The thing about conventional wisdom is that it’s, well, conventional. That means everyone tends to follow it. For example, the conventional wisdom about morning drive at a radio station is that you can’t have ratings success with a solo host playing a lot of music. To compete with other stations that all have multiple-person, content intensive morning shows, you must have one too.
I’m not saying there isn’t something to that. A solo host playing a lot of music in morning drive can be a tough way to get ratings but with the right host anything is possible. Take for example, the successful run that Kelly Ferry, better known to listeners as Izzy, has been having on Hubbard’s ALT AZ 93.3/Phoenix where she is regularly in the Top five with Adults 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54.
Ferry is the only one in the studio, with no co-hosts or producer to help, but she is not alone. Her show is based on a strong connection with, and heavy participation from, the audience. “I make the show more about them than about me,” she explains. “Listeners love being heard. They love telling their stories. So, I lean on them. They’re my cohosts.”
Her signature segment Blow My Mind features a daily topic with listeners calling in to share their stories with the best call winning a prize. She posts the subject on social media ahead of time and then, after the official on-air topic is revealed during the show, the calls just come flowing in. “Honestly I don’t have to do much to get it going,” she says. “People think their story is the best story and they want to tell it.”
And those stories can be about almost anything, with a few exceptions like politics. “That is simply a no,” she laughs. “Same with religion and a few other hot topics.” But beyond that, she says, they’ll talk about anything, “drugs; sex; relationships; whatever. They’re down to share their trauma.”
Her other rule is to be wary of topics suggested by the station’s midday host, Izzy’s close friend, Mo. “It’s literally a running joke with us. Anytime she gives me a topic, I get like zero calls.”
Knowing what to ask and what to avoid, along with the audience’s willingness to tell Izzy everything has led to memorable moments ranging from serious and seriously funny. “There’s a guy who told me about losing his wife to cancer and we were both crying. I still check on him when he calls,” she says. “But there was also a woman who ran herself over because she forgot to put her car in park. She broke her ankle, and nobody helped her. It was awful and hysterical.”
Izzy’s Stories
It’s not just the audience participation that sets Ferry’s show apart from other solo morning hosts. She has a unique ability to weave her own stories, about all kinds of topics, into the show in a compelling way that brings listeners back for more.
The key, she insists, is authenticity. Ferry says she doesn’t play “radio host.” She talks to the audience like a friend. Sometimes that means being funny, but other times it’s about being vulnerable. “If it’s something that makes me laugh or something I’m learning about myself, I’ll share it. I talk about personal growth, embarrassing stuff, even moments where I’m scared or unsure. People connect to that. They care.”
Her stories start with a spark. “Something will happen during the day, and I’ll write it in my phone,” she says. “It’s the kind of stuff I used to post to social media, but now it’s for the show.” Then, once she has the idea, she’ll expand on it and practice to prepare it for the audience, “I’ll hear myself saying it in my head, like a comedian. Then when I’m on the air it just comes out naturally.”
That openness resonates off the air too. At events, fans approach her like an old friend, already knowing her pets’ names or details about her boyfriend. “It’s always weird when someone feels like they know you and you have no idea who they are,” she says, “but it’s the best compliment. It means they’re really listening. Meeting them in person just strengthens that bond.”
Izzy’s Journey
Izzy’s road to mornings in Phoenix ran through Fresno and Las Vegas, and not every stop was easy. “I definitely had to go through some fires to get here,” she says. “Collaborating with other people on a show can be tough. It’s like dating without the fun stuff.”
But just because she went through butting heads with co-hosts at previous stations doesn’t mean she instantly loved the idea of doing a solo show. In fact, it came as a surprise to her. “When they said they wanted me to do my own show, I was like, ‘Are you sure?’” she says. “Mornings is a big deal. To have all that pressure on just you is scary.”
But once she got over that initial shock she has grown to appreciate the autonomy that the management team at Hubbard has given her. She says it has led to creative freedom and personal growth. “I don’t have to defend myself. I can just be who I am on the air,” Ferry says. “It’s also the first time in my 15-year career that I feel like I’m making a difference. I’ve never felt this connected to listeners before, or this safe being myself on the radio.”
She also credits part of her success to breaking down another piece of conventional wisdom. While the industry, and morning drive are male dominated, she sees being a woman as an advantage. “I’m emotionally intelligent and can have conversations that go deep,” she says. “Sometimes people call with stories about addiction or relationships, and I can really listen and give them a safe space.”
Izzy’s Advice
Asked what she recommends for other women in the industry Ferry says strive to get your authentic voice onto the air. “Be the personality you can be. People want to hear what you have to say.” She adds that it’s important to stand up for yourself, “I hate when people say, ‘you need thick skin.’ That’s just telling you to shut up and take it.”
For other hosts of any gender aspiring to do mornings, she says to be aware that it’s a grind, “Waking up at 4am sucks.” What works for her is making sure to practice self-care and stay centered. “I do meditation, breath work, whatever I need before I get to the station. You must be grounded because the listeners deserve your full attention.”
She also feels it’s important to give yourself some grace. “Not everything’s a home run,” she admits. “Sometimes I’m in the middle of a break and think, wow, this isn’t that funny. But that’s okay. We’re human. And the listeners know you’re real when you mess up.”
But in the end, it’s all about communication. “Radio is just humans talking to other humans,” she says. “If you’re real, if you care, people feel that. And when they do, they’ll follow you anywhere, even at 4 in the morning.”
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Mike Stern is a Classic Rock columnist and Features writer for Barrett Media. He has been with Jacobs Media consulting stations in the Classic Rock, Rock, Alternative and AAA world for more than a decade. Prior to that he programmed stations in Chicago, Detroit, Denver Las Vegas and other markets. He also worked as News/Talk Editor for Radio and Records, wrote about Top 40 Radio for Billboard Magazine and had his own radio talent coaching business called Talent Mechanic.
