Craig Collins is embracing a new challenge at KSEV after moving from evenings to morning drive following Chris Salcedo’s exit. Collins now hosts mornings alongside Wayne Dolcefino, giving the Houston station a new team to lead its most important daypart.
Collins previously hosted a one-hour show on KSEV from 6-7 PM. However, the move to mornings represents a significant change for the host, who said he’s wanted the opportunity for some time.
The new KSEV morning host shared that he and Dolcefino met for the first time in the hallway before their inaugural show. Despite having no previous working relationship, Collins said the pairing immediately felt natural.
“Wayne and I actually met in the hallway arriving at the radio station, which is unique,” Collins said. “Usually, when you do this sort of thing, you at least know the guy, but we hit it off. We’re both East Coast Italians initially, so I think that went really well for us. We definitely probably talked about ourselves a lot in the first show, like you might assume people meeting do.”
Craig Collins Wants to Focus on Houston and Texas
Collins said the early shows will focus heavily on the issues affecting listeners throughout Houston and Texas. At the same time, he wants to uncover stories that might not receive attention from larger media outlets.
“And so I’m sure we’ll cover more Texas politics and stuff on the next show, but it was a blast to hang out with the guy for two hours,” Collins said.
The approach will also require Collins and Dolcefino to identify stories that matter locally while making those subjects compelling for their audience.
“We really want to focus on Texas. We want to focus on Houston and Texas and talk to the listeners, and in some ways, inform them of the stuff that maybe they’re unaware of locally that they should care about,” the new KSEV morning host shared.
Collins believes local radio can’t simply assume an audience won’t care about a particular issue. Instead, he said hosts have a responsibility to explain why those stories matter.
“I think when a lot of people go hyperlocal, the struggle is finding out what is actually still interesting to the audience. And sometimes I think people shy away from, ‘Oh, they’re not going to care about this. They’re not going to care about that,’ sort of reactions. But it’s our job to make them care,” said Collins.
He added that the show will look beyond the stories already receiving national or statewide attention.
“So, I think we’re going to try pretty hard to find the things that might not be on the national or even statewide radar and make them something that our listeners do find interest in,” Collins said.
Collins Sees Morning Drive as a Major Responsibility
Collins also recognizes that mornings carry more weight than other dayparts. His experience filling in across various shifts, however, has helped him approach the transition without much anxiety.
“It’s the driving force of most radio stations anywhere that I’ve ever been. Morning drive is what sets the table for the rest of the day wherever you are, so 100%. It’s probably something that we have to get right every day in order to help everybody else succeed,” the new KSEV morning host shared.
While the schedule could become more difficult over time, Collins said he’s comfortable with the demands for now. His history of working different shifts has given him experience with unusual schedules.
“Yeah, I probably would have to answer that question again in two months. Right now, it’s not that bad, but again, I’m the kind of guy that does this for a week or two weeks or three weeks a lot in my career. But once we’re at month two and month three and I haven’t slept, I might have a different answer for you,” said Collins.
Collins also pointed to his experience filling in for other hosts as a reason he felt comfortable starting the new show.
“I gotta be honest, man. I had no butterflies this morning. You’d think that a guy popping into a morning show on a national, on a top major market would be nervous, but I’ve hosted for Dana before with 9 million, whatever her listenership is, so this was just fun,” Collins said.
He believes that experience has also helped him quickly build chemistry with new co-hosts.
“I think that’s probably the biggest benefit to having worked so many places with so many different people, because even meeting Wayne for the first time felt easy, because I’ve filled in on a show where I met everybody on the air during a show before,” the new KSEV morning host shared.
Truth Will Remain Central to the Show
Collins said his primary goal is straightforward: He wants the show to deliver information listeners can trust.
“I’m going to give you the most cliché, although I hope it’s not cliché to answer, because it’s simply what I want to do: the truth. I want to tell people the truth, and I think that receipts are important,” said Collins.
He also believes Dolcefino’s investigative journalism background will complement his own strengths and help create a more complete morning program.
“Oh, it’s invaluable to the show. I think just the grasp he has on Houston and Texas and all of that, and the way that he’s approached getting information. He’s Nick Shirley, but the OG version. He’s the best guy, I think, I could possibly have been paired with,” Collins said.
Ultimately, Collins said he will judge the show’s success by its impact on listeners and the community.
“If I’m walking around downtown and somebody says something to me about hearing the show, I think that will be a big marker of success,” the new KSEV morning host shared.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.