together a show sheet every day where we collect all our thoughts. Then we sit down about an hour before the show begins and just sort of map out where we want things to go and talk about the show and how we will get in and out of each subject.”
Kidd says the personal stories and relatability are tent poles for the show.
“Going way back to the beginnings of it back in the 80s, it has always been driven by personalities that shared their life. It’s very connected. Before the internet, we’d go out and meet people in real life, and now, with Facebook and texting, people chime in through the entire show, agreeing or disagreeing, and it’s fun to have that kind of connection, and it’s immediate.
Kidd calls the social media and text contributors the “fourth member of the show.”
“They are, and they chime in all the time. We have regulars, and they sign their text messages, so we know who they are, and it’s cool. I love having that extra rail.”
Kidd says the content, being local, and personable make a great morning show.
“Content is king. If you can put a smile on people’s faces, If you can be as local and as personable as possible. It can’t be a show about the latest headlines and rip and read off a show prep site. You have to be able to connect with people and meet them where they are.”
“If the economy is struggling, we need to talk about that. As much as I want to talk about everything happy and shiny, there are moments where you have to step back and commiserate with people on what’s going on in the world.”
Aside from the obvious technical and consolidation, how has Kidd navigated 41 years at one station?
“Radio has changed dramatically since 1984. I interned here in high school, and my first summer was with Terry Clifford; she retired about two years ago. I rode on her coattails as I joked that she’s our regional treasure, and I learned a lot from her. She and Bill Coffey, I learned a ton from them.”
“I never had to pursue radio outside of Rochester because I interned here, which led to a part-time job, which eventually led to evenings and afternoons. Then, I had a short stint as PD, music director, and on air. I’ve never had to leave. The job has evolved in front of me, and I’m surrounded by people who believe in me and my abilities.”
“I tried to make myself as valuable as possible by being sales-friendly and promotion-friendly and doing the best I can on air. I’ve never had to (knock on wood) look for a job because I was bored or wasn’t moving up. I’ve moved up here every couple of years; something would open up, and I’d move up a slot.
“I call myself the unicorn because I don’t know anybody else who’s been in the same place quite as long as I have. But I love it. My family’s here; I grew up here.”
Kidd says being open to evolving with the business is also essential.
“You have to be open to change. If you are stuck in your way, you will get left behind. I’ve seen it happen to a handful of people, and it broke my heart that they didn’t want to change. They felt like I’ve only got 10 more years, so I’ll just ride it out.”
“You can’t count on that. You have to change, roll with the punches and be open to coaching your entire life. Being 50 doesn’t mean you can’t learn something new from somebody else. I try to take a little bit from everybody I meet.”
Kidd likes where Country music is now.
“Country music is as hot as it’s been in probably 10 years. When the bro-country thing happened, we were on fire. We were throwing flames all over the place, and that lasted for a couple of years.”
“It feels like right now, with all the Morgan Wallen success, all the guys, and Jelly Roll, a change of the guard has just happened. Those guys are going to be in charge for a couple of years. But you can see all the people coming up behind. I like where Country music is right now.”
Kidd closes by encouraging the industry to build its bench for future talent.
“I hope the industry finds a way to have a bench. With all the smaller stations going away, all the weekend slots being voice-tracked by a handful of people, and evening slots going away, we, as an industry, need to figure out how to make a bench.”
“We’ve embraced interns here. We have paid interns that come in, and we get two or three people every quarter, but my only concern down the road is who our next level of talent will be.”
Reach Billy Kidd by email here.
Stream 92.5 WBEE here.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. To stay updated, sign up for our newsletters and get the latest information delivered straight to your inbox.
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.
