Miranda Lambert will receive “The Country Icon” award at the 2024 “People’s Choice Country Awards.”
Last year, the honor was given to the late Toby Keith.
The show will air on NBC and Peacock on September 26 at 7 p.m. (CT) from Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House.
Voting for all other categories closes tomorrow. (8/23). Winners are chosen entirely by the fans. (BMM 8/14)
Longtime San Antonio Spurs play-by-play announcer Bill Land has announced his retirement from the role, ending his 34-year tenure broadcasting in varying capacities with the organization. Land first joined the Spurs organization as a fill-in announcer in 1990 before working his way up to the play-by-play announcer role 18 years later. Throughout his time behind the microphone, he has called countless memorable moments and the careers of star players such as Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli. Land’s trademark “Oh Mama!” call is part of the soundtrack within the history of the organization, including five NBA championships between the years 1999 and 2014.
Land had called games on Bally Sports Southwest and on local affiliates that aired the broadcasts produced by the organization’s Spurs Sports & Entertainment division. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma last year, a rare form of blood cancer, but he still called a majority of the team’s games last season. This past June, Land underwent a successful stem cell transplant that has had a positive impact on his diagnosis. The Spurs organization will honor Land at its home opener against the Houston Rockets from Frost Bank Center on Saturday, Oct. 26.
“I am grateful and appreciative for the support from the entire Spurs organization as well as FOX Sports/Bally Sports,” Land said in a statement. “I feel truly blessed to have had a dream job with the best production crew in the league and the best analyst in the NBA, Sean Elliott. As I move into the fourth quarter of my life, I want to thank everyone, especially Spurs fans, for their incredible support over the years and particularly this past year as I have battled cancer.”
Land called his final game approximately 50 years to the day of his first professional broadcast, a 28-point victory for Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs over the Detroit Pistons. The team has not yet named a new play-by-play announcer to fill the role and work alongside analyst Sean Elliott. Information pertaining to the 2024-25 Spurs broadcast team will be shared at a later date.
“Bill has been a core member of the Spurs family, not only for us but for the fans who listen to him each season,” Mike Kickirillo, senior director of broadcasting at Spurs Sports & Entertainment, said in a statement. “The pure joy and passion he brings to our games personalizes the experience for all fans listening, and his iconic voice and character have cemented him in history among our beloved Spurs legends. We’ll be forever grateful to him for bringing over 20 years of dedication to our team and fans, and will miss his voice dearly.”
During the first night of the Democratic National Convention, more than 20 million tuned into the coverage. That figure grew on Tuesday.
According to Nielsen, the second evening of event coverage grew to 20.8 million viewers for the evening that included speeches by both Barack and Michelle Obama, as well as the customary roll call vote for delegates.
Of the 20.8 million, 15.5 were from the Persons 55+ demographic. 3.9 million came from the Persons 35-54 demo, and less than 1 million — 950,000 — between the ages of 18-34 tuned into coverage across ABC, CBS, NBC, Scripps News, CNN, FOX Business, Fox News, MSNBC, Newsmax, NewsNation, and PBS.
That 20.8 million audience was a slight uptick from the 20 million who watched Monday’s proceedings. Each individual demographic saw audience growth during Tuesday’s event.
Once again, MSNBC led coverage of the event with 4.8 million viewers, up from the audience of 4.6 million on Monday.
Being appreciated and congratulated by those you work with and compete against is a tremendous honor. It’s validation of your hard work from those who understand what it takes to succeed. Honoring broadcasting’s best has long been a tradition at our sports media conferences. But rewarding the industry’s best is not exclusive to one format.
On September 4-5, 2024 at the BNM Summit in Washington D.C., we will recognize difference makers in the news media industry thanks to our friends at Premiere Networks. Three awards will be given out during our Gold Diamond Awards Ceremony. Radio One CEO David Kantor is this year’s Gold Standard in Leadership award recipient. And today, we reveal the final two awards and recipients.
The Gold Standard in Business Award recognizes a leader who has helped their brand/company make a significant difference in business. WTOP in Washington D.C. has consistently delivered powerful results, serving as radio’s best success story. The brand’s ratings, reach, relevance, reputation, and unmatched revenue have made it the crown jewel of Hubbard Radio. Leading the charge since 1998 has been Vice President and General Manager Joel Oxley. On Wednesday September 4th, Joel will take the stage to accept the honor on behalf of America’s most successful news radio station.
The Gold Standard in Programming Award goes to news/talk radio’s top programmer. Four accomplished candidates were eligible for this year’s honor. Fifteen industry executives recruited by Barrett Media voted to determine the results. It’s my pleasure to share that 95.5 WSB program director Ken Charles won the vote and has been named this year’s recipient. Cox Media Group’s Atlanta news/talk station remains one of the most powerful brands in the format today. Since taking the reins in April 2022, Ken has led WSB to consistent ratings success, strengthening the product while continuing to build on its connection with the Atlanta community. He’ll accept the award in Washington D.C. as part of our day 1 ceremony.
Tickets for the BNM Summit are available until Friday August 30th on BNMSummit.com. The full schedule for the show is also posted on the main page of the website. Ticket purchases include access to both days of the conference, and the end day 1 after party. Collette is giving away a trip for two to Spain at this year’s after party. A few sponsorships remain available. Interested groups can contact Stephanie Eads at Stephanie@BarrettMedia.com to explore opportunities.
I look forward to seeing you in two weeks in the nation’s capital.
This year marks the 15th anniversary of Beasley Media Group’s 98.5 The Sports Hub, by any measurement one of the top sports radio stations in the country. August 13, 2009, was the official start date for the station and last week the station celebrated the milestone, looking back at many of the top moments in the station’s history.
It was a conscious decision to not make the celebration all about the radio station during the week over the air. There were several great retrospectives put together by the production team and those played over the air but also on YouTube and the station’s social media channels. Since its launch, the station has been named the National Association of Broadcasters’ Marconi Award for ‘Sports Station of the Year’ four times including last year.
Consistency is a word that comes up a lot when you talk about the station. In speaking with Program Director Rick Radzik and afternoon co-host Tony Massarotti, who were both part of the station from the very beginning, they both not only talk about that consistency, but also the Boston sports teams doing a lot of winning, something they did not expect when they first took the air.
Radzik was working at WBZ-AM, an all-news station. Mark Hannon and Mike Thomas, then of CBS, eventually offered him the Assistant Program Director position, an offer that came on August 7, he accepted a day later, started the next day and the station launched four days later.
“It was a whirlwind,” Radzik said.
Massarotti had been with the Boston Herald and The Boston Globe prior to joining the radio station. Massarotti covered the Red Sox from 1994-2008 and that was a main reason he was thought of as a co-host with Mike Felger. Felger had also been with the Boston Herald and had covered the Bruins and the Patriots. He also had radio experience having hosted on 890 ESPN, one of a few AM challengers that eventually lost out to incumbent WEEI.
“The primary decision-makers were Mark Hannon and Mike Thomas, who was the program director,” Massarotti said. “They wanted someone to put with Mike, who was really sort of a baseball person. And I was on the list.”
Massarotti said Thomas had been talking with Brad Blank, an agent, about other people and had asked the agent if he represented Massarotti. Blank did not but had had conversations with him before. It was Blank who reached out to tell Massarotti about the opportunity.
“The first call I got was from Brad Blank who said, ‘hey, I was talking to Mark Hannon and they are interested in potentially putting you with Felger. I’d love to handle it if you still need representation,” Massarotti said. “That’s how it started. So, I got in touch with Mark. I did an audition, a demo with Mike. It seemed to fit and we were kind of off and running.”
WEEI had a long head start in the market and while others had tried to knock them off the perch, one thing that had not happened in Boston, or really any other market for that matter, was having a sports station that was not on the AM dial.
“I think one of the things that I think was a little bit underestimated on our launch was that we launched on the FM signal,” Radzik said. “And I’m not even sure we anticipated the impact that that would have. At the time, there were not, if any, all sports radio stations on an FM signal. And I think what we wanted to do was sound a little bit younger. More of the imaging was rock and positioning all of the imaging around just sounding different than what was already being heard.”
Radzik said at the beginning they were just trying to figure it all out. He said there was very little sleep in the first few months of building the new station. Radzik said, “What we’ve all said in 15 years is we’re surprised we survived that first month! We were trying to figure out what we were doing. But we were pretty confident in the talent we had.”
For Massarotti, who had mainly appeared on radio as a guest before starting with The Sports Hub, this was a completely different experience for him. Not only were they all trying to get an audience to get used to a new sports station, but he was also trying to figure out how to be on a show every day for four hours per day.
“For me personally, that was a big, big adjustment, more than I ever could have understood at that particular point in time,” he said. “And there were a lot of people that were patient with me in the process, as we sort of developed. But the chemistry and the conversation with me and Mike worked on air right away. We looked at things a similar way. And I think we both have a passion for the teams in the town and understand what the teams mean to the people here.”
Something else the station had going for it from the beginning was play-by-play rights as they aired both the Patriots and the Bruins games. Radzik said the hockey fan base was also a part of the station’s initial growth. “We were really kind of showing that you could talk hockey and try to give that fan base an outlet, which they didn’t really have before,” he said. “They had a diehard fan base. And we did provide a lot for them on that. So, I think that helped.”
In order to be as successful as the station has been, it takes a lot of people doing a lot of the right things. Massarotti said that while most people know the on-air staff, it takes a lot more than just them to make it all work. It also helps when the teams win and there is plenty to talk about.
“We’ve been pretty fortunate to have the group of people that we have, the market that we have, the teams that we have, because for it to all go the way it has gone has been something of a perfect storm,” he said. “Between the listeners, the people we have in the building, and I mean that on every level, it has felt like a good thing from the very beginning pretty much. And that doesn’t mean we haven’t had our share of little bumps and whatnot, but I would say for the most part it really clicked on a lot of levels, which has been great.
“We just kind of stick to the job. We’ve had good success for a long period of time, and there are a lot of variables in that. But it makes it easier to focus on the task when you’re getting results, when the results are there…And we always have something because it’s Boston and because it’s sports, we always have something to talk about.”
Radzik said that while there has been some turnover recently, going as long as they did with little to no turnover made a big difference.
“We went a long time with a regular lineup,” he said. “That, in this industry, was pretty rare. The longevity of many of our shows and many of the hosts being in the same position they’ve been in since day one has been huge. It’s been a fun ride. It’s a bumpy ride once in a while, but overall, I think we all feel like it’s been a pleasure to do it.
“It still matters, and I think that passion does come across on our shows because we have a very passionate fan base in Boston and in this region, and I think they would see through it if we started mailing it in, and no one’s doing that for sure.”
What are you doing September 4th and 5th? The BNM Summit is taking place in Washington D.C.. Before you accuse me of being a kiss up to my wonderful overlords at Barrett Media, I love radio conventions. I find these events very useful, and I want you to join in the party. Do yourself a giant favor, be there. In the same room, you will be in the presence of a covey of radio geniuses. If you have never attended an event like this, don’t miss the opportunity.
I always want to be a realist. Radio has been unfairly taking it in the mug over the last few years. The mushrooming amount of content available has certainly impacted radio. Companies with billions of dollars in debt are in a precarious position. The revenue has been falling and radio has been grasping for answers.
Let me share the good news, depending on the market. Commercial Radio still has about 90% of the public listening on a weekly basis. This is really strong because your local TV Newscasts are not even close to that number. According to Pew Research, only 69% of Americans watch local tv news weekly. Radio people enamored with TV amaze me. TV viewing has moved to an on-demand platform.
The 2023 BNM Summit was perhaps the best organized seminar that I have ever attended. Nearly every session started and ended on time. Talk about crazy. Sessions were well designed, and I learned a few things from all of them. This is essential, because many of us have heard or read about certain concepts on the radio industry. I have often applied these ideas in ways that were not very efficient.
I returned from last year’s BNM Summit with new ideas from the masters of radio. The longer that I have been in this radio business, the more I need to know. These events remind me of things that I have forgotten. Applicable content is available in each session. You will be more equipped in your position as a talent, Program Director, Owner, Market Manager, Executive, etcetera.
We all work very hard doing several jobs. Being honest with the human in the mirror, are you out of gas? Are you out of ideas? You perhaps may be overwhelmed. You need inspiration. The 2024 BNM Summit will encourage you. People with similar experiences, concerns, and frustrations will emote them in one place. YOU WILL BE INSPIRED.
This is a great opportunity to network with leaders in our industry, make friends and renew old ones. I am that guy who hugs. I am not the unwanted hug guy, but I will divey out hugs like the crazy neighbor who has already decorated for Halloween. If you are someone that has been trying to finish a deal, you will likely meet some of the decision makers at this event in D.C.
When was the last time that you really laughed? Do you remember? You will laugh at this event. Radio stories that are frequently crazy, will be shared. Egos are really left at the door. This is an industry event. If someone shows up with an ego, they will be ignored. It truly is a shared experience. Don’t miss out on the fun. Perhaps a cigar and a bourbon after dinner.
Secrets will be shared. If you think that people will keep that big radio success secret, you would be wrong. Here is why… Radio people like to talk shop. Radio people also like to have the last word. This collaborative event will teach you things. I guarantee you, ask a question of an industry leader during lunch… They will answer you.
At lunch on the final day last year, I was with a group and one of the people at the table was at the center of the Air America venture. We spoke with him about that, and I think that we all learned a lot about why it failed. There will be people at the 2024 BNM Summit who have been involved in radio successes and failures. Ask them about why it worked or didn’t. Great discussions will be had.
Let us thank Jason Barrett and Stephanie Eads for all of their hard work. Jason has risked it all to provide the radio industry with great on-line content and amazing radio experiences like this. We need to have the backs of those who are cheering for us. If you have never met Jason and Stephanie, you will just love them. Terrific people.
At the 2023 BNM Summit, I found Jim Cutler’s presentation especially helpful. Jim and his bride Dawn are awesome people as well. I have personally taken a little pride in how I image a station. Jim opened my eyes to things that I had never formerly considered. I implemented things that I learned almost immediately.
Ok, please figure out how to get to Washington D.C. You will be completely satiated from all the information, comradery, and fun. I really hope that you will be there. This is your best opportunity to recharge your batteries. You can brainstorm with some of the biggest names and minds in radio from personalities, programmers, executives and thought leaders.
You know it’s funny: every week, I have a plan for a topic I’d like to comment on or share, and we get breaking news in our business that seems to demand superseding it. BIA Wednesday reported the top 15 highest billing AM and FM radio stations in America, and it once again highlights the painful impending end of WCBS-AM in New York. I touched on that here last week, noting it was one of the ten highest billing stations, and yet again, the number speaks for itself for fiscal year 2023. Let’s take a step back.
I was lucky enough to be a small part of 95.5 WPLJ’s storied history in New York for a few years as an air talent, for a time as a programming assistant, and later as part of then-owner Cumulus’ corporate Hot AC format team. To say working at PLJ as a jock and playing a role in its programming was an obsession for me wouldn’t be an understatement; it would be accurate.
To be honest, it’s been tough to set goals for myself in a way, knowing the station is no longer there when I stroll past Penn Plaza. Yet, while it was a shock 5+ years ago to learn it was signing off, it wasn’t a total surprise as the last few years had been bumpy in revenue, abs ratings, and staff turnover. Also? The call letters remain. The format really is just an iteration with Christian CHR of what it did as Adult Top 40/Hot AC in presentation and even some of the music.
Heck, there are 3-4 tracks that play on both sides of its history. With WCBS 880, there is a connection back nearly 60 years with its own heritage and people and to the gold standard of Cronkite, Murrow, and Hewitt. The station is used and relied upon with the nature of its tradition of round-the-clock news and information in a different way than an FM music station. Of course, the calls are going away, too. So, it hurts for those of us who love radio and for what Nielsen says are 700,000 people in the New York City metro area to lose it.
Back to BIA, despite all the competition for “share of ear,” the lack of an FM simulcast, a predominantly 50+ core of P1s, a strong direct competitor in WINS, and strong news effort by WOR, WABC, Bloomberg, and the suburban stations too, WCBS 880 was the 10th highest billing station in America, the fifth highest billing in the number one media market, was only off year to year in revenue about a million bucks and part of a combined $325 million in revenue for top 5 AM/FM stations.
Quite a proud way for the station to go out head held high that business decisions happen in radio and every industry, and its success will likely never be duplicated.
Further, yet another reminder to the rank-and-file executives and the advertising community that radio, despite challenges, competition, and the ebb of time, is still a flat business and a damn lucrative one. Now imagine if radio stopped focusing on servicing debt and shareholders and was boldened by innovative, aggressive sellers, marketers, and on-air content creators in a significant way again.
Matt Anthony is a voice actor based in Northeast Ohio with 30 years of radio experience in markets like Washington, DC, Boston, and Atlanta.
Matt is an avid motorcyclist, amateur photographer, writer, and ” long-suffering fan of Cleveland sports teams.” He is also a craft beer aficionado, as we will find out. Matt and his wife, Donna, live in Akron.
Jeff Lynn: So, how did you get started?
Matt Anthony: The role of the ‘station image voice’ has always intrigued me. Even though I didn’t (and still don’t!) possess the pipes of a Mitch Craig, a Joe Kelly, or a Jim Cutler, I tried to emulate them. After ten years or so in ‘radio’…and already having switched to more of the ‘production’ side of things…Big Bob Payne in Concord, NH, paid me $15.00 to voice a page of liners for their Hot AC. (don’t get any ideas, folks!) I couldn’t believe that my voice was on another station as an ‘image voice.’ Since then, I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of a hundred stations or more over the past 25 years. And I’ve been fortunate enough to work in some other genres outside of ‘radio imaging,’ too.
JL: The number of people joining the voice actor roles ballooned post-COVID. How do you make sure that you stand out?
MA: Honestly, the best recipe for me has been to be myself and not be ‘something that I’m not.’ I always feel like my pseudo-super-power was to be able to offer a ‘genuine-ness’ while also being able to be a branding voice. But I feel like the field of ‘radio imaging’ became cluttered well before COVID. With a laptop, a USB microphone, and free recording software, anyone was now able to ‘have a studio.’ So, I decided to be myself, super-serve my clients, offer a multitude of ‘takes’ and a few choice outtakes, and let the chips fall.
JL: With that in mind, what advice would you give someone thinking about becoming a voice actor?
MA: I would say find a niche, pop it in 6th gear (you fellow motorcyclists will understand), and really throttle into that niche. Voice talent today, regardless of area of interest (audiobooks, commercials, narration, etc.), are hungry. If you’re not willing to put in the time, consider training or coaching, and make errors, then it may just be a way to earn a few dollars on the side. It’s not enough to ‘have a good voice.’ You have to be able to perform. It’s way too competitive not to have your ducks in a row and a game plan for how you want to succeed.
JL: What’s a normal workday like?
MA: I do a fair amount of imaging and production in addition to voice work. So, it’s a combo of all those. I have a large amount of experience in imaging spoken-word formats like Sports and News-talk. But I also really enjoy imaging the AAA format. I enjoy the music, and finding the right aural texture is tough. I also help out a non-comm station locally. But, lately, since COVID, I have really stretched out into video and video editing. It seemed like a natural extension for me, based on my years of experience. Yes, radio is still ‘theatre of the mind,’ but being able to create from a visual perspective is just another tool in the belt, I think. I love cameras, lenses, and lighting, and most of my YouTube viewing these days feature men and women who are great teachers with lots of experience. I’ve made a ton of errors so far, but I think I’m making progress. (plus, not every editor or filmmaker can also ‘voice’!)
JL: What other voice actors do you admire?
MA: As far as radio and TV branding, Jim Cutler is one of my favorites! I’ve had the luxury of working with Jim in both Atlanta and Boston, and he’s one of the best in the business. He possesses that rare gift of having exceptional pipes combined with the ability to shuffle from the dramatic to the subtle to the comedic…sometimes all in one promo! I’ve always been a fan of Ann DeWig, who I think has been one of the best working in our business for the past 20 years. Wow…. that’s a loaded question. There are so many others in multiple genres who I gravitate towards. As I said, it’s a very competitive world!
JL: Are you making use of AI? Any thoughts about it in general to share?
MA: At all levels, I have been involved in the use of AI. I’m afraid…and I’m intrigued. The ability of AI will only get better, and it’s hard to say what the extent will be on our business and on our industry. I mean, in video editing, AI has played a role for a while now. And audio is catching up. (have you seen what Artlist can do lately? Scary.) But, not to sound like a broken record, the only thing I can do is to be myself and extoll the abilities that I can bring to a project. Hopefully, it can continue to be competitive in the AI space.
JL: Tell me three funny things about yourself that others may not know.
MA: I’m not sure how funny they are (or how secretive they are, since I talk about them pretty much all the time!), but I’m a huge coffee fan…so much so that I roast my own beans! I love the artistry of it, trying to find the right balance between science and taste. And I’ll drive pretty much anywhere to find good craft beer. I took a trip to the Pacific Northwest in the mid-90s, during the advent of the craft beer movement. It was an epiphany. It changed my palate and my life, switching from ‘quantity’ to ‘quality.’ My wife (who does not drink beer) has indulged my odd penchant for a 3-hour drive just to bring back a specific IPA that I can’t get here! And lately…I’ve been into wet shaving. I like the intentional nature of pampering oneself for 15 minutes by ditching the plastic cartridges and shaving like our grandfathers did. And I love the artistry of a razor produced by a company that’s been at it for 150 years!
Listen to Matt’s demo here.
Request a demo through Benztown.
Connect with Matt directly here.
He recorded Casey Kasem’s “American Top 40” onto a cassette player as a kid. Now, he hosts a Top 40 morning show at his favorite childhood radio station, K-WOLF 98.1, in Fairbanks, Alaska. He’s also on afternoons in Anchorage on Movin’ 105.7, a Hot AC station, both part of Last Frontier Mediactive, Inc.
Ken “VMaxx” Vehmeier is heard all over the Alaskan airwaves during the week and also announces just about every sports event for the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, as well as for the National Federation of High School sports (NFHS) on the weekend.
The 60-year-old is divorced with two grown children, Zach and Zoe, who both live in Alaska. He was born and raised in Fairbanks. His father and grandfather were carpenters and bridge builders.
“Every summer, we lived someplace different. They were working on bridges, so we were fishing on just about every bridge in Alaska,” he says.
He went to the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, where he got his start in radio. That’s where he and his college crew chose the “VMaxx” moniker.
VMaxx Origin Story
“Ken is just not a good radio name, so my buddies and I were sitting around drinking and brainstorming. The ‘V’ is for Vehmeier. Yamaha made a snow machine, VMaxx, and there’s a brand of motorcycle that’s a VMaxx, so that works and now more people call me VMaxx than Ken,” he says.
Unfortunately, the college rock station was collecting advertising dollars but not paying the talent. That’s illegal, so after a disgruntled DJ blew the whistle, the station was shut down.
After the outfit was bought by new owners, VMaxx says, there were part-time jobs available for very low pay. As the father of a young son, he needed to make more money.
VMaxx of All Trades
He worked for Pepsi for fifteen years as well as in retail, sales, and construction. He also worked in a cannery as a commercial fisherman and fought forest fires. Even though he wasn’t on air as a radio DJ, he was on the microphone, keeping up with current music and spinning it as a wedding, school dance, and event DJ with his own company, Alaska DJ Services, for 25 years.
Who Wants to Be a DJ?
It was a promotional contest that got VMaxx back on the airwaves. The “Who Wants to Be a DJ?” campaign pits wanna-be announcers against each other.
“We went to a car dealership and had to read a commercial. Then, we had to do stand-up comedy at a different location. We competed, and people were eliminated.”
VMaxx came in second, which, he says, “was fine because it got me in the door for a part-time slot, which led to a full-time spot, which got me into the university. It has opened up a whole bunch of other great side hustles, like PA/DJ work and sports broadcasting.”
Grizzlies and Nanooks
“We had an indoor football team here (The Fairbanks Grizzlies, 2008-2011), and I was doing the announcing and playing music,” VMaxx recalls. “The University of Alaska athletic director saw me there and said, ‘I love what you do,’ and he hired me.”
He’s been announcing for the school’s Division One hockey team for 17 years.
Eight years ago, the university asked him to do play-by-play for men’s and women’s Nanooks basketball and volleyball. “Last year, they had me do PA, so I bounce back and forth, and they can pull me out for whatever they need,” he says. “I like it when we have a doubleheader of basketball during the day and hockey at night,” he says.
He also does play-by-play for the Network of National High School Sports, which broadcasts a video stream of every championship sport in all fifty states.
“The basketball tournament in Anchorage is the biggest one here,” he explains. “First, it’s 1A and 2A schools, very small villages; the next week is the larger schools,” VMaxx called 54 games in eight days doing play-by-play for basketball there. He says he’s learned how to keep his voice intact by not getting overexcited and by using throat lozenges.
He says he really works at the sports announcing and DJing. “I pride myself on the bits I put in and keep redoing them to keep them short and tight. I use as many as 200 twenty-second clips of music per game because you’ve got to try to please everybody.”
The former “prize pig” can’t believe he’s able to make a living on the radio. What’s more, he was hired by his childhood idols, Glenner Anderson and Jerry Evans (Glenner and Jerry). He’s also pretty tickled that he won The Anchorage Press Reader’s Choice Award for Best DJ. VMaxx, who voice-tracks from Fairbanks, won the Anchorage award by just one vote, beating out veteran Anchorage talent he knows and looks up to. He stays current with Anchorage activities to share with his Movin’ 105.7 audience via the station’s sales staff, social media, and when he’s in Anchorage covering sports.
“It never feels like a job,” says the Fairbanks morning show and Anchorage afternoon show host.
Importance of Radio and Sports Coverage in Alaska
VMaxx says local radio and sports coverage is especially important in Alaska. “People in these small, remote communities are eager to hire somebody to cover their football games. They really get behind their schools and their sports and radio,” he explains.
He says local radio connects Alaskans to their community and that the Last Frontier stations he works for strive to do that. “We are very involved with our local non-profits. We sponsor as many walks and runs as we can. We sponsor youth sports teams, and we always promote as many local happenings on our stations as we can. It really sets us apart from Spotify and the stations that run out-of-market talent.”
VMaxx says he’s happy to support the Fairbanks Community Food Bank because there was a time when he had a young family, and they needed a food box.
He says the radio stations’ owners, the Ingstad brothers, “are a big radio family so they get it. When they took over,” he recalls, “they didn’t lay anybody off, they hired people, and got a new building.”
When he’s not on the mic, VMaxx is active on Alaska’s waterways as a jet skier and fly-fisherman. He’s a mountain biker and went back to college last year to take a pickleball course. He’s also, he says, “somewhat of a spin fanatic.”
What Doesn’t Kill You Saves Your Life
Spin, he says, almost killed him while simultaneously saving his life. He was taking a spin cycle class in December 2020 and felt something strange in his leg while doing a burpee. He couldn’t catch his breath, but he still kept going. He would take five more spin classes and find himself really winded at work before he finally went to a walk-in clinic where a doctor diagnosed deep vein thrombosis and told VMaxx to get to the hospital, stat.
“My lungs were full of blood clots. A deep vein thrombosis broke off in my leg. My heart could not oxygenate. It was working triple time to get blood through my lungs.
“They said, ‘Your spin classes saved your life because your heart is in amazing shape.’ Most people would have had a heart attack. Their hearts wouldn’t have been able to continue to pump blood, but mine did.”
DVT has an 85 percent death rate, he says. “They put me on blood thinners, and I had every test done. We don’t have any answers yet, so I make sure I get that blood pumping all the time.”
Second Chance
He says the clot should have killed him and that he’s been given a second chance at life. That lucky, second chance feeling has intensified after learning that his older brother, Glen, died in May in Mississippi of a likely pulmonary embolism or heart attack.
“Spend time with your family and friends,” he says, “because you never know when it’s going to get you like it got my older brother. Enjoy life and stop stressing so much about the small things.”
He’ll have to pay the bills, though, while he’s enjoying his new lease on life and for VMaxx, radio is the way to go. “I’m pretty much happy every day, and I’m not breaking my back doing it because I’ve done that with other jobs. Since I’ve been on the radio full time, I’m proud of what I do, and I’ve never had a bad day at work.”
Maybe there’s no better sign of aging than being tempted to unironically say, “Wow, time flies!” when someone tells you how long they have been on a particular job. That was my honest reaction when Kyle Bailey told me he is closing in on a decade at WFNZ. I remember when he arrived in Charlotte, and I could have sworn that was just three or four years ago.
Kyle has seen a lot of turnover in his building. He’s been through three programmers, multiple faces cycling through various day parts, and a few parent companies. It’s enough to move you from “new guy” to “old guard” quickly.
But in 2024, he has a clear idea of who he and his co-workers are. He calls WFNZ “mature, steady, and dialed-in.”
“We’ve built up a lot of trust with the audience; they know who we are and what we’re about,” he says. “We have very talented guys in the midday, capable leadership, tremendous support from our producers and board ops, and overall, our staff gets along really well. We root for each other and help out where we can. Not every sports radio station has that, and it’s certainly helped us to grow as a brand.”
Bailey hasn’t just grown on the air since coming to WFNZ. He has grown up off of it. When he’s behind the mic, he’s still locked in on the Panthers, Hornets, and whatever else is happening in town, but he thinks about the job a little differently now than he did before having kids. His age puts him in lock step with what a lot of guys in his audience are thinking about.
“Obviously fatherhood changes your entire worldview – especially with 3 kids under 4 years old. Sports and sports radio were the biggest bond between me, my brother, and our dad. My mom grew up playing softball, so we’re a sports family. Now I’m looking for opportunities to create that connection with my kids.”
If there’s a negative to being on the radio in Charlotte, it may be the downward trajectory of the local teams during that time. Take it from a guy that hosts a podcast about the Carolina Panthers, it hasn’t been fun to pay attention to the local NFL team. I can’t imagine having to do the same for the Hornets too!
“First of all, thank you for your concern. No one ever asks me how I’m doing,” Bailey jokes when I ask how he has held up.
As for how it affects his show, he says that it would be hard if all he had to talk about were the Hornets and Panthers. Charlotte offers him a lot more though.
“This is one of the most interesting sports cities in America. We’re one of just 32 NFL markets and 30 NBA markets. We’re home to major neutral-site college football games and basketball tournaments. The ACC has its headquarters, championship game, and championship tournaments here. It’s the epicenter of NASCAR. Charlotte FC is #2 in the MLS in attendance not even 3 years into existence. Copa America, Gold Cup, and marquis friendlies. Annual PGA Tour signature event, President’s Cup, and next year the PGA Championship. So, there’s always something going on and therefore to talk about. We also have no problem talking about lifestyle, news, and pop culture where it fits, so we stay plenty busy on the air. I’m never bored in this job.”
A little more excitement was added to Bailey’s professional life earlier this year. He and WFNZ colleague Wes Bryant signed on with USA Football as the broadcasters of all of the major events for the governing body of flag football in this country. Just under a month after the deal was announced, the 2024 Olympics kicked off in Paris.
In most years, the football world isn’t thinking about the Olympics. In 2028 though, we’ll be handing out medals for flag football at the Los Angeles games.
Not every Olympic sport is track & field, wrestling or swimming. If it wasn’t part of the original modern Olympics, the sport has to start somewhere. For breaking it was in Paris. For flag football, it will be in Los Angeles. But Bailey is clear, he hopes that’s where the comparisons between the two sports ends. The world has already issued its verdict on breaking. It won’t be back in 2028.
“I’ve always looked forward to the Olympics,” he said. “However, the breaking stuff wasn’t for me. The RayGun thing was funny, but I never understood why it was included in the first place,” Bailey says. “Flag football is going to be really cool in 2028, regardless of who plays. When I was in LA last month calling USA Football’s Week at The One event, it was so fun to experience the different styles and flavors across the American, Canadian, Panamanian, Mexican, and Japanese teams. The Undertaker’s daughter was a QB on one team. Martin Grammatica’s daughter was on another team. A Hollywood actress was quarterbacking a club team called ‘She Unit’. There’s a whole culture developing in the flag football world that many people don’t yet know about. Throw more countries into the mix for ’28 with added interest in the sport, I think it’s going to be a hit.”
So, with all of that international growth, what does Bailey want to see for the men’s team in Los Angeles?
He wouldn’t be upset if some of the NFL’s biggest stars follow through on their promises to play, but he notes that the US already has a national flag football team, and that team is pretty damn good. It would be a shame if they got benched when the sport steps into its biggest spotlight.
Bailey isn’t so sure we should count on that being the way it goes down though.
“I’m still skeptical that NFL stars will end up playing,” he says. “Roger Goodell and the league can ‘encourage’ it all they want to, but are the Dolphins loaning out Tyreek Hill to the USOC in the middle of training camp knowing he could suffer a season-ending injury?”
The future is bright for flag football, but as he closes in on a decade in the Queen City, it’s just as bright for Kyle Bailey. He’s happy, the station is in great shape, and he and his producer Evan “Smoke” Ludwig are in a good groove.
“I think it’s a testament to how hard we’ve worked, and it’s validating to see that hard work pay off,” he says.
