In a career spanning over three decades, PJ Butta has become a staple in L.A. urban radio. Starting with 100.3 KKBT The Beat in 1993, he spent 13 years there before moving to Hot 92.3, which is now known as Real 92.3. In 2012, he migrated to the historic 93.5 KDAY, where he worked from 2012 to 2024.
I caught up with PJ to learn what he’s been up to and what brought him the most joy during his time in the business. His career started in LA and blossomed there, opening the door to travel worldwide. He wore many hats in broadcasting outside the radio world, but his path into the business started in Southern California at the University of La Verne.
“I’m originally from San Diego, and when I was a senior in high school, I took a Greyhound bus to take a tour of the college on my own,” explained PJ. “The tour stopped at the radio station, a major I was looking at. There was a girl at the radio station who showed me around.”
“Fast forward, three years later, in my junior year, it’s time to look for an internship. And there was a posting via fax (that’s how old this is!). It was a fax machine posting from a radio station called 92.3 The Beat, looking for people to work and promote.”
“At the time, my whole goal was to be in the music industry, working records was what I wanted to do. But they didn’t have any majors at that time. They didn’t have any music business schools in L.A. that concentrated on the music business.”
“So that’s why I pursued radio and broadcasting. I thought that was the closest thing to the record business. In college, you need an internship. So, I was looking for an internship at a record label, but because I had a full class load during the day, I could intern at the radio station at night.”
What did you love most about being an on-air personality?
“I think, for one, I love that it’s not a blue-collar type of job. You only work for like four to five hours. You’re not doing hard labor. You are working hard, but you’re not breaking your back. I love to be in an environment that plays the music I love.
“Also, the listeners, and the community that was built every day. It was always about interacting with the listeners. The people I grew up listening to back in the day, such as Diana Steele, Theo, or the house party crowd, and Rick Chase in the Bay, all had great interactions with their listeners.”
Looking back on your time at KDAY, what was your biggest takeaway?
“They made a decision in February 2024 that they were going to eliminate the midday position, as most radio stations across the nation have been doing. They didn’t offer to move me anywhere or do anything else. So that was it. I got let go. But I loved my time there!”
“One of my favorite things there was the music—the hip-hop from the ’90s and early 2000s. And the great thing about KDAY at that time was that it always felt like the underdog because it was just as well-known worldwide from its 1580 AM days. KDAY was the first hip-hop station west of the Mississippi in the late ’80s and early 90s. But when it was an FM station, it just had a small signal.”
“Its transmitter is on a hill in Redondo Beach. So that’s why you can’t get it all throughout L.A., you can get through certain places. We were an underdog trying to beat all these big dogs who had bigger sticks than us. So it was always that underdog mentality that I liked.”
“We got great feedback from the streets and the listeners, too! Random people who you would never even think listened to KDAY. The actor John C. Riley was being interviewed somewhere and randomly started talking about how much he loves listening to KDAY! I didn’t even know he was a hip-hop head like that. Even though the ratings didn’t show how popular KDAY was, you saw it in other places. We always wondered if KDAY had a bigger stick. I bet you it would be in the top five without question.
Today, with all of these options for audio, including streaming services on YouTube, why does radio still have an advantage over the consumer?
“It’s just a habit, especially for the older generation. They grew up listening to the radio. They’re familiar with the radio. It was passed down to them, so I think that’s why it’s still relevant for the most part. And then the easiest answer is, it’s free. You don’t have to pay for it. You turn it on, and it’s right there.”
If you were given the opportunity to go back to radio, would you take it?
“It depends. I’d have to look at the opportunity and see if it makes sense. I’ve been offered a couple of jobs, but not in L.A.. I’d have to move, and I don’t mind moving. My daughter’s away, she’s grown now, so I’m definitely open to it. Another job wanted me to voice track, which I could easily do. I also host a syndicated international top 20 countdown show called the Official World Chart. It’s in Africa, New Zealand, Mexico, all over the world! I had been doing that show since 2000, but I never knew how big it was until social media.”
“My thing is that I don’t want to voice track because I want to be in that city. I want to live and breathe what the people there are doing. I want to talk about the things that people are talking about.”
What advice do you have for anyone who wants to get into radio?
My question is, who’s getting into radio? Radio is not doing a good job of recruiting young talent. There are a lot of issues with radio. Radio has been around forever. There’s always been things threatening it, from when vinyl came out to CDs, then to satellite radio.”
“When TV first came out, people were saying radio wouldn’t last. People always predict that radio will die. It’s always been like that, and I think it’ll always be here. It just needs to find a way to be relevant again. It might take an influencer or someone to figure out how to make radio cool again.”
“I think part of the problem is we’ve got too many old people who aren’t in touch with what’s hip and what’s new. We’ve got to get someone who’s thinking outside the box. Someone who can make it relevant again, and cater to young talent, so you have young blood who are interested in radio.”
“For those interested in radio, my advice is you’ve got to love it. I teach radio courses at Mt. San Antonio College. We don’t even call it radio anymore, because a lot of the younger generation don’t even know what radio is. We call it audio courses. They don’t know radio, but a lot of them want to be podcasters.”
“Since 2005, I’ve always told my students to have a plan B. For me, I’ve had my teaching job, I’ve had DJing, I have hosting gigs, and I do work with the Dodgers, which has been amazing.
“I do voiceover work. And now I’ve had relationships with people in radio who represent brands that do endorsements. I’ve done radio commercials for Big Al, a campaign where I’ve remixed Sir Mix-A-Lot’s “Baby Got Back.” I had another opportunity to mix jingles for a local LA pawn shop. I’m at the age where I don’t wanna have a job that I don’t like anymore.”
“I will admit towards the end of my radio days (especially at KDAY), radio had changed so much that it was like ‘I’m there to collect the check.’ Most people still in radio (the majority) are just there to collect a check. They probably hate the environment, the workplace isn’t great, and you want to work for a great place.”
“I always compare it to sports. The Dodgers look like they’re having fun! You don’t want to play for the Chicago White Sox. Would I go back into radio? It would have to be for a team that I really love, want to work with, and fight for. And radio has missed that because it’s become more of a business.”
“It’s funny because radio is about talking to people and the community. I remember one PD told me, ‘Radio is in the communication business, but it doesn’t communicate with its own people.’ I’ve been blessed to have the Dodger job, voiceover gigs, teaching, and more things that are fun!
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