Sparks & Lux have been on the air together at Cumulus Media’s 101 The Fox in Kansas City for a year now. The two first met when Lux was hired to work with Sparks after a long, complicated search for the perfect partner.
Sparks originally started off doing afternoons on The Fox but was moved to Mornings when the original host, Slacker (Brian Adams), got sick, and passed away from complications from AML. “They moved me into mornings because I had prior morning experience,” explains Sparks. “After a year or so of searching for the perfect morning partner, we landed Lux! She’s incredibly quick, talented, and fun to work with. Couldn’t be happier co-hosting a morning show with her.”
Outside of their commitment to the new Morning show, Lux is passionate about soccer, having played all her life. She’s the Public Address Announcer/In-Game Host for the MLS Next Pro Team St. Louis City SC 2, she’s announced for The St. Louis Ambush, University of Missouri, and the Big 12 Conference Championships. She recently made history as the first female Public Address Announcer for NWSL’s team while picking up Match Day Correspondent duties for the Kansas City Comets Soccer team.
Sparks is a self-proclaimed finance and personal development nerd. “I’m big into the FI (financial independence) movement,” he says. “So, I invest in real estate, businesses, stocks, and crypto. Basically, I read boring books about how to make my future self-happier and try to buy anything that throws off cash flow.”
Both Sparks and Lux agree that their current show is about Community. “We integrate the listener into everything we do,” insists Sparks. “We think it’s the only thing that matters in 2025 and beyond. People, especially as AI becomes more prevalent, are going to want to feel like they belong somewhere and be a part of something with other humans.”
“This is the kind of clubhouse we want to create. We love to do live events with people, play a ton of phoners, give the regulars nicknames, include them in the promos on the station, etc. Essentially, we’re just the mouthpiece for the tribe,” said Sparks.
“The vibe of our show is high,” adds Lux. “We talk about everything and nothing all at once. We are just the two Millennials who were raised on Classic Rock and want to have some fun with you on your way to work/school/etc.”
Thanks to being ‘Live and Local,’ our show is also very Kansas City-driven. Personally, I just want to relate. I want people to feel connected to me. The farther down the technology rabbit hole society goes, the more I think we are craving connection, and really good local radio does that,” said Lux.
The show’s passion project is a dog adoption segment called “Dog Gone Good Wednesday,” promoting dog adoptions, and according to the team, it’s definitely working. They are making the connection.
“Usually, in my experience, it takes about a year for a morning show to find it’s footing in a city,” says Sparks, “But Lux and I clicked right away. We both share the same vision and goals of what we want to ‘give to’ and ‘get out of” the community and the listening audience. From the jump, we’ve both been flexible enough to try new things and fail in public. The cool thing is that we both approach it with self-deprecation and authenticity, so that usually makes it better than if it worked the first time.”
“In order to connect, you must share your life experience on the radio, and that can lead to major challenges,” admits Lux. “It can lead to parasocial relationships that can sometimes become unhealthy. I have been cyberbullied, sexually harassed, and stalked. I’m always thankful to my bosses for taking every threat seriously.”
“I’ve also learned to find a healthier balance and not to let this job become my identity,” adds Lux. “That can be a real challenge in any career, but ours especially. Early in my career, I was ‘Lux from The Point’ and I couldn’t imagine my life without radio. If I got fired, who would I be without the station? Before leaving radio in 2022 for a while, I had prepped myself for life outside of the spotlight on the mic with that in mind. It was still a mental trip after disconnecting from the ‘mother ship.’ But now, upon my return, I have a much healthier balance and have learned I don’t need to share it all.”
Both Sparks and Lux agree that with a new morning show on a station that’s been around for a while, it’s important to work together with the rest of the team to make sure you are part of the station as a whole.
“We just did a station event that involved the entire station. Doug, who’s on in the afternoons, and Chuck, who is on at night, were just as involved as we were,” says Sparks. “That helps solidify the team as a whole in both the eyes of the listeners and us as well. Plus, we’ll use Doug’s music skills to have him record parody intros for contests we do in the morning and plug his show when we play them.”
“We’re also recording a song for the City of Belton, MO, with Doug to become, by Mayoral Decree, the official song for the City of Belton. Be sure to watch for us to perform it at a city council meeting where they live stream it on YouTube, LOL.”
As for what’s missing from the industry, Sparks says it all comes down to “Authenticity! Freedom to experiment. Creativity. Complete integration with video for social media and YouTube. Social media and YouTube are where the fish are. I don’t know about you, but I want to fish where the fish are.”
‘Radio has become a bland, formulaic mess run by a stopwatch. If it’s 14 seconds, it’s bad, but if it’s 13 seconds, it’s a good kind of mentality. That’s not how people typically listen or engage with things. Is it engaging? Is it fun? Does it make you feel something? These are more important questions to be answered. Podcasts lowered the barrier to entry for the broadcasting space. You’re now competing for attention from so many things.”
Sparks says we can fix this. “Radio has credibility, people still trust radio. If you can use that to connect to an audience and give the audience something they can’t get anywhere else, then you’ll win.
“Leverage the built-in audience to create a community that people want to connect with. Make them laugh and feel excited to be a part of it. That’s the human experience that is quickly being more and more fragmented through podcasts and social media, and disappearing altogether due to AI. Radio still has the ability to grab a lot of attention in one swoop. Use it to leverage the audience to engage with you, build trust, and build a community.”
“Another one of the biggest problems we face as an industry today is we lack the resources in many places to do ‘Digital’ well,” says Lux. “I know we talk a lot about ‘Digital’ being the future, but what is ‘Digital? It’s videos and sponsored pre-rolls, its social media, its banner ads, and so much more. In order to do it well, in my opinion, we need dedicated digital departments. We need videographers/editors, we need social media managers and digital marketing/sales specialists.”
“Overall, we want to build a show that people want to wear on their sleeves and are proud of. If we can do that, then we’ve won,” insists Sparks. “Also, we want to be profitable. If a show makes the station money, then it’s harder to fire you lol!”
“I want us to build a large community of listeners here in KC,” adds Lux. “Long term, I want to create a legacy for being a connector. In radio, we connect people to their favorite music, fun and exciting events, useful products and services, and, when needed, emergency information and assistance. But mostly, we provide and are here for the human connection!”
Follow Sparks & Lux Instagram, @sparksradio, and Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/sparksradio, and Lux @luxstlou on all socials.
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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.
