“The Kincaid & Dallas Show” is based at New Country 101-FIVE in Atlanta and syndicated nationwide by Westwood One.
I caught up with J.J. Kincaid to discuss the show and hear what he feels are the keys to creating a great morning show. By the way, Dallas could not join due to a day being called for Jury Duty and another conflict.
You will read more later about why Dallas (McCade) actually wanted to be called for jury duty and how that personality type contributes to the duo’s success.
The show came together in 2019 when Kincaid was hired to host mornings on New Country 101-FIVE in Atlanta.
“They were looking for a morning show on what would eventually be New Country 101.FIVE, and Brian Phillips reached out and talked to me about the position. I flew in and spent the day with Brian, and we just clicked immediately and shared a lot of the same ideals. He was instrumental in the process, and I was here in Atlanta from the beginning of the station being built, Mike Moore coming in, and it’s absolutely magical.”
Getting Dallas to sign on to the new show took some convincing.
“We assembled the team; I got to chat with Dallas, who had been doing mornings in Atlanta for years. I joked that they built the building around her between being on 101.5 and being down the hall at our former Classic Country predecessor.”
“I was like, oh my God, you’re royalty and within five minutes, it’s almost like when you’re dating somebody and you talk to them and it’s just like, I often say it’s the same thing, like when I met my wife, I saw this whole future.”
“Within five minutes, Dallas was sharing the most intimate details of her life. I’m like, this is perfection, and she had no interest in ever going back to mornings. She said, ‘I can’t, I don’t want to wake up.’ I think she was slated to do afternoons.”
“I went to Brian and I said Dallas, is it. She’s perfect, this is it. I don’t know how we’re going to convince her, but okay, and we convinced her.”
With the team built and syndication rolling out, how do they manage to be relevant in varied markets across the country?
“Simply, you keep it entertaining. Local’s great. Local’s fantastic. But I think when it comes down to it, when someone gets to work that day, do they go and tell their coworkers, oh man, what a great show I listened to this morning. He mentioned a street name I know.”
“I think that’s great, and being plugged into the community is awesome. Would it be a perfect world if we had more local shows? That would be nice in a lot of situations. However, I think funny, entertaining and relevant is always going to be a good option for a morning show.”
Kincaid and Dallas incorporate their everyday lives into the show, and according to Kincaid, sometimes the unexpected clicks.
“It’s things that we never expect that take off that we never thought would grow legs and become such a thing. My partner, Dallas, for instance, has the strangest fascinations on the planet. She wanted to be on jury duty. It’s all she wanted. She had never gotten a summons before. She was so excited.”
“She’s on the air. I got it. I got a letter. They want me. I’m saying, Dallas, they don’t put people like us on a jury because we’re a distraction. They don’t want the media. You’re going to get booted. No, no, this is going to be great. So, she got called in. She was there yesterday. (Monday) And she’s taking pictures. She’s in the waiting room. Oh, my gosh. She’s taking selfies. And she’s texting me. You’re going to get booted.”
“It became a whole run of the show, different updates from Dallas. And then finally, after lunch, there was a settlement in the case. And listeners were like, no, there was no settlement. And I was on the air begging.”
“She also wants to go to jail. She wants to see on her terms. She wants to see the inside of a prison. She wants to sleep over. She wants to see what jail is like, only for a night. And then she gets to leave. She doesn’t want to be there any longer than overnight. She has a fascination with prison. She’s a justice system freak.”
With a divided country, how do they manage to be aware of current events without angering one side or the other?
“As divided as we are, we’ve been brought up believing in morning radio, you’ve got to pick a side. You’re never going to win when you’re down the middle. Well, we’re in unprecedented territory as a country. It hasn’t been like this in a long time. I’m not a very political guy, but there’s just enough going on that we don’t touch it. Will we reference things like if there’s not a lot of eggs at the grocery store? Absolutely. But we don’t then blame what some may say is the root cause of the issue. And during the election, we don’t pick a side.”
“We even say on the air, we’re not a political morning show, and people say it’s refreshing. I don’t need you to talk about that. I can get that from anywhere.”
Being where their audience is is also important to Kincaid & Dallas.
“Mike Moore has been great about definitely impressing upon us. It’s so important to get out there and go to the concerts. And we’re not going backstage. That’s not what it’s all about. We don’t want to go backstage.”
“Where we’re at is set up in front of the show, greeting listeners as they walk into the shows, and making that connection with your audience who’s coming to the concerts and getting to talk to them. And that’s where it’s at. Meeting the people who you see each and every day. They’re loyal.”
Part of the show includes sharing their vulnerabilities with their audience.
“Dallas brought up this morning. She was in the shower a couple of weeks ago and felt a lump in her breast, and she’s going to get a mammogram on Friday. She knew that that was something that she wanted to bring to the air because it’s so important.”
“I’ve had MS since 2007, and it’s under control, and I’m doing really well, but occasionally, when it gets super warm outside, my footing gets messed up, and I’ll trip over my own feet. Well, we were at a concert last summer. It was about 94 degrees. I’m wearing an American flag button-down shirt.”
“I trip over one of the stones on the pavement, and I fall on the ground, and the listeners were waiting in line for the bathroom. They’re like, Kincaid is drunk. I’m not drunk, but I’m wearing an American flag shirt, and my only thought at that moment was, oh God, I’m wearing the American flag and I’m on the ground. I’m going to lose my job.”
“I’m trying to do is get up, but I can’t get my footing, and I keep falling back down. Oh my God, I’m soiling the American flag shirt. This is ruining my career. I immediately told Mike Moore. I got up, and I’m bleeding. He’s said, ‘are you okay?’ I said, no, I’m wearing the American flag. It’s all over.” And of course, we went on the air with that.”
What advice can Kincaid offer to someone looking to get into radio and have a morning show?
“Never ignore anybody who says things like I want to do what you do or how do I do what you do? I would say come and hang out with us one morning. Come and see what it is we do. We’d love to have you in. We have listeners who hang out and randomly pop into the studio all the time.”
“That’s how I got my start. My father was in radio for a bunch of years. That’s all I ever wanted to do. And I found out 15 years ago at Thanksgiving, that’s the last place you want to find this out from my mom. My parents had long been divorced. My mom had informed me at Thanksgiving while everyone was eating. I was conceived in a studio. Did not know that.”
In conclusion, Kincaid emphasized his passion for the business.
“We believe in radio. We believe in the connection. There’s nothing else like it. It’s so personal, whether on a local or national level. When you listen to our show, I think you’re left with a feeling of, hey, they get me. What they’re talking about, I experience. There’s nothing else like it. There will never be anything else like radio, and it’s something to behold.”
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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.
