May 27, 2026 • 52 mins
What does it take to stay at the top of radio for over three decades—and build a media company around it?
In this episode of CEOs You Should Know Dallas, iHeartMedia Dallas Market President Chris Long sits down with the voices behind The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show: Kellie Rasberry, Big Al Mack, and JC Chavez—along with YEA Networks CEO George Laughlin, for a candid and entertaining conversation about longevity, leadership, and legacy in media.
From sneaking into first concerts and landing unexpected breaks in radio to building one of the most recognizable morning shows in the country, the team shares the unconventional journeys that brought them together—and what has kept them connected for more than 20 years. They reflect on the influence of Kidd Kraddick, whose commitment to authenticity and storytelling continues to shape the show and its culture today.
The conversation explores how the media landscape has evolved, from traditional radio to podcasts, social platforms, and viral fame, and what it really takes to build a lasting connection with an audience in an era of instant visibility. George offers insight into scaling YEA Media Group, balancing creative talent with business discipline, and creating a culture where people—and personalities—can thrive.
At the heart of the discussion is Kidd’s Kids, the beloved charity that has become the show’s defining legacy, providing life-changing experiences for families with children facing chronic and life-threatening illnesses.
Along the way, the group shares stories of early career risks, lessons in staying relevant, and why authenticity, adaptability, and strong relationships remain the foundation of their success.
Guests: Kellie Rasberry, Big Al Mack, JC Chavez (The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show), and George Laughlin (CEO, YEA Networks)
CEOs You Should Know DFW features candid conversations with leaders shaping business in North Texas and beyond, hosted by Chris Long, Region President of iHeartMedia Dallas/Fort Worth. Follow, Rate, and Subscribe on the podcast platform you are listening on!
In this episode of CEOs You Should Know Dallas, iHeartMedia Dallas Market President Chris Long sits down with the voices behind The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show: Kellie Rasberry, Big Al Mack, and JC Chavez—along with YEA Networks CEO George Laughlin, for a candid and entertaining conversation about longevity, leadership, and legacy in media.
From sneaking into first concerts and landing unexpected breaks in radio to building one of the most recognizable morning shows in the country, the team shares the unconventional journeys that brought them together—and what has kept them connected for more than 20 years. They reflect on the influence of Kidd Kraddick, whose commitment to authenticity and storytelling continues to shape the show and its culture today.
The conversation explores how the media landscape has evolved, from traditional radio to podcasts, social platforms, and viral fame, and what it really takes to build a lasting connection with an audience in an era of instant visibility. George offers insight into scaling YEA Media Group, balancing creative talent with business discipline, and creating a culture where people—and personalities—can thrive.
At the heart of the discussion is Kidd’s Kids, the beloved charity that has become the show’s defining legacy, providing life-changing experiences for families with children facing chronic and life-threatening illnesses.
Along the way, the group shares stories of early career risks, lessons in staying relevant, and why authenticity, adaptability, and strong relationships remain the foundation of their success.
Guests: Kellie Rasberry, Big Al Mack, JC Chavez (The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show), and George Laughlin (CEO, YEA Networks)
CEOs You Should Know DFW features candid conversations with leaders shaping business in North Texas and beyond, hosted by Chris Long, Region President of iHeartMedia Dallas/Fort Worth. Follow, Rate, and Subscribe on the podcast platform you are listening on!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is CEOs you should know, with the Dallas market
president of iHeartMedia, Chris Long.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
I want to welcome everybody to CEOs.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
You should know.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
I'm Chris Long, Dallas market president for iHeartMedia, and I
am here with some legends in Dallas Media. The kid
credit in the morning show, I have JC Big, Al
Kelly and CEO of Yeah Networks George Laughlin. Welcome everybody. Hello, Yeah.
So this is a little intimidating. I have real professionals
(00:33):
that I am interviewing, and like I said, they're legends,
and so we're going to try and get this through.
This me controlling the four of them. It's a four
on one deal. We're gonna do the messages. Hello, Legends.
Well we're controllable.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Hello Legends.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Thirty seconds in, we're already out of control. Perfect. So
as I try and bring us back between the rails, Al,
I'm gonna jump to you because you're the official legend apparently.
I'm going to ask everybody the question we kick off
the show with every time.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Do you want to start this one?
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Chris?
Speaker 3 (01:14):
I want to go to first listen.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
Chris meant to say Al's favorite movie is I Am Legend?
Speaker 2 (01:21):
That's all he meant to say.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Guys, go ahead, mister president.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
It clearly has control of what's going on. Okay, So
we understand what iHeartMedia is as an audio platform with
eight hundred and sixty radio stations and one hundred and
sixty markets and podcasting and streaming and all of that.
So I think it's important we circle back to the
original question of first concert and current podcast. I'm gonna
(01:48):
start with Kelly Oh because the grown up Oh dang, yep,
all right.
Speaker 5 (01:57):
So I don't okay, this is okay. I wanted to clarify.
My parents took me to see Kenny Rogers with their
opening act, the Oakridge Boys.
Speaker 6 (02:06):
That was my first but my.
Speaker 5 (02:07):
First personal concert where I got to go without my parents.
Does that that counts more as my first?
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Right?
Speaker 5 (02:13):
That was Duran Duran Oh, oh, she was hungry like that.
Speaker 6 (02:17):
I was so excited.
Speaker 5 (02:18):
But I went to a Christian Yeah, many many years later,
I manifested it. But I went to a private Christian
school and it was against the rules. You weren't allowed,
not allowed to go to rock concerts, and so I
had to keep it very very quiet or I would
have been suspended. So I wait, I kept my mouth shut.
I went with my cousin from out of town and
didn't tell anybody until the day I graduated high school
(02:39):
that I went to see Duranduran.
Speaker 6 (02:41):
Then they couldn't kick me out.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Duran Duran may have cracked the top three, Amanda, I
don't know, but we'll see. We'll see what the rest
of their crew has. Just real quickly, because that is
very eighties. Mine was men at work, not much to
brag about.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Yeah, nothing wrong with that, and a lot of friends
when you were a kid.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Right, No, I really didn't know.
Speaker 6 (03:01):
Okay, see what my podcast?
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Now?
Speaker 6 (03:02):
Are you going to come back around?
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Podcast? Let's do a podcast.
Speaker 5 (03:05):
I am obsessed right now with an iHeart media podcast.
It's called love Trapped. Are you familiar? So I heeart
true crime? So Clayton eckered or etchered, I forget because
he was one of the most hated bachelors in the franchise.
Right when he was not no longer the bachelor. He
(03:25):
got this woman reached out to him for he was
trying to get his real estate license and get his
real estate career going, and she tried to trick him
into saying she was pregnant. With his babies like twins.
It's a huge scandal. It's the most amazing podcast. It's
called Love Trapped and I highly recommend, clearly excellent, highly recommend.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
All Right, Al, I put you in the penalty box
for a second. I'm gonna come back to you second chance.
First concert I.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Do, Okay, first concert that I can remember.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
First artist you dated.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
It's different the Elements of the Universe, Does anyone okay
the Fire No, no, dude, Yeah, I'm aging myself so
but that that was the first one.
Speaker 6 (04:14):
Well, there's still on tour.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
The actually actually tickets to the I don't know how
they're getting there, but I mean they're old, you remember,
But yeah, I think they're playing at Jeffs first, second
weekend in New Orleans. Really think. I think it might
be in September. Podcast Sean Ryan And it's kind of
(04:43):
a kind of a conspiracy theoriest type of thing.
Speaker 5 (04:49):
Into conspiracy theories, not really, but but it was kind of,
you know, something that I just heard about.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
To be honest with you, if you were into conspiracy theories,
what would your favorite one be?
Speaker 1 (04:59):
That whole Beatles thing. Paul McCartney.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Okay, that's not the real what are your feelings on
Bigfoot in Ohio these days?
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Bigfoot definitely exists. Now I don't think he's in Ohio.
I see him up every time I go to Broken
Boklahoma and they sell little statues for Sessquatch or whatever
it is. Okay, but that's.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Probably breaking news.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Big al bigfoot guy.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
We didn't know.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
We don't know.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
He was a big conspiracy.
Speaker 7 (05:24):
Guyney, we're learning been together thirty years and like we're
uncovering this in the first one minute we lived out,
I mean, John Kiddy, Hello, it's the conspiracy.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Yeah, he was more than one shooter.
Speaker 6 (05:38):
I mean we already, we already figured that out.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Oh yeah, all right, we'll get back month before I
was born. We'll get back to big Foot.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
What do you have?
Speaker 2 (05:49):
First concert?
Speaker 4 (05:49):
So my first concert has morning show ties to it
because I used to listen to a show called Jeff
and jer in San Diego and Tommy was a producer
and his stepdaughter went to my high school. Okay, and
my buddy started dating her and she was also really
good friends with the girl started dating, so Tommy hooked
us up with tickets to see Christina Aguilera and Destiny's Child.
(06:10):
My first ever concerts, and we got decent seats because
obviously they got hooked up pretty nicely. And so I
remember I stood up when Christina Aguilera was quiet, and
I yelled, I love you Christina, and she responded she said,
I love you too. Were Yeah, that's yeah, we kind
of dated for like a second.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Yeah, it was for this moment. Yeah, And my.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
Podcast, it depends on my mood. But right now I'm
gonna I'm gonna crime move. So I like crime junkie
h and I also like, uh, murder in America. I
listened to that, but if I want to laugh, I
listened to kill Tony.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Okay, yeah, all right, nobody mentioned broken but Blessed. That's
my podcast.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
I want to just give it a plug. But that
was the whole plug. All right, George, you've been sitting
here ready to go?
Speaker 3 (07:05):
There you go?
Speaker 7 (07:06):
Hey, So mine, similar to Kelly, I went to a
concert on a family vacation when I was young, to
go see the legendary bluegrass Bill Monroe in Nashville. That
was the worst two hours of my life. Why so
my true real concert by myself, I snuck out to
(07:26):
to go down to New Orleans because I wasn't allowed
to go to New Orleans as a child on a steamboat.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
Was Zebrabra? Oh my gosh, what is know Zebra?
Speaker 6 (07:37):
What was their biggest hit?
Speaker 3 (07:39):
I'm about to tell you play Zebra.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
I know they hadn't do that on a podcast.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
I know they have an interest.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
You're gonna have to pay for the license. Just hum
a little ship man. There's been a minute, was Dan?
You can't the podcast? You're a bosch, such a huge fan.
Speaker 6 (07:57):
He can't hum one single?
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Zebra?
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Zebra?
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Those songs, right, Zebra, last Vegas Zebra.
Speaker 5 (08:05):
That's what I remember, right, you know, all right, I'll
research that later.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Well, George figures out the words to at least one
song of the first it is okay, we can play, Okay, okay,
that's okay, And that was an excellent They're opening for
wind now.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
On the phone right now.
Speaker 6 (08:36):
I would lie and come up with something else.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
That Zebra is a black.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
And white two hits.
Speaker 6 (08:44):
And you can't name one of them?
Speaker 3 (08:45):
That was it?
Speaker 1 (08:46):
What was it? Time?
Speaker 6 (08:47):
Okay?
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Like this podcast? All right? Perfect?
Speaker 2 (08:55):
This has been great and I was regretting this invite
at all.
Speaker 8 (09:00):
At least they anyway, Okay, so I want to talk
about how the three of you be on your team
actually got into media because you you look at today
social media.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
You know, you just got to have to have a
camera and be on social media and you can become
a celebrity of sorts different different time. When each of
you got in I'd be really thinking it'd be interesting
to hear how each of you got into radio. Kelly,
I'm gonna start with you because I think you were
what like nineteen and south.
Speaker 8 (09:33):
Yeah, I was.
Speaker 5 (09:34):
I really wanted to be a sitcom actress. That was
my dream. And so I found a local like modeling
school talent agency called Valdati School of Modeling. Where was
this It was in Florence, South Carolina. Got it very
untapped talent pool there. Anyway, I ended up going to
a talent convention in the bigger city of Myrtle Beach,
(09:55):
South Carolina, and there was another student in the school.
Dad owned a radio station, and he saw me doing
some monologues and said, you know, have you ever thought
about doing radio?
Speaker 6 (10:06):
And I loved radio.
Speaker 5 (10:07):
I never thought about doing it because, like I said,
I wanted to be a sitcom actress, face to tape
Rick D's every weekend and Casey Caseon.
Speaker 6 (10:14):
Listened to them all week. I was obsessed. But anyway, he.
Speaker 5 (10:17):
Said, just call my friend when you get back home.
Until I said you'd be good on radio, I was like, okay,
I didn't know any better. So I called the local
station and said, so, I can't remember the man's name,
said that I'd be good in radio, and they basically
brought me in and hired me, you know, and they
just had me sit in with the morning show DJ
because he was by himself. And they said, when we
use you, we'll pay you. And so I'd show up
(10:39):
every day with a box of donuts and they would
use me some days and some days I just sit
there and you know, soak it all in. But I
fell in love with it, fell in love with radio.
Speaker 6 (10:48):
It was real.
Speaker 5 (10:49):
It was back in the day when radio was dirty
and seedy. This radio station was like the side or
train tracks in the bad part of town, you know.
And the DJ his girl and kept kicking them out.
So we'd sleep underneath the desk the board. He'd sleep
there at nights and be there in the morning when
I get there. Just I love that seedy part. I
(11:10):
felt like I was being naughty. You know, coming from
the Christian school world of course. Anyway, that's how I
got my start.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
So when you say used, you like if you spoke right,
if you didn't, if they didn't address you.
Speaker 5 (11:20):
Yeah, if you wanted to do a bit like a
prank phone call or something, and the phones, you know
back then.
Speaker 6 (11:25):
You just you just fake it like Rickdi's did a
lot with the.
Speaker 5 (11:28):
Characters, you know, so we do that and I'd pretend
to be like a valley girl or doctor. Ruth was
really big at the time, so I did doctor you know, silly,
you know, stuff like that. So he would just use
me for bits, and then after a few months the
newsgirl quit and they said you want to do the news.
I'm like, sure, I'll do the news and started. You
(11:48):
know it just it just naturally evolved.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
It's history.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
So, oh what about you.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
I wanted to DJ well. I did did parties in
high school, but as far as radio, that gave me
a little bit of the bug and talking on the microphone.
But kid hired me. I was doing commercials for my
limousine services and first Year Limousine, Midnight well.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
Two well.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
I was doing from the early nineties, and I would
do live commercials. My theory was back then, I believe
it was the guy from Wendy's and the guy from Kroger.
They would always do their own commercials.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Dave Thomas.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Dave Thomas, Yes, And I said, if I'm going to
do commercials, I'm going to do them myself. And so
I couldn't afford a lot of commercials. Commercials back then,
I think it was five hundred bucks for a sixty
second spot. He still dollars, and I would get like
one a week, maybe or maybe two. But I would
always this was before we were syndicated, and so I
(12:51):
would try to have a funny story to go along
with my commercial, to stretch it out to maybe a
minute and a half or two minutes, to get more
bang from my buck and kid and Kelly. Kelly was
on the show and Burt and we just kind of
got a little chemistry going and I would have a
funny story. And I was one time I'd call George,
I called Brenda Adrians. I would take up these folks time,
(13:12):
asking them about if they thought a certain limousine promotion
would be good, like to give away hams with limousine service.
And that's the one that was funny enough. I guess
it grabbed kids attention. And Kelly was like, what are
the people gonna do? This is life in the air, right,
What are the people gonna do with the ham while
they're riding riding in a limousine?
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Nothing says more than ham.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
But this guy was calling me trying to get me
to buy these Hams for the holiday. And so this
is true story. This is absolutely said true. And if
I knew the guy's name, I would call him and
kiss it again.
Speaker 6 (13:47):
Like the man I just can't remember.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
I don't remember. But because he bothered me to buy
Hams to give away all my limousine with my limousine service.
He badgered me and I finally gave in and bought
like winny Hams and gave them away on a limo promotion.
That's how I got my job on the radio, because
I was doing a special three hours of limousine service
dinner for fort sepango and a free ham.
Speaker 7 (14:13):
Needless to say, he was cash in advance, and.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
Kelly, I never will forget it. Kelly said, so what
are they supposed to do with the ham while they're
coller riding around? And I'm like, I don't know there
Ham Yeah, their ham the probably the commercial went on
for probably five minutes, this particular commercial, and and then
Kid called me after the show. He said, you ever
think about doing radio? I said, I mean other than
(14:44):
what we're doing, not really, but I will. And so
I started out just doing kind of like Kelly, not
really doing a lot. I'd go pick up kidnapped John Tesh,
you know, a little small stuff like that, and uh,
we really kidnapped him, but kah a lot of trouble
for that.
Speaker 6 (15:01):
But he didn't even have a mic.
Speaker 5 (15:02):
He had to share a mic with Burt, who was
about five foot tall on a good day, and so
they would the microphone.
Speaker 6 (15:08):
Up and down, up and down.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
The squeaky mics too.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Yeah, she knew who was going to talk. You know,
it was a transition, so JCM imagining Hams were involved
in you.
Speaker 4 (15:21):
It's much more traditional route to radio. To preface it,
I did in Mexico. I used to do radio shows
with my cousin and my tape deck was my toy
because we didn't have much money.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
But I do.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
I did have a tape deck, which is how I
learned how to speak English. And I continued making radio
shows as a kid when I moved to the States
because I'm an immigrant. But I was always told you're
not going to make it in radio. It's an entertainment industry.
But I loved the art. And I was actually nursing
school in college. Oh wow, yeah, I wanted to take
I was going to become a nurse and then hopefully
(15:54):
go to medical school. And my counselor, after all these
counselors told me radio's dead end.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Don't do it.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
My parents were again. This counselor said, what's your passion
besides medicine? And I said, I've always loved the art
of entertaining people. And she said, LA's up the street.
We have new stations here, in radio stations here. Why
don't you entern there before you commit to a life
of medicine. Sure, And on the way home, I listened
to a commercial from Cabana Boy Jeff on Channel nine
(16:20):
three to three saying stop by, We're hiring interns for
the foss semester off of a ninety six sixty Granite
Ridge Drive. I knew exactly that address because it was
so close to the chargers facility. I'm always a big
San Diego charger fan, so I stopped by put in
an application. I filled it out and as I was
walking out, the two girls that were holding the interviews
saw me and they said, are you picking up a price?
(16:42):
I said no, I'm applying to become an intern and
they said, well we're you got time, we're doing the interviews.
I stepped into that meeting and that was the work
my life changed. They ended up hiring me on the spot.
I thought I had made it. I called my girlfriend
and who's my wife now at the time, and I said, Babe,
I got.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Hired at a radio station. No, I have nothing.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
They just liked me. I thought it was one of
three people that got hired, and I walked into a
room full of twenty five other kids that was just
as hungry. But the moment it clicked for me was
when I walked into the studio and the afternoon girl
was doing a break. Cha cha did a break and
she hit the mic, plotted it up and did a
break in front of us, and I was hooked. And
so I ended up begging after my internship for a job.
(17:23):
So I got hired in promotions and I learned everything
in that radio station. I would sneak in after the
jocks went home, and I would go into the voice
tracking studio to learn how to run the board and
hear myself and how to deliver a break and how
to go in and out and ramp up songs. And
when the opportunity showed up and my program director was
(17:45):
looking for a part timer, she pulled me in her
office because I was begging for an on air job,
and she said, you don't even know how to run
a board, and I said, yes, I do. She said,
you've never done a break and I said I'd never
done a live break and she said You've been sneaking
to the radio station without my knowledge. And I said yes, ma'am.
And I said, I got them with me if you
want to hear them, and I put in the tape.
She listened to about twenty seconds and said, yeah, that's awful,
(18:07):
but I like I like that you have that tenacity
to do it. And she gave me my first honor shift.
It was a Thursday night, two to six in the morning,
and that's that was it for me. That was the
moment I was like, I'm doing on air. I put
all my effort into the on air.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
Side of it.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
So and you joined in two thousand and six, two
thousand and six, so I have to ask the question,
I was pregnant.
Speaker 4 (18:30):
Yeah, Kelly was pregnant when I got here, not by me.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
By me.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
Looking at what the makeup of what you all do
every day, it's up early. It's intense amount of time together,
trying to entertain people, being in a good mood, all
of those things for over twenty years. That's longer than
most people can stay married.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Would twice, but.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Not seriously, what when you talk about you know, we
talk on this podcast about CEOs and George. We'll get
to you in a second. Bill think culture. You guys
have to build a culture within the show. Like how
do you think you've done that and had the staying power.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
That you have?
Speaker 5 (19:07):
Well, I mean, I think it's just about being real
at the authenticity, which I think is what kid Kratic,
you know, who brought us all together, really stressed. And
you know, it was really hard for me because I
was when I came. You know, I was twenty seven,
very sheltered growing up. Everything was very very black and
white for me, and I didn't have sense enough to
not say what I was thinking, and so it was
(19:29):
a little polarizing at first, and you know, got a
lot of negative reaction and a lot of positive reaction too,
and Kid just pulled me aside one day he said, look,
I don't care if they love you or hate you,
as long as they have an opinion about you. And
once he gave me that freedom to be my authentic self.
I think that's that's the culture we've tried to what's
(19:50):
the word I'm looking for.
Speaker 6 (19:50):
We've tried to maintain foster.
Speaker 5 (19:53):
That, you know, authenticity, and people, you know, want us
to try doing these bits that you know, let's let's
have some fake phone calls and things like that, and
we just always we just reject that because that's not
true to what we were taught. You know, kids say
keep it real, and that's what we've tried to do.
And if I come in a bad mood, everybody knows.
Speaker 6 (20:12):
I came in a bad mood now morning, you know.
Speaker 5 (20:14):
And some days are better than others. But I think
people appreciate that honesty.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Sure.
Speaker 4 (20:19):
See, I think it was Kid created the culture. Honestly,
Kidkratic is the one that brought everybody in. And I
think he had a he was able to see something
in everyone because we're all so different, but at the
same time, we're similar too. We have similarities, and I
think he just found that small similarity. Like Kelly works hard,
she found a way to get into radio. Al always
(20:41):
talks about how he's always been waking up and delivering
papers early in the morning. When he interviewed me, he
asked me about, like what I was like in high school,
and I told him I was trying to make it
out of being poor, and I saw sports as my outlet.
So I was waking up at like four in the morning.
I was training. We trained ourselves without knowing it, and
he found these little gems. That's when I would wake
(21:01):
up and I'd go work out before school because I
wanted to get better than the other kids that played football.
But that's what was instilled in me. Unbeknownt to me,
I became a radio personality and wake up early.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Now the same rule as a play.
Speaker 4 (21:12):
But I think he just found a group of people
that listen to what he said. Like Kelly said, he
told me, if you ever lie on our show, I'm
done with you. We don't fake anything. We don't we
don't bring in fake stories. We don't, you know, don't
get the don't let the truth get in the way
of a good story. At times, Yes, but embellish a
little bit, that's fine. But he said everything has to
be genuine and I felt so at home when he
(21:33):
said that to me, because I've always I want positivity.
I think everybody listening wants positivity and genuineness from people,
and we've carried that on since Kids passing. The people
that we bring into our show have to go by
that mold, so we and we all have to agree,
like it's not if we're not vibing with something or somebody,
we can talk about it. But everybody that's been in
(21:54):
our farm system that it's been brought up and is
now full time on our show, they were interns on
our show. We got to know them, we know their background,
and they have that one thing that I remember Kid
wanting when he was still with us.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
That's awesome. Yeah, it's it's funny. I was talking to
our team yesterday and it's a lot of the newer
people and we were talking about the culture and when
you're creating, maintaining growing a culture, everybody has to play
a part in it. It's not just you know, you
guys because you've been there the longest. You know, George,
this comes over to you in the business management side
(22:25):
of your networks, like how do you oversee all that
because you also have a business side that you know,
sales and all of that. Then you have, you know,
the creativity that these guys have to bring every day.
How do you look at the culture that you've created
as CEO and how you maintain it?
Speaker 7 (22:40):
I mean, all the way back through my career, I
think it's always been the best I guess rule of
thumb is when you hire the right people, let them
spread their wings right, And so micromanageing has not ever
been one of my fortes or do I enjoy doing it.
I think I lead by example. I get there early
in the morning and ste late at night, and and
(23:01):
it kind of fits the culture of a morning show, right,
the early bird gets the worm kind of thing. And
so that's it's it's done well for us. We were
probably a lot more flexible than a corporate or you know,
publicly traded company, sure, because we're small and nimble, and
we can we can change and move fast. But at
the same time, you know, we have to be structured, right,
(23:24):
and so That's kind of what I bring the table,
because when you work with creatives, a lot of times
that's what they are. They're creative and they don't like
the business side. Now, we were fortunate enough to have
kid who had a little bit of both.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
Correct.
Speaker 7 (23:36):
So my background is, you know, I was fortunate enough
to have a brother seven year senior that you and
I've both worked with. He let me intern with people
like Rick D's in the morning, and so I fell
in love with this morning talent thing. Even though I
was just getting him coffee. It was amazing.
Speaker 6 (23:53):
How do you take his coffee?
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Black? Shout out, Yes, I do.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
Your brother introduced me to Rick D's and La about
a year ago, and I went into a time of
your text going back forty years and I couldn't stop
staring at him as he was talking. It was just
it was the weirdest thing because I immediately went to
I was dating someone and I wanted him to play
something by Chicago because we had a rough breakup and
I can hear him doing it was my childhood.
Speaker 7 (24:18):
Yeah, So I mean because of that, I had an
opportunity to move to Dallas right when they were putting
Kiss on the Air. So I was a salesperson sales manager,
ended up running it. But I became really close friends
with these guys, especially Kid, and so when I left
in ninety nine to go do my own thing again,
knowing having a great relationship with back then clear Channel,
(24:39):
now iHeart I was able or fortunate enough to buy
one hundred and seventy five radio stations from him. So
the concept was we were going to aggregate and roll
up all small market media because we thought that had
less chance to be disrupted by technology. Right Main Street
would be longer lived there than it would in a
major market. And so my easy fix was when i'd
(25:01):
go buy a market was guess what I'd put kikratic
in the morning, and I'd go to number one, so
our revenue would skyrocket. So they thought I was a
genius because I was like, I was putting them in
every market.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
And so at the end of that, you're welcome, thank you.
And so even though.
Speaker 7 (25:17):
I was working with them for that, you know, eight
plus years, I was still syndicating or advocating their talent.
And so Kid came to me back in what eight
I think it was nine, somewhere like that. He goes dude,
I just can't do this anymore. I can't be the
business and the talent. And we both had the same concept,
but why don't we go aggregate talent? Because I just
(25:39):
lived through AAR nine, which was the housing crisis, which
was also a car crisis because nobody could have they
couldn't have the money to have their cars a lot.
So that was thirty percent of our business going like that, right,
So I was like, Okay, I don't want brick and
mortar anymore, I want talent and we can grow talent.
And sure enough that paid off well, and so every
(25:59):
year to decide, okay, where was the next step. So
then we started buying digital agencies, then we started buying
event businesses, and that three prong approaches kept us through
the good.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
Times in the bed. So we have on air, on site,
and online.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
So how many employees do you have now?
Speaker 7 (26:14):
Yeah, you know, we're leaning mean, so we're probably all
in between the twelve companies that we have only about two.
Speaker 3 (26:22):
Hundred and fifty employees only.
Speaker 7 (26:24):
Yeah, well, I mean back when I got broadcast, it
was two thousands a lot.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
And it's like you said, managing and leading talent, it's
a little bit more nuanced of a skill set.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
Well, it almost didn't tell Chris why you took the
job when Kid interviewed you.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Oh yeah, so that's my favorite.
Speaker 7 (26:44):
The radio stations too is now a publicly traded company,
town Square Media, right, And so they had offered me
a bunch of money and a guaranteed five year with
a lot of options, And that could have been a
nice easy gig, and kids like, come talk to me.
And so I come to their Christmas party and meet
all them and it was a nice reunion type deal.
But I go meet with him and he lets me
(27:06):
drive his Maserati and I wreck it. Yeah, that was
really good. So he ignored me for two weeks. But
then when he came back and offered me a job,
it was half the price of what I was making,
and and I said, well, kid, you know, I told
my wife I was going to go tell him no.
And so I go to his apartment and say, I
just can't take the job. And he goes, who are
you going to high five at the end of the day.
(27:28):
I said what, He goes, who are you going to
high five of the day when you win something? I mean,
don't you want to be with people you know and
you love, and I said, great point. I said, okay,
so I'm driving down the tollway calling my wife and
she goes, how do you take I said, I took
the job. So that's why our parent company is called
high five today.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
That's a great story. We're still high five though. That's
good and we can all high five after.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
It depends how this goes.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
So it's interesting how you, you know, built a media company.
I want to jump ahead a little bit because we
were talking before we started recording about social media stardom
and how it happens real quickly. I'd be really curious.
You guys have all twenty plus thirty years had people
come up to you. I'm sure like they know you
because they listened to you in the morning. Kelly, I've
(28:17):
witnessed it with you at events. How do you look
at how someone quote unquote becomes an influencer, a start
whatever you want, a brand today on social media because
they do one video and all of a sudden, it
blows up, Like, how do you view that when you
look at how you guys built your careers and you're
considered in the same group, but it's different.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
It's very similar. To American Idol, Like you got people
that have been out here trying to sing for years
and years. No, no disrespect to the people that are
on American Idol, but they go on American Idol and
then boom their start very very quickly, you know what
I'm saying. So it's kind of like that, Well.
Speaker 5 (28:54):
It's not that emotional history, right, you know, you can
have these people that blow up and go viral, but
there's no emotional connection. I mean, I'm connected to people's
childhood memories, their core memories, and I think there's a
difference there because now I have you know, a woman
come up to me and say, I grew up listening
to you in the back seat of my mom's car,
(29:14):
and now here's my child listening from the back seat.
And it's just, you know, I'm part of people's core memories,
and yeah, you know, going viral is great, but I
prefer being part of that legacy, right, And I.
Speaker 4 (29:28):
Agree with Kelly on that. And I'll be honest, I
used to get really pissed off by it. I'd be like,
dang man, these guys just did one video and they're
already catapulted to fame.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Billion dollars a week or a month or whatever it is.
Speaker 4 (29:39):
But as the years have gone with social media, now
I look at it as if somebody gets big like that,
I go good for them, Good for them, because it
takes strength to stay there. And a lot of these
people will get they'll get viral, and they'll go away
in about a year and you'll you won't really hear
from them again. But then you get the gems like
the mister Beasts of the world. Yep, you know that
(29:59):
that guy, he is actually changing the world. And he
and you go back, and this is why he's a
good example for kids. He was busting his butt, he
was making videos when two kids were watching, and then
a hundred, and those are the ones that I'm like, good,
I'm glad you took social media to the next level too,
where you're the most known person on the internet. And
it started with humble beginnings.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
Well it's it's the whole quick conversation around legacy or
just being a flash, right exactly. And look, I think
we are both are fine, fun exactly exactly. But I
think that that you know, the staying power. I have
to imagine, does it ever get old when people, I
mean I'm sure there's moments you're like, please leave me good.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
But I tell people all the time because people do
ask me that in person, they'll see me at my restaurant.
Does that get old when people come up and want
I'm like, when they stop asking me to take a picture,
that's when I know my career is over. Yeah, because
nobody cares anymore. Like Kelly said, you know have some
type of reaction. So it is the biggest, uh, the
biggest form of flattery that you can give any of
(30:59):
us is to say, hey, I've listened to you for years.
Can we take a picture? Absolutely? If this is the
worst part of my day, I'm having a damn good day.
Speaker 2 (31:07):
So it's funny, you know, from a sales side of it. George,
I think you're gon agree with me because I told
Soliday the day the day I stopped bugging you is
the day I've moved on to something else. Because and
I think it's the same with talent. I have to
ask for everyone to weigh in. Given this topic, the
Chapel Roone situation. Oh yeah, thoughts feelings.
Speaker 4 (31:30):
Not a big fan of how she's handling her newfound
fame because I guarantee you, this was something Chapel rone
as a kid, and I know she grew up extremely wealthy,
and even though she trusts to portrayed, but she grew
up with I know as a kid she sat in
that room and wished for this.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (31:46):
And when you wish for something and then it comes
true and you turn your back on the people that
got you, there your fans, but.
Speaker 5 (31:53):
It's not But people say they know what fame is
until they till they have it, and then there you know.
Speaker 6 (31:58):
So she's just not handling it and this disingentions.
Speaker 5 (32:01):
She needs some guidance and she needs some help pr team,
she needs some coaching. I mean, I feel for her
because I'm sure it is overwhelming because this overnight success,
even though she's been plugging away, suddenly she went from
nothing to mega star.
Speaker 6 (32:16):
I mean we saw that.
Speaker 5 (32:17):
It's just crazy what she went through, and I think
she's just having a hard time processing it. So I
feel for her in that respect, I do, But she
does need somebody to kind of pull her aside and say, look,
there's a better way.
Speaker 7 (32:29):
I think there's always characters to that too. I mean,
how many times have we seen so many people we
had Justin Bieber when.
Speaker 3 (32:35):
He was with nine years old.
Speaker 7 (32:37):
They're thirteen, sitting in our studio for a week, right,
And there's some people that we've seen go from nothing
too huge and they still talk to us, and then
some others that just kind of go on, yeah, you know,
and it's just really interesting to me to see the
people who remember who are all the stepping parts of
that and being thankful about it.
Speaker 5 (32:57):
Again, We'll never be able to relate to that type
of thing. We have a few people ask us for
a picture, you know, during the week. It's it's very different,
you know, and everybody cast stones but they've never been
in those ships.
Speaker 6 (33:08):
But she does need help.
Speaker 5 (33:11):
It's not she's not doing herself any favors. It's self
sabotage in a way.
Speaker 3 (33:14):
Right.
Speaker 4 (33:15):
It turns people off to you, and when it turns
people off to your brand, then you take it down.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
And these are your consumers yea, yeah, I mean these
are you know, I do this podcast with CEOs we
talk about their customers. These are your customers and how
you just interact with them in a very different way,
in a in a very consistent way, in a very
personal way, more so than you know check Kimmel at
Neighborhood Credit Union does what's check check good on? But
(33:43):
and he but, you know, Amanda remembers, you know, he
talked about how they interact with their their customers around
big events, whether it's you know, they need to take
a loan for something for their child for school or
whatever the case may be. But you guys are doing
this every day and you're interacting and and it's important
and how you treat them is really import So thinking
about the years you all have been together, what's next?
(34:06):
More years?
Speaker 6 (34:08):
Yeah, hopefully, I can't imagine.
Speaker 1 (34:10):
You know.
Speaker 5 (34:10):
It's like I joke around about retiring a lot, but
it's like, then what would I do? You know, I
don't dig ditches, you know. I get to talk about
what I'm interested in, and you know, people ask me
for advice with love letters to Kelly, and it's not
like it's a drudgery.
Speaker 6 (34:25):
The hardest part.
Speaker 5 (34:26):
And I love what Big Al says, they pay us
to wake up, the rest we do for free, And
I love that that's exactly it, because the hardest part.
Speaker 6 (34:34):
Of my day is waking up.
Speaker 5 (34:36):
So you know, I'd like to keep talking as long
as people want to keep hearing. What I have to
say now, will it always be with the Kidcratic Morning
Show and this group of people. You know, we've got
a lot of young people on the show, Anna Justin
Audrey who we've just added. I'm sure they've got dreams
of going off and doing more than just being you know,
backups to us. So I don't know how long it's
(34:57):
going to stay in this form, but I i'd like
to think that I could keep talking till a day
I keel over, because I mean, what what else am
I going to do?
Speaker 2 (35:05):
George, I got.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
This still twenty thirty, and then we'll decide.
Speaker 6 (35:09):
Well, that's still not that far away.
Speaker 5 (35:11):
I mean, I just I would like to think that
I will keep talking, maybe not necessarily the same format
or but I would still be performing.
Speaker 6 (35:21):
That's my dream.
Speaker 4 (35:22):
I've said this in the past, in the past, my
personal goal, because I still got man another thirty years
of you know, keeping it going. I would like to
someday get to the point where the way, the way
I envisioned myself getting this gig was kid handing it
and handing me.
Speaker 2 (35:42):
The car the car keys, yep.
Speaker 4 (35:43):
I would like for it to continue that way to
where when I retire. One day there'll be somebody in
our group radio show and I could be.
Speaker 5 (35:50):
Like retirement countdown, but out of the door delivered.
Speaker 4 (35:57):
But I would like to I would like for it
to be like the Tonight Show, you know, where the
Tonight Show shifts huts also and there's there and it
constantly stays there. That way, Kids Legacy stays alive forever,
and it's just with different hosts. It's me now and
hopefully for the next thirty years or whatever it is,
and then the next person for the ten, twenty years,
whatever it is, and then it just keeps going so
that people ask themselves, well, it's this kid Nation stuff
(36:19):
or what's kid cratic and they can look it up
and his legacy keeps going.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
Yeah, I think you help with the segue. You know,
legacy is such a big thing. And I think all
great companies, you know, they drive for results and great
products and all that, but they also want to give back.
And so I want to jump and talk about kids,
kids and what that means to all of you, what
it means to the community, and give a little bit
(36:46):
of history and where it started and where it is
today and where you see kids kids in the future, George,
you want to We're.
Speaker 3 (36:53):
Coming up on our anniversary. So it's a big year
for us.
Speaker 7 (36:57):
Twenty five years with Sowest or twenty.
Speaker 6 (37:01):
I believe it's the twentieth Southwest.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
With Todd Graves.
Speaker 6 (37:06):
Raised a lot of milestones this.
Speaker 7 (37:08):
Year, milestones this year, and it's you know, it's very special.
Kid always called it the heartbeat of the show, right,
and so that that was the heart of the show,
and that he made this promise because his child was
not going to come out healthy it looked like and
if he did, if she did what she did, Caroline,
that he would give back. And so that's kind of
(37:30):
the whole theme behind the charity. And for thirty plus
years we've brought what anywhere from thirty to fifty chronically
internally old children and their entire families to kid to Disney.
Speaker 3 (37:42):
World every year, every year.
Speaker 2 (37:44):
Nothing like it.
Speaker 3 (37:45):
Yeah, I mean it's amazing.
Speaker 7 (37:46):
So it's amazing to see children and families that have
gone through that and they have smiles year to year, right,
So it does change your life and hopefully it.
Speaker 3 (37:55):
Changes their their circles. Right.
Speaker 7 (37:58):
And so the goal is always been and Caroline's still involved, Kelly's.
Speaker 3 (38:03):
On the board now this year.
Speaker 7 (38:05):
Uh, it was that was really one of our driving
forces of keeping the show going is we wanted to
keep the charity going. And so we feel really confident
that you know, we've been able to get you know,
car giveaways with iHeart and San Antonio, one of your
biggest accounts there give us a car every year now
and we raise one hundred grand doing that.
Speaker 6 (38:24):
Shout out in Sierra Auto Grad.
Speaker 7 (38:25):
Yes, we have a golf tournament now here with the
local attorney group that has done that and drives over
one hundred thousand raised pains give.
Speaker 2 (38:34):
Us one hundred thousand.
Speaker 7 (38:38):
Trying to make sure everbody said get some, but I
mean raising Kaines has getting us over one million dollars
Todd you know, has been incredible. So we we're building
a structure that will last forever hopefully that will continue
to do this whether the show goes on or not,
you know, from Ken twenty years from now. So, uh,
there's an endowment there that we keep on trying to
(38:59):
grow so that it can be there because it's so special.
Speaker 2 (39:02):
That's an amazing legacy, it really is.
Speaker 3 (39:06):
There's not a lot to follow that up with.
Speaker 2 (39:07):
I mean, unless there's any other thoughts. I mean, guys,
to anybody listening, if you haven't seen the SoundOff on
the looks on the families and the children's faces, there's
nothing nothing like it.
Speaker 6 (39:18):
We'll see good at ye Kids Kids dot org.
Speaker 5 (39:21):
If you want to go look and see you know,
videos and photos from past trips.
Speaker 6 (39:24):
It's k I D d S k I D S.
That's that's where you can go.
Speaker 1 (39:28):
Yep.
Speaker 7 (39:29):
And the plug on that is this year just because
of the thirty fifth anniversary.
Speaker 3 (39:33):
I know I like doing that.
Speaker 6 (39:34):
I'm trying to do, but it is.
Speaker 7 (39:37):
You can make a thirty five dollars a month donation
for a year, like we're trying to build that that way,
and you get a free sweatshirt when you do that
or whatever. So if you got a little extra coffee
money sitting around, let's try that out this year.
Speaker 1 (39:47):
What's what's next for you, mister president? We have that.
Speaker 2 (39:50):
We don't do that on this show. What's next for
me is like I got an appointment about.
Speaker 7 (39:54):
It's another endorsement for you all.
Speaker 8 (39:58):
But I appreciate this year the concerned Absolutely, I'm going
to go speed around.
Speaker 2 (40:02):
Let's have a little fun for a second. Okay, we
all in this business. Try not to turn into fanboy
or fangirl when someone comes on. A few weeks ago,
I got to interview Rick Welts, the CEO of the Mavericks,
and he is like mister NBA and I couldn't help
myself as a manda nose dropping players' names and he
would laugh and all that, so I kind of fan
(40:23):
boyd him. You guys have I mean, top to bottom,
who have you had that you've kind of fan boyd
or fan grow up a little bit.
Speaker 5 (40:30):
I am notorious for humiliating myself. I could go through
the list.
Speaker 3 (40:35):
Give me number one.
Speaker 5 (40:36):
Reese Witherspoon was pretty traumatic. I talked the entire time.
I couldn't stop talking. Harrison Ford, the most intimidating actor ever.
Michelle Pfeiffer. I just kept looking at her and telling
her how beautiful she was.
Speaker 6 (40:50):
I am built.
Speaker 5 (40:52):
I didn't touch her, Thank the Lord, I didn't touch her.
But it's just like I just I fan girl. I
am the worst.
Speaker 2 (40:59):
But you know, honestly, you kind of represent everybody's supposed
to be professional though, George, I'm like her.
Speaker 3 (41:09):
I'll go up to anyone that's famous and go take
a picture of him.
Speaker 1 (41:12):
You're not.
Speaker 6 (41:12):
That's not like me.
Speaker 2 (41:13):
That's she gets terrified. There's not anybody.
Speaker 3 (41:17):
Oh I love embarrassing my kids though.
Speaker 7 (41:19):
I mean literally, I just was down a round Top,
which is a little town outside of Austin. All these
country stars and people I don't even know their names,
but I know they're like, you know, you.
Speaker 3 (41:27):
Know, they're supposed to be famous, famous, Like I.
Speaker 7 (41:29):
Sold somebody the Tanner Beard. He's on Landman, and he
bought this thing that's going to be in a movie.
So we're like just hamming it up with everybody.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
I love it so unaffected JC.
Speaker 4 (41:41):
My toxic trait is that I think I could become
friends with anybody that we interview. Yeah, Like I literally
think that. Like in my head, I'm like, oh man,
tomorrow's why you're.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
Always emailing me wanting to go hang out. Yeah, that's me.
I got it.
Speaker 4 (41:51):
And so in my head, I'm like, oh man, we're
gonna get each other's numbers, We're gonna get beers and stuff.
But if I think of the one time I've like
super fanboyed and I felt out of body. I got
to interview Jamie Fox, oh wow for his movie night Shift. Uh,
and I just remember sitting down and when he sat down,
because I used to watch this dude on a living
color and I watched the Jamie Fox Show, and I
(42:14):
remember him sitting in front of me. Was so surreal
that I didn't really know what to say or how
to start the interview. And I think, and I just think,
I think he noticed it, and so he to break
the ice. He just went woo, and so I followed
it up with a and so it's his awkward blue
and he like reached out and touched me, and I'm like, god,
(42:35):
I'm dumb, gosh, say this is Jamie Fox right now.
Speaker 6 (42:39):
It's stupid, so traumatic.
Speaker 2 (42:42):
For some reason, I have a feeling that it would
take a lot for you.
Speaker 1 (42:45):
But well, the worst one, I'll start with the worst
moment because for whatever reason, they allowed me to interview
Chris Rock by myself, and I was brilli because you're yeah,
I was brand spanking new, big Chris Rock fan. I
(43:08):
can't say I can doone it, but I understand it.
So I'm kame. I mean, I have Jimmy Fox, I'm
a Chris Rock. I bombed this interview more than anything
I've ever done in it was it was terrible, he wasn't.
Speaker 6 (43:21):
But you know, it wasn't very generous.
Speaker 5 (43:23):
It was not like where Jamie Fox was helping Chris
giving out nothing.
Speaker 1 (43:28):
Nothing he was given with me, Jennifer, you blew no, no, no.
Speaker 2 (43:34):
But but I.
Speaker 1 (43:35):
Will say my happiest moment in thirty years was when
I was standing at my bar one day and my
phone rang and it was a it was a Nashville
area code, but and I don't answer my phone, and
the ladies I said, hello, is this big al? Yes? Uh,
this is Berkeley from Blake Shelton's office. I'm like, no,
are you busy such and such a day? I said no,
(43:57):
I thought someone was pranking me. I swear to God
I did. And she goes, okay, I'll call you back
in a couple of days. I'm like, well, that was
the most odd and bizarre phone call ever. A couple
of days ago, Brye phone rings again, Saint Mary Cooda.
I answered, Bert, this is Berkeley again. Blake would like
for you to come to Oklahoma to introduce him before
a showy background information. I'm a huge Blake Shelton fan.
(44:20):
You have been a huge I sing his song Scary
ok I never had never met him up to this point.
Speaker 6 (44:26):
But but.
Speaker 1 (44:28):
A huge yeah, she says, And to make it a
little easier for you to get up to Tishamingo, Oklahoma,
He's going to send this helicopter to pick That's no way,
Blake Shelton's gonna sing it, send this helicopter. So I
call our producer, White Chad. I said, did you have
something new? Dude? I have no idea what you're talking about.
I wasn't dating anyone at the time. I called my
(44:49):
best friend, Kirk. I said, Kirk, I don't know if
this is a legit. But Blake Shelton apparently sending his
helicopter to pick me up. He said, I could bring
a friend. Come on. He Kirk comes over to the place.
We go up to the airport in mid Lothian and
there's the most beautiful helicopter I've ever seen in my life,
a six seater full of.
Speaker 5 (45:08):
The story I've ever heard.
Speaker 1 (45:09):
Yeah, I got you man, come on, awesome and so
we fly up there we go. The lady says that
you big al I'm like, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't
do the oscars. Uh stop. So they said you are
you big out? Yes, Blake would like to see you
or is it take me to Blake? He says big Al,
I said, Blake and we hug. I said, Blake, why
(45:30):
in the world would you, out of everyone that you know,
asked me to do this? He said, because you're just
so nice to me on the air.
Speaker 5 (45:36):
Wow, and Al had been campaigning on Twitter out he
bought it constantly, I would like to buy a big out,
big out, which yeah drifts.
Speaker 6 (45:50):
And was constantly ating them on Twitter.
Speaker 2 (45:53):
That's how Blakes, how's big ol Like? Without mentioning, Blake
was like, how's that doing?
Speaker 1 (46:00):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (46:00):
That's strong.
Speaker 1 (46:01):
Yeah, I mean that over thirty years. That was the
coolest night I've ever had in radio. Right there, and
on the way back in the helicopter I had, the
pilot had.
Speaker 4 (46:09):
To stop the question was about fangirls.
Speaker 1 (46:11):
Twice to peek because the question was.
Speaker 2 (46:14):
About two of this interview will be I'll giving me
more details on the like Shelton experience, the new podcast
Chris and l Guys. This has been great. I really
appreciate it. I was a little bit nervous coming in
being the.
Speaker 3 (46:27):
One second guessing did I was the.
Speaker 1 (46:30):
First time for the Cowboys.
Speaker 4 (46:32):
What's no no, no, no, please don't no. I'll tell
you the story was this guy he ran a forty,
he was too slow. Next five he returned to the cleve.
Speaker 2 (46:45):
So, as we wrap up today, this has been great.
I think. I think the the staying power and the
legacy the three of you and George with your leadership
is really amazing. The wave carried on kids kids is
something that should really be an example to you know,
media company, any kind of business. The way that you
(47:05):
all have embraced that, it's it's second to none. I'm
gonna ask one last question, and you know, I talk
to teams about you know, everyone thinks they're seismic moments
when you win, and they happen occasionally, but really it's
the it's the little things or the cracks and the
gray spaces that I talk about that you do every day.
And I think about you guys early in the morning,
getting up every day being there. What do you all
(47:27):
think is that one thing that you guys do that's
a small thing that maybe get overlooked, that is so
important to your success.
Speaker 1 (47:35):
Well, I've never been asked that question. I have no idea.
Speaker 4 (47:38):
I think we've done a not to toot our own horn.
But I think we've done an incredible job at evolving. Yeah,
radio changes drastically year in and year out, and when
you got other competition besides other shows that you got
to go up against. Now, I think our show has
found a way to when we feel like there's a
lull or there's a plateau, we go into it and
(48:00):
what do we got to do to make it better?
What do we got to do fix it? What do
we got to do to stand out again? And I
think we've done an incredible job in the last thirteen
years since we lost care that that that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (48:10):
I mean sometimes you just look at things and go, Okay,
what am I going to do? J C al Kelly, George,
thank you.
Speaker 1 (48:18):
I think it's just.
Speaker 2 (48:19):
Now, you know, when we're late on our brock, think
that's why.
Speaker 3 (48:22):
That's the end of the thing.
Speaker 2 (48:24):
So we'll try this again. J c al Kelly, George.
I love having you guys.
Speaker 3 (48:30):
That I do. I want to just interrupt out he.
Speaker 5 (48:34):
Was trying to wrap it up and podcast it would
be thank everyone for joining us on.
Speaker 2 (48:42):
Yeah that works, Thank you for joining us WHOA Yeah, George,
I deal with that every morning. I don't know how
you do it every morning, it'd be interesting. I'm trying
to take over and control that. But I think we
somewhat kept it between the rails. Maybe we'll see how
(49:04):
this comes out. But I think from you know, as
the CEO of Youen Networks, you've seen and done a
lot with talent and grown a business. As we talked
about a little bit earlier, just just give us like
where you see, you know, as an er leader of
an entertainment company and the landscape today, Like where do
you see things going? And you know, what do you
(49:27):
want to see in the next few years.
Speaker 3 (49:29):
That's a good question. You didn't prep me for that one.
Speaker 1 (49:31):
So what I do?
Speaker 3 (49:32):
Yeah, no, I mean you're good at this.
Speaker 1 (49:34):
Look.
Speaker 7 (49:35):
The audio industry, I think is really strong. I think
that we saw this probably ten years ago, and iHeart
was on the forefront of this. Is that millennials when
they went to on demand and Netflix and all these things,
they didn't see audio and video any different. Really, they
saw it the same way. They wanted it on demand,
They wanted it their way on whatever device they were.
(49:55):
And so for us, now is the opportunity on how
to bring all those multiplay forms together to make it
work for the marketer and the brand, and so much
like iHeart has already done, we just do it on
a much smaller space. But it's on air, online, and
on site. So the radio is the big loud speakers
that brings the masses in online and digital allows you
(50:17):
to track it and hopefully bring it down to the sale.
And the events is the glue that keeps it all together.
It allows you to have that relationship, one to one
touch with people. And so y'all have done it on
a massive scale, We've done it on a smaller scale,
and I think those combinations is what's going to allow
us to thrive as an industry.
Speaker 2 (50:35):
Yeah, it's interesting, and you know, having JC and Kelly
and Allen, I mean I think everyone got a real
taste for the talent side of things now that it's
just you and I real quick like, any any final thoughts.
Speaker 7 (50:50):
Yeah, I mean I just wanted to say I was
getting ready, but that I was telling a long story.
Speaker 2 (50:53):
So don't know about him and Blake Shelton.
Speaker 7 (50:55):
Yeah, So, but seriously, I mean it's who you surround
your We got great talent to surround ourselves with. That
that's one thing, But then your partners like Without iHeart,
no one really knows that we would have been gone,
you know, twelve thirteen years ago, but they stood by
us and allowed us.
Speaker 3 (51:14):
To get better.
Speaker 7 (51:15):
We've done research and I made this thing to a
product that is very successful and has been for the
last decades. So without partners like you and now you
coming back into iHeart has been amazing. Eddie Martini, who
was my first boss in Baton Rouge in nineteen ninety.
I mean to be able to work with those kind
of people again that know how to take care of
(51:35):
our clients and how to over deliver and underpromise, it's huge,
yeah for sure. And so and then you got your
family as of support, and then I'll bring religion in
my Lord into support and hopefully that doesn't get cut
out like every you know supports guy, but it really does.
It's that circle that you surround yourself with. And I
(51:55):
can't be more thankful for iHeart, you and Eddie for
not only now inviting us in the building. You know,
we haven't been in the building in twenty years.
Speaker 2 (52:04):
Yeah for sure.
Speaker 3 (52:04):
So now being.
Speaker 7 (52:05):
Part of this community in the in the everybody that
works here is almost like a new family, which we're
being part of because we felt like we've been a
family all this time.
Speaker 2 (52:14):
Yeah, I mean it's nice of you to say and
thank you and the feelings mutual, you know. To wrap
this up, I think you know as leaders. You know,
you and I talk a lot, you know when you
guys are here, and I look forward to having you
here more. But you know, sales and a lot of
things you do in business in life can be individual,
but you win with teams.
Speaker 1 (52:33):
And when you.
Speaker 2 (52:34):
Surround yourself and you have a good team, you have
a team like you know, Kelly and Al and JC
and the rest of the crew and everybody's here, you
put yourself in a position to win. And in the
hard times you have support and in the good times
you celebrate in high five like there, like kids said
to you. So with that, I think that's a good
place for us.
Speaker 3 (52:50):
To wrap up.
Speaker 2 (52:51):
Thanks for high five and thanks for listening.
Speaker 3 (52:54):
Thanks
This is CEOs you should know, with the Dallas market
president of iHeartMedia, Chris Long.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
I want to welcome everybody to CEOs.
Speaker 3 (00:10):
You should know.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
I'm Chris Long, Dallas market president for iHeartMedia, and I
am here with some legends in Dallas Media. The kid
credit in the morning show, I have JC Big, Al
Kelly and CEO of Yeah Networks George Laughlin. Welcome everybody. Hello, Yeah.
So this is a little intimidating. I have real professionals
(00:33):
that I am interviewing, and like I said, they're legends,
and so we're going to try and get this through.
This me controlling the four of them. It's a four
on one deal. We're gonna do the messages. Hello, Legends.
Well we're controllable.
Speaker 1 (00:48):
Hello Legends.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Thirty seconds in, we're already out of control. Perfect. So
as I try and bring us back between the rails, Al,
I'm gonna jump to you because you're the official legend apparently.
I'm going to ask everybody the question we kick off
the show with every time.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Do you want to start this one?
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Chris?
Speaker 3 (01:14):
I want to go to first listen.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
Chris meant to say Al's favorite movie is I Am Legend?
Speaker 2 (01:21):
That's all he meant to say.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Guys, go ahead, mister president.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
It clearly has control of what's going on. Okay, So
we understand what iHeartMedia is as an audio platform with
eight hundred and sixty radio stations and one hundred and
sixty markets and podcasting and streaming and all of that.
So I think it's important we circle back to the
original question of first concert and current podcast. I'm gonna
(01:48):
start with Kelly Oh because the grown up Oh dang, yep,
all right.
Speaker 5 (01:57):
So I don't okay, this is okay. I wanted to clarify.
My parents took me to see Kenny Rogers with their
opening act, the Oakridge Boys.
Speaker 6 (02:06):
That was my first but my.
Speaker 5 (02:07):
First personal concert where I got to go without my parents.
Does that that counts more as my first?
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Right?
Speaker 5 (02:13):
That was Duran Duran Oh, oh, she was hungry like that.
Speaker 6 (02:17):
I was so excited.
Speaker 5 (02:18):
But I went to a Christian Yeah, many many years later,
I manifested it. But I went to a private Christian
school and it was against the rules. You weren't allowed,
not allowed to go to rock concerts, and so I
had to keep it very very quiet or I would
have been suspended. So I wait, I kept my mouth shut.
I went with my cousin from out of town and
didn't tell anybody until the day I graduated high school
(02:39):
that I went to see Duranduran.
Speaker 6 (02:41):
Then they couldn't kick me out.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
Duran Duran may have cracked the top three, Amanda, I
don't know, but we'll see. We'll see what the rest
of their crew has. Just real quickly, because that is
very eighties. Mine was men at work, not much to
brag about.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Yeah, nothing wrong with that, and a lot of friends
when you were a kid.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Right, No, I really didn't know.
Speaker 6 (03:01):
Okay, see what my podcast?
Speaker 1 (03:02):
Now?
Speaker 6 (03:02):
Are you going to come back around?
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Podcast? Let's do a podcast.
Speaker 5 (03:05):
I am obsessed right now with an iHeart media podcast.
It's called love Trapped. Are you familiar? So I heeart
true crime? So Clayton eckered or etchered, I forget because
he was one of the most hated bachelors in the franchise.
Right when he was not no longer the bachelor. He
(03:25):
got this woman reached out to him for he was
trying to get his real estate license and get his
real estate career going, and she tried to trick him
into saying she was pregnant. With his babies like twins.
It's a huge scandal. It's the most amazing podcast. It's
called Love Trapped and I highly recommend, clearly excellent, highly recommend.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
All Right, Al, I put you in the penalty box
for a second. I'm gonna come back to you second chance.
First concert I.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Do, Okay, first concert that I can remember.
Speaker 3 (03:56):
First artist you dated.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
It's different the Elements of the Universe, Does anyone okay
the Fire No, no, dude, Yeah, I'm aging myself so
but that that was the first one.
Speaker 6 (04:14):
Well, there's still on tour.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
The actually actually tickets to the I don't know how
they're getting there, but I mean they're old, you remember,
But yeah, I think they're playing at Jeffs first, second
weekend in New Orleans. Really think. I think it might
be in September. Podcast Sean Ryan And it's kind of
(04:43):
a kind of a conspiracy theoriest type of thing.
Speaker 5 (04:49):
Into conspiracy theories, not really, but but it was kind of,
you know, something that I just heard about.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
To be honest with you, if you were into conspiracy theories,
what would your favorite one be?
Speaker 1 (04:59):
That whole Beatles thing. Paul McCartney.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Okay, that's not the real what are your feelings on
Bigfoot in Ohio these days?
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Bigfoot definitely exists. Now I don't think he's in Ohio.
I see him up every time I go to Broken
Boklahoma and they sell little statues for Sessquatch or whatever
it is. Okay, but that's.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Probably breaking news.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
Big al bigfoot guy.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
We didn't know.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
We don't know.
Speaker 1 (05:23):
He was a big conspiracy.
Speaker 7 (05:24):
Guyney, we're learning been together thirty years and like we're
uncovering this in the first one minute we lived out,
I mean, John Kiddy, Hello, it's the conspiracy.
Speaker 1 (05:35):
Yeah, he was more than one shooter.
Speaker 6 (05:38):
I mean we already, we already figured that out.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Oh yeah, all right, we'll get back month before I
was born. We'll get back to big Foot.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
What do you have?
Speaker 2 (05:49):
First concert?
Speaker 4 (05:49):
So my first concert has morning show ties to it
because I used to listen to a show called Jeff
and jer in San Diego and Tommy was a producer
and his stepdaughter went to my high school. Okay, and
my buddy started dating her and she was also really
good friends with the girl started dating, so Tommy hooked
us up with tickets to see Christina Aguilera and Destiny's Child.
(06:10):
My first ever concerts, and we got decent seats because
obviously they got hooked up pretty nicely. And so I
remember I stood up when Christina Aguilera was quiet, and
I yelled, I love you Christina, and she responded she said,
I love you too. Were Yeah, that's yeah, we kind
of dated for like a second.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Yeah, it was for this moment. Yeah, And my.
Speaker 4 (06:35):
Podcast, it depends on my mood. But right now I'm
gonna I'm gonna crime move. So I like crime junkie
h and I also like, uh, murder in America. I
listened to that, but if I want to laugh, I
listened to kill Tony.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Okay, yeah, all right, nobody mentioned broken but Blessed. That's
my podcast.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
I want to just give it a plug. But that
was the whole plug. All right, George, you've been sitting
here ready to go?
Speaker 3 (07:05):
There you go?
Speaker 7 (07:06):
Hey, So mine, similar to Kelly, I went to a
concert on a family vacation when I was young, to
go see the legendary bluegrass Bill Monroe in Nashville. That
was the worst two hours of my life. Why so
my true real concert by myself, I snuck out to
(07:26):
to go down to New Orleans because I wasn't allowed
to go to New Orleans as a child on a steamboat.
Speaker 3 (07:32):
Was Zebrabra? Oh my gosh, what is know Zebra?
Speaker 6 (07:37):
What was their biggest hit?
Speaker 3 (07:39):
I'm about to tell you play Zebra.
Speaker 2 (07:41):
I know they hadn't do that on a podcast.
Speaker 1 (07:43):
I know they have an interest.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
You're gonna have to pay for the license. Just hum
a little ship man. There's been a minute, was Dan?
You can't the podcast? You're a bosch, such a huge fan.
Speaker 6 (07:57):
He can't hum one single?
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Zebra?
Speaker 3 (07:59):
Zebra?
Speaker 2 (08:00):
Those songs, right, Zebra, last Vegas Zebra.
Speaker 5 (08:05):
That's what I remember, right, you know, all right, I'll
research that later.
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Well, George figures out the words to at least one
song of the first it is okay, we can play, Okay, okay,
that's okay, And that was an excellent They're opening for
wind now.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
On the phone right now.
Speaker 6 (08:36):
I would lie and come up with something else.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
That Zebra is a black.
Speaker 3 (08:41):
And white two hits.
Speaker 6 (08:44):
And you can't name one of them?
Speaker 3 (08:45):
That was it?
Speaker 1 (08:46):
What was it? Time?
Speaker 6 (08:47):
Okay?
Speaker 3 (08:49):
Like this podcast? All right? Perfect?
Speaker 2 (08:55):
This has been great and I was regretting this invite
at all.
Speaker 8 (09:00):
At least they anyway, Okay, so I want to talk
about how the three of you be on your team
actually got into media because you you look at today
social media.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
You know, you just got to have to have a
camera and be on social media and you can become
a celebrity of sorts different different time. When each of
you got in I'd be really thinking it'd be interesting
to hear how each of you got into radio. Kelly,
I'm gonna start with you because I think you were
what like nineteen and south.
Speaker 8 (09:33):
Yeah, I was.
Speaker 5 (09:34):
I really wanted to be a sitcom actress. That was
my dream. And so I found a local like modeling
school talent agency called Valdati School of Modeling. Where was
this It was in Florence, South Carolina. Got it very
untapped talent pool there. Anyway, I ended up going to
a talent convention in the bigger city of Myrtle Beach,
(09:55):
South Carolina, and there was another student in the school.
Dad owned a radio station, and he saw me doing
some monologues and said, you know, have you ever thought
about doing radio?
Speaker 6 (10:06):
And I loved radio.
Speaker 5 (10:07):
I never thought about doing it because, like I said,
I wanted to be a sitcom actress, face to tape
Rick D's every weekend and Casey Caseon.
Speaker 6 (10:14):
Listened to them all week. I was obsessed. But anyway, he.
Speaker 5 (10:17):
Said, just call my friend when you get back home.
Until I said you'd be good on radio, I was like, okay,
I didn't know any better. So I called the local
station and said, so, I can't remember the man's name,
said that I'd be good in radio, and they basically
brought me in and hired me, you know, and they
just had me sit in with the morning show DJ
because he was by himself. And they said, when we
use you, we'll pay you. And so I'd show up
(10:39):
every day with a box of donuts and they would
use me some days and some days I just sit
there and you know, soak it all in. But I
fell in love with it, fell in love with radio.
Speaker 6 (10:48):
It was real.
Speaker 5 (10:49):
It was back in the day when radio was dirty
and seedy. This radio station was like the side or
train tracks in the bad part of town, you know.
And the DJ his girl and kept kicking them out.
So we'd sleep underneath the desk the board. He'd sleep
there at nights and be there in the morning when
I get there. Just I love that seedy part. I
(11:10):
felt like I was being naughty. You know, coming from
the Christian school world of course. Anyway, that's how I
got my start.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
So when you say used, you like if you spoke right,
if you didn't, if they didn't address you.
Speaker 5 (11:20):
Yeah, if you wanted to do a bit like a
prank phone call or something, and the phones, you know
back then.
Speaker 6 (11:25):
You just you just fake it like Rickdi's did a
lot with the.
Speaker 5 (11:28):
Characters, you know, so we do that and I'd pretend
to be like a valley girl or doctor. Ruth was
really big at the time, so I did doctor you know, silly,
you know, stuff like that. So he would just use
me for bits, and then after a few months the
newsgirl quit and they said you want to do the news.
I'm like, sure, I'll do the news and started. You
(11:48):
know it just it just naturally evolved.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
It's history.
Speaker 2 (11:52):
So, oh what about you.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
I wanted to DJ well. I did did parties in
high school, but as far as radio, that gave me
a little bit of the bug and talking on the microphone.
But kid hired me. I was doing commercials for my
limousine services and first Year Limousine, Midnight well.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
Two well.
Speaker 1 (12:15):
I was doing from the early nineties, and I would
do live commercials. My theory was back then, I believe
it was the guy from Wendy's and the guy from Kroger.
They would always do their own commercials.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
Dave Thomas.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
Dave Thomas, Yes, And I said, if I'm going to
do commercials, I'm going to do them myself. And so
I couldn't afford a lot of commercials. Commercials back then,
I think it was five hundred bucks for a sixty
second spot. He still dollars, and I would get like
one a week, maybe or maybe two. But I would
always this was before we were syndicated, and so I
(12:51):
would try to have a funny story to go along
with my commercial, to stretch it out to maybe a
minute and a half or two minutes, to get more
bang from my buck and kid and Kelly. Kelly was
on the show and Burt and we just kind of
got a little chemistry going and I would have a
funny story. And I was one time I'd call George,
I called Brenda Adrians. I would take up these folks time,
(13:12):
asking them about if they thought a certain limousine promotion
would be good, like to give away hams with limousine service.
And that's the one that was funny enough. I guess
it grabbed kids attention. And Kelly was like, what are
the people gonna do? This is life in the air, right,
What are the people gonna do with the ham while
they're riding riding in a limousine?
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Nothing says more than ham.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
But this guy was calling me trying to get me
to buy these Hams for the holiday. And so this
is true story. This is absolutely said true. And if
I knew the guy's name, I would call him and
kiss it again.
Speaker 6 (13:47):
Like the man I just can't remember.
Speaker 1 (13:49):
I don't remember. But because he bothered me to buy
Hams to give away all my limousine with my limousine service.
He badgered me and I finally gave in and bought
like winny Hams and gave them away on a limo promotion.
That's how I got my job on the radio, because
I was doing a special three hours of limousine service
dinner for fort sepango and a free ham.
Speaker 7 (14:13):
Needless to say, he was cash in advance, and.
Speaker 1 (14:22):
Kelly, I never will forget it. Kelly said, so what
are they supposed to do with the ham while they're
coller riding around? And I'm like, I don't know there
Ham Yeah, their ham the probably the commercial went on
for probably five minutes, this particular commercial, and and then
Kid called me after the show. He said, you ever
think about doing radio? I said, I mean other than
(14:44):
what we're doing, not really, but I will. And so
I started out just doing kind of like Kelly, not
really doing a lot. I'd go pick up kidnapped John Tesh,
you know, a little small stuff like that, and uh,
we really kidnapped him, but kah a lot of trouble
for that.
Speaker 6 (15:01):
But he didn't even have a mic.
Speaker 5 (15:02):
He had to share a mic with Burt, who was
about five foot tall on a good day, and so
they would the microphone.
Speaker 6 (15:08):
Up and down, up and down.
Speaker 1 (15:09):
The squeaky mics too.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Yeah, she knew who was going to talk. You know,
it was a transition, so JCM imagining Hams were involved
in you.
Speaker 4 (15:21):
It's much more traditional route to radio. To preface it,
I did in Mexico. I used to do radio shows
with my cousin and my tape deck was my toy
because we didn't have much money.
Speaker 1 (15:31):
But I do.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
I did have a tape deck, which is how I
learned how to speak English. And I continued making radio
shows as a kid when I moved to the States
because I'm an immigrant. But I was always told you're
not going to make it in radio. It's an entertainment industry.
But I loved the art. And I was actually nursing
school in college. Oh wow, yeah, I wanted to take
I was going to become a nurse and then hopefully
(15:54):
go to medical school. And my counselor, after all these
counselors told me radio's dead end.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Don't do it.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
My parents were again. This counselor said, what's your passion
besides medicine? And I said, I've always loved the art
of entertaining people. And she said, LA's up the street.
We have new stations here, in radio stations here. Why
don't you entern there before you commit to a life
of medicine. Sure, And on the way home, I listened
to a commercial from Cabana Boy Jeff on Channel nine
(16:20):
three to three saying stop by, We're hiring interns for
the foss semester off of a ninety six sixty Granite
Ridge Drive. I knew exactly that address because it was
so close to the chargers facility. I'm always a big
San Diego charger fan, so I stopped by put in
an application. I filled it out and as I was
walking out, the two girls that were holding the interviews
saw me and they said, are you picking up a price?
(16:42):
I said no, I'm applying to become an intern and
they said, well we're you got time, we're doing the interviews.
I stepped into that meeting and that was the work
my life changed. They ended up hiring me on the spot.
I thought I had made it. I called my girlfriend
and who's my wife now at the time, and I said, Babe,
I got.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
Hired at a radio station. No, I have nothing.
Speaker 4 (17:01):
They just liked me. I thought it was one of
three people that got hired, and I walked into a
room full of twenty five other kids that was just
as hungry. But the moment it clicked for me was
when I walked into the studio and the afternoon girl
was doing a break. Cha cha did a break and
she hit the mic, plotted it up and did a
break in front of us, and I was hooked. And
so I ended up begging after my internship for a job.
(17:23):
So I got hired in promotions and I learned everything
in that radio station. I would sneak in after the
jocks went home, and I would go into the voice
tracking studio to learn how to run the board and
hear myself and how to deliver a break and how
to go in and out and ramp up songs. And
when the opportunity showed up and my program director was
(17:45):
looking for a part timer, she pulled me in her
office because I was begging for an on air job,
and she said, you don't even know how to run
a board, and I said, yes, I do. She said,
you've never done a break and I said I'd never
done a live break and she said You've been sneaking
to the radio station without my knowledge. And I said yes, ma'am.
And I said, I got them with me if you
want to hear them, and I put in the tape.
She listened to about twenty seconds and said, yeah, that's awful,
(18:07):
but I like I like that you have that tenacity
to do it. And she gave me my first honor shift.
It was a Thursday night, two to six in the morning,
and that's that was it for me. That was the
moment I was like, I'm doing on air. I put
all my effort into the on air.
Speaker 1 (18:21):
Side of it.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
So and you joined in two thousand and six, two
thousand and six, so I have to ask the question,
I was pregnant.
Speaker 4 (18:30):
Yeah, Kelly was pregnant when I got here, not by me.
Speaker 1 (18:33):
By me.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
Looking at what the makeup of what you all do
every day, it's up early. It's intense amount of time together,
trying to entertain people, being in a good mood, all
of those things for over twenty years. That's longer than
most people can stay married.
Speaker 1 (18:50):
Would twice, but.
Speaker 2 (18:53):
Not seriously, what when you talk about you know, we
talk on this podcast about CEOs and George. We'll get
to you in a second. Bill think culture. You guys
have to build a culture within the show. Like how
do you think you've done that and had the staying power.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
That you have?
Speaker 5 (19:07):
Well, I mean, I think it's just about being real
at the authenticity, which I think is what kid Kratic,
you know, who brought us all together, really stressed. And
you know, it was really hard for me because I
was when I came. You know, I was twenty seven,
very sheltered growing up. Everything was very very black and
white for me, and I didn't have sense enough to
not say what I was thinking, and so it was
(19:29):
a little polarizing at first, and you know, got a
lot of negative reaction and a lot of positive reaction too,
and Kid just pulled me aside one day he said, look,
I don't care if they love you or hate you,
as long as they have an opinion about you. And
once he gave me that freedom to be my authentic self.
I think that's that's the culture we've tried to what's
(19:50):
the word I'm looking for.
Speaker 6 (19:50):
We've tried to maintain foster.
Speaker 5 (19:53):
That, you know, authenticity, and people, you know, want us
to try doing these bits that you know, let's let's
have some fake phone calls and things like that, and
we just always we just reject that because that's not
true to what we were taught. You know, kids say
keep it real, and that's what we've tried to do.
And if I come in a bad mood, everybody knows.
Speaker 6 (20:12):
I came in a bad mood now morning, you know.
Speaker 5 (20:14):
And some days are better than others. But I think
people appreciate that honesty.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Sure.
Speaker 4 (20:19):
See, I think it was Kid created the culture. Honestly,
Kidkratic is the one that brought everybody in. And I
think he had a he was able to see something
in everyone because we're all so different, but at the
same time, we're similar too. We have similarities, and I
think he just found that small similarity. Like Kelly works hard,
she found a way to get into radio. Al always
(20:41):
talks about how he's always been waking up and delivering
papers early in the morning. When he interviewed me, he
asked me about, like what I was like in high school,
and I told him I was trying to make it
out of being poor, and I saw sports as my outlet.
So I was waking up at like four in the morning.
I was training. We trained ourselves without knowing it, and
he found these little gems. That's when I would wake
(21:01):
up and I'd go work out before school because I
wanted to get better than the other kids that played football.
But that's what was instilled in me. Unbeknownt to me,
I became a radio personality and wake up early.
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Now the same rule as a play.
Speaker 4 (21:12):
But I think he just found a group of people
that listen to what he said. Like Kelly said, he
told me, if you ever lie on our show, I'm
done with you. We don't fake anything. We don't we
don't bring in fake stories. We don't, you know, don't
get the don't let the truth get in the way
of a good story. At times, Yes, but embellish a
little bit, that's fine. But he said everything has to
be genuine and I felt so at home when he
(21:33):
said that to me, because I've always I want positivity.
I think everybody listening wants positivity and genuineness from people,
and we've carried that on since Kids passing. The people
that we bring into our show have to go by
that mold, so we and we all have to agree,
like it's not if we're not vibing with something or somebody,
we can talk about it. But everybody that's been in
(21:54):
our farm system that it's been brought up and is
now full time on our show, they were interns on
our show. We got to know them, we know their background,
and they have that one thing that I remember Kid
wanting when he was still with us.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
That's awesome. Yeah, it's it's funny. I was talking to
our team yesterday and it's a lot of the newer
people and we were talking about the culture and when
you're creating, maintaining growing a culture, everybody has to play
a part in it. It's not just you know, you
guys because you've been there the longest. You know, George,
this comes over to you in the business management side
(22:25):
of your networks, like how do you oversee all that
because you also have a business side that you know,
sales and all of that. Then you have, you know,
the creativity that these guys have to bring every day.
How do you look at the culture that you've created
as CEO and how you maintain it?
Speaker 7 (22:40):
I mean, all the way back through my career, I
think it's always been the best I guess rule of
thumb is when you hire the right people, let them
spread their wings right, And so micromanageing has not ever
been one of my fortes or do I enjoy doing it.
I think I lead by example. I get there early
in the morning and ste late at night, and and
(23:01):
it kind of fits the culture of a morning show, right,
the early bird gets the worm kind of thing. And
so that's it's it's done well for us. We were
probably a lot more flexible than a corporate or you know,
publicly traded company, sure, because we're small and nimble, and
we can we can change and move fast. But at
the same time, you know, we have to be structured, right,
(23:24):
and so That's kind of what I bring the table,
because when you work with creatives, a lot of times
that's what they are. They're creative and they don't like
the business side. Now, we were fortunate enough to have
kid who had a little bit of both.
Speaker 2 (23:35):
Correct.
Speaker 7 (23:36):
So my background is, you know, I was fortunate enough
to have a brother seven year senior that you and
I've both worked with. He let me intern with people
like Rick D's in the morning, and so I fell
in love with this morning talent thing. Even though I
was just getting him coffee. It was amazing.
Speaker 6 (23:53):
How do you take his coffee?
Speaker 1 (23:54):
Black? Shout out, Yes, I do.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
Your brother introduced me to Rick D's and La about
a year ago, and I went into a time of
your text going back forty years and I couldn't stop
staring at him as he was talking. It was just
it was the weirdest thing because I immediately went to
I was dating someone and I wanted him to play
something by Chicago because we had a rough breakup and
I can hear him doing it was my childhood.
Speaker 7 (24:18):
Yeah, So I mean because of that, I had an
opportunity to move to Dallas right when they were putting
Kiss on the Air. So I was a salesperson sales manager,
ended up running it. But I became really close friends
with these guys, especially Kid, and so when I left
in ninety nine to go do my own thing again,
knowing having a great relationship with back then clear Channel,
(24:39):
now iHeart I was able or fortunate enough to buy
one hundred and seventy five radio stations from him. So
the concept was we were going to aggregate and roll
up all small market media because we thought that had
less chance to be disrupted by technology. Right Main Street
would be longer lived there than it would in a
major market. And so my easy fix was when i'd
(25:01):
go buy a market was guess what I'd put kikratic
in the morning, and I'd go to number one, so
our revenue would skyrocket. So they thought I was a
genius because I was like, I was putting them in
every market.
Speaker 3 (25:13):
And so at the end of that, you're welcome, thank you.
And so even though.
Speaker 7 (25:17):
I was working with them for that, you know, eight
plus years, I was still syndicating or advocating their talent.
And so Kid came to me back in what eight
I think it was nine, somewhere like that. He goes dude,
I just can't do this anymore. I can't be the
business and the talent. And we both had the same concept,
but why don't we go aggregate talent? Because I just
(25:39):
lived through AAR nine, which was the housing crisis, which
was also a car crisis because nobody could have they
couldn't have the money to have their cars a lot.
So that was thirty percent of our business going like that, right,
So I was like, Okay, I don't want brick and
mortar anymore, I want talent and we can grow talent.
And sure enough that paid off well, and so every
(25:59):
year to decide, okay, where was the next step. So
then we started buying digital agencies, then we started buying
event businesses, and that three prong approaches kept us through
the good.
Speaker 3 (26:09):
Times in the bed. So we have on air, on site,
and online.
Speaker 2 (26:12):
So how many employees do you have now?
Speaker 7 (26:14):
Yeah, you know, we're leaning mean, so we're probably all
in between the twelve companies that we have only about two.
Speaker 3 (26:22):
Hundred and fifty employees only.
Speaker 7 (26:24):
Yeah, well, I mean back when I got broadcast, it
was two thousands a lot.
Speaker 2 (26:28):
And it's like you said, managing and leading talent, it's
a little bit more nuanced of a skill set.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
Well, it almost didn't tell Chris why you took the
job when Kid interviewed you.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Oh yeah, so that's my favorite.
Speaker 7 (26:44):
The radio stations too is now a publicly traded company,
town Square Media, right, And so they had offered me
a bunch of money and a guaranteed five year with
a lot of options, And that could have been a
nice easy gig, and kids like, come talk to me.
And so I come to their Christmas party and meet
all them and it was a nice reunion type deal.
But I go meet with him and he lets me
(27:06):
drive his Maserati and I wreck it. Yeah, that was
really good. So he ignored me for two weeks. But
then when he came back and offered me a job,
it was half the price of what I was making,
and and I said, well, kid, you know, I told
my wife I was going to go tell him no.
And so I go to his apartment and say, I
just can't take the job. And he goes, who are
you going to high five at the end of the day.
(27:28):
I said what, He goes, who are you going to
high five of the day when you win something? I mean,
don't you want to be with people you know and
you love, and I said, great point. I said, okay,
so I'm driving down the tollway calling my wife and
she goes, how do you take I said, I took
the job. So that's why our parent company is called
high five today.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
That's a great story. We're still high five though. That's
good and we can all high five after.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
It depends how this goes.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
So it's interesting how you, you know, built a media company.
I want to jump ahead a little bit because we
were talking before we started recording about social media stardom
and how it happens real quickly. I'd be really curious.
You guys have all twenty plus thirty years had people
come up to you. I'm sure like they know you
because they listened to you in the morning. Kelly, I've
(28:17):
witnessed it with you at events. How do you look
at how someone quote unquote becomes an influencer, a start
whatever you want, a brand today on social media because
they do one video and all of a sudden, it
blows up, Like, how do you view that when you
look at how you guys built your careers and you're
considered in the same group, but it's different.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
It's very similar. To American Idol, Like you got people
that have been out here trying to sing for years
and years. No, no disrespect to the people that are
on American Idol, but they go on American Idol and
then boom their start very very quickly, you know what
I'm saying. So it's kind of like that, Well.
Speaker 5 (28:54):
It's not that emotional history, right, you know, you can
have these people that blow up and go viral, but
there's no emotional connection. I mean, I'm connected to people's
childhood memories, their core memories, and I think there's a
difference there because now I have you know, a woman
come up to me and say, I grew up listening
to you in the back seat of my mom's car,
(29:14):
and now here's my child listening from the back seat.
And it's just, you know, I'm part of people's core memories,
and yeah, you know, going viral is great, but I
prefer being part of that legacy, right, And I.
Speaker 4 (29:28):
Agree with Kelly on that. And I'll be honest, I
used to get really pissed off by it. I'd be like,
dang man, these guys just did one video and they're
already catapulted to fame.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Billion dollars a week or a month or whatever it is.
Speaker 4 (29:39):
But as the years have gone with social media, now
I look at it as if somebody gets big like that,
I go good for them, Good for them, because it
takes strength to stay there. And a lot of these
people will get they'll get viral, and they'll go away
in about a year and you'll you won't really hear
from them again. But then you get the gems like
the mister Beasts of the world. Yep, you know that
(29:59):
that guy, he is actually changing the world. And he
and you go back, and this is why he's a
good example for kids. He was busting his butt, he
was making videos when two kids were watching, and then
a hundred, and those are the ones that I'm like, good,
I'm glad you took social media to the next level too,
where you're the most known person on the internet. And
it started with humble beginnings.
Speaker 2 (30:19):
Well it's it's the whole quick conversation around legacy or
just being a flash, right exactly. And look, I think
we are both are fine, fun exactly exactly. But I
think that that you know, the staying power. I have
to imagine, does it ever get old when people, I
mean I'm sure there's moments you're like, please leave me good.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
But I tell people all the time because people do
ask me that in person, they'll see me at my restaurant.
Does that get old when people come up and want
I'm like, when they stop asking me to take a picture,
that's when I know my career is over. Yeah, because
nobody cares anymore. Like Kelly said, you know have some
type of reaction. So it is the biggest, uh, the
biggest form of flattery that you can give any of
(30:59):
us is to say, hey, I've listened to you for years.
Can we take a picture? Absolutely? If this is the
worst part of my day, I'm having a damn good day.
Speaker 2 (31:07):
So it's funny, you know, from a sales side of it. George,
I think you're gon agree with me because I told
Soliday the day the day I stopped bugging you is
the day I've moved on to something else. Because and
I think it's the same with talent. I have to
ask for everyone to weigh in. Given this topic, the
Chapel Roone situation. Oh yeah, thoughts feelings.
Speaker 4 (31:30):
Not a big fan of how she's handling her newfound
fame because I guarantee you, this was something Chapel rone
as a kid, and I know she grew up extremely wealthy,
and even though she trusts to portrayed, but she grew
up with I know as a kid she sat in
that room and wished for this.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (31:46):
And when you wish for something and then it comes
true and you turn your back on the people that
got you, there your fans, but.
Speaker 5 (31:53):
It's not But people say they know what fame is
until they till they have it, and then there you know.
Speaker 6 (31:58):
So she's just not handling it and this disingentions.
Speaker 5 (32:01):
She needs some guidance and she needs some help pr team,
she needs some coaching. I mean, I feel for her
because I'm sure it is overwhelming because this overnight success,
even though she's been plugging away, suddenly she went from
nothing to mega star.
Speaker 6 (32:16):
I mean we saw that.
Speaker 5 (32:17):
It's just crazy what she went through, and I think
she's just having a hard time processing it. So I
feel for her in that respect, I do, But she
does need somebody to kind of pull her aside and say, look,
there's a better way.
Speaker 7 (32:29):
I think there's always characters to that too. I mean,
how many times have we seen so many people we
had Justin Bieber when.
Speaker 3 (32:35):
He was with nine years old.
Speaker 7 (32:37):
They're thirteen, sitting in our studio for a week, right,
And there's some people that we've seen go from nothing
too huge and they still talk to us, and then
some others that just kind of go on, yeah, you know,
and it's just really interesting to me to see the
people who remember who are all the stepping parts of
that and being thankful about it.
Speaker 5 (32:57):
Again, We'll never be able to relate to that type
of thing. We have a few people ask us for
a picture, you know, during the week. It's it's very different,
you know, and everybody cast stones but they've never been
in those ships.
Speaker 6 (33:08):
But she does need help.
Speaker 5 (33:11):
It's not she's not doing herself any favors. It's self
sabotage in a way.
Speaker 3 (33:14):
Right.
Speaker 4 (33:15):
It turns people off to you, and when it turns
people off to your brand, then you take it down.
Speaker 2 (33:18):
And these are your consumers yea, yeah, I mean these
are you know, I do this podcast with CEOs we
talk about their customers. These are your customers and how
you just interact with them in a very different way,
in a in a very consistent way, in a very
personal way, more so than you know check Kimmel at
Neighborhood Credit Union does what's check check good on? But
(33:43):
and he but, you know, Amanda remembers, you know, he
talked about how they interact with their their customers around
big events, whether it's you know, they need to take
a loan for something for their child for school or
whatever the case may be. But you guys are doing
this every day and you're interacting and and it's important
and how you treat them is really import So thinking
about the years you all have been together, what's next?
(34:06):
More years?
Speaker 6 (34:08):
Yeah, hopefully, I can't imagine.
Speaker 1 (34:10):
You know.
Speaker 5 (34:10):
It's like I joke around about retiring a lot, but
it's like, then what would I do? You know, I
don't dig ditches, you know. I get to talk about
what I'm interested in, and you know, people ask me
for advice with love letters to Kelly, and it's not
like it's a drudgery.
Speaker 6 (34:25):
The hardest part.
Speaker 5 (34:26):
And I love what Big Al says, they pay us
to wake up, the rest we do for free, And
I love that that's exactly it, because the hardest part.
Speaker 6 (34:34):
Of my day is waking up.
Speaker 5 (34:36):
So you know, I'd like to keep talking as long
as people want to keep hearing. What I have to
say now, will it always be with the Kidcratic Morning
Show and this group of people. You know, we've got
a lot of young people on the show, Anna Justin
Audrey who we've just added. I'm sure they've got dreams
of going off and doing more than just being you know,
backups to us. So I don't know how long it's
(34:57):
going to stay in this form, but I i'd like
to think that I could keep talking till a day
I keel over, because I mean, what what else am
I going to do?
Speaker 2 (35:05):
George, I got.
Speaker 3 (35:06):
This still twenty thirty, and then we'll decide.
Speaker 6 (35:09):
Well, that's still not that far away.
Speaker 5 (35:11):
I mean, I just I would like to think that
I will keep talking, maybe not necessarily the same format
or but I would still be performing.
Speaker 6 (35:21):
That's my dream.
Speaker 4 (35:22):
I've said this in the past, in the past, my
personal goal, because I still got man another thirty years
of you know, keeping it going. I would like to
someday get to the point where the way, the way
I envisioned myself getting this gig was kid handing it
and handing me.
Speaker 2 (35:42):
The car the car keys, yep.
Speaker 4 (35:43):
I would like for it to continue that way to
where when I retire. One day there'll be somebody in
our group radio show and I could be.
Speaker 5 (35:50):
Like retirement countdown, but out of the door delivered.
Speaker 4 (35:57):
But I would like to I would like for it
to be like the Tonight Show, you know, where the
Tonight Show shifts huts also and there's there and it
constantly stays there. That way, Kids Legacy stays alive forever,
and it's just with different hosts. It's me now and
hopefully for the next thirty years or whatever it is,
and then the next person for the ten, twenty years,
whatever it is, and then it just keeps going so
that people ask themselves, well, it's this kid Nation stuff
(36:19):
or what's kid cratic and they can look it up
and his legacy keeps going.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
Yeah, I think you help with the segue. You know,
legacy is such a big thing. And I think all
great companies, you know, they drive for results and great
products and all that, but they also want to give back.
And so I want to jump and talk about kids,
kids and what that means to all of you, what
it means to the community, and give a little bit
(36:46):
of history and where it started and where it is
today and where you see kids kids in the future, George,
you want to We're.
Speaker 3 (36:53):
Coming up on our anniversary. So it's a big year
for us.
Speaker 7 (36:57):
Twenty five years with Sowest or twenty.
Speaker 6 (37:01):
I believe it's the twentieth Southwest.
Speaker 3 (37:04):
With Todd Graves.
Speaker 6 (37:06):
Raised a lot of milestones this.
Speaker 7 (37:08):
Year, milestones this year, and it's you know, it's very special.
Kid always called it the heartbeat of the show, right,
and so that that was the heart of the show,
and that he made this promise because his child was
not going to come out healthy it looked like and
if he did, if she did what she did, Caroline,
that he would give back. And so that's kind of
(37:30):
the whole theme behind the charity. And for thirty plus
years we've brought what anywhere from thirty to fifty chronically
internally old children and their entire families to kid to Disney.
Speaker 3 (37:42):
World every year, every year.
Speaker 2 (37:44):
Nothing like it.
Speaker 3 (37:45):
Yeah, I mean it's amazing.
Speaker 7 (37:46):
So it's amazing to see children and families that have
gone through that and they have smiles year to year, right,
So it does change your life and hopefully it.
Speaker 3 (37:55):
Changes their their circles. Right.
Speaker 7 (37:58):
And so the goal is always been and Caroline's still involved, Kelly's.
Speaker 3 (38:03):
On the board now this year.
Speaker 7 (38:05):
Uh, it was that was really one of our driving
forces of keeping the show going is we wanted to
keep the charity going. And so we feel really confident
that you know, we've been able to get you know,
car giveaways with iHeart and San Antonio, one of your
biggest accounts there give us a car every year now
and we raise one hundred grand doing that.
Speaker 6 (38:24):
Shout out in Sierra Auto Grad.
Speaker 7 (38:25):
Yes, we have a golf tournament now here with the
local attorney group that has done that and drives over
one hundred thousand raised pains give.
Speaker 2 (38:34):
Us one hundred thousand.
Speaker 7 (38:38):
Trying to make sure everbody said get some, but I
mean raising Kaines has getting us over one million dollars
Todd you know, has been incredible. So we we're building
a structure that will last forever hopefully that will continue
to do this whether the show goes on or not,
you know, from Ken twenty years from now. So, uh,
there's an endowment there that we keep on trying to
(38:59):
grow so that it can be there because it's so special.
Speaker 2 (39:02):
That's an amazing legacy, it really is.
Speaker 3 (39:06):
There's not a lot to follow that up with.
Speaker 2 (39:07):
I mean, unless there's any other thoughts. I mean, guys,
to anybody listening, if you haven't seen the SoundOff on
the looks on the families and the children's faces, there's
nothing nothing like it.
Speaker 6 (39:18):
We'll see good at ye Kids Kids dot org.
Speaker 5 (39:21):
If you want to go look and see you know,
videos and photos from past trips.
Speaker 6 (39:24):
It's k I D d S k I D S.
That's that's where you can go.
Speaker 1 (39:28):
Yep.
Speaker 7 (39:29):
And the plug on that is this year just because
of the thirty fifth anniversary.
Speaker 3 (39:33):
I know I like doing that.
Speaker 6 (39:34):
I'm trying to do, but it is.
Speaker 7 (39:37):
You can make a thirty five dollars a month donation
for a year, like we're trying to build that that way,
and you get a free sweatshirt when you do that
or whatever. So if you got a little extra coffee
money sitting around, let's try that out this year.
Speaker 1 (39:47):
What's what's next for you, mister president? We have that.
Speaker 2 (39:50):
We don't do that on this show. What's next for
me is like I got an appointment about.
Speaker 7 (39:54):
It's another endorsement for you all.
Speaker 8 (39:58):
But I appreciate this year the concerned Absolutely, I'm going
to go speed around.
Speaker 2 (40:02):
Let's have a little fun for a second. Okay, we
all in this business. Try not to turn into fanboy
or fangirl when someone comes on. A few weeks ago,
I got to interview Rick Welts, the CEO of the Mavericks,
and he is like mister NBA and I couldn't help
myself as a manda nose dropping players' names and he
would laugh and all that, so I kind of fan
(40:23):
boyd him. You guys have I mean, top to bottom,
who have you had that you've kind of fan boyd
or fan grow up a little bit.
Speaker 5 (40:30):
I am notorious for humiliating myself. I could go through
the list.
Speaker 3 (40:35):
Give me number one.
Speaker 5 (40:36):
Reese Witherspoon was pretty traumatic. I talked the entire time.
I couldn't stop talking. Harrison Ford, the most intimidating actor ever.
Michelle Pfeiffer. I just kept looking at her and telling
her how beautiful she was.
Speaker 6 (40:50):
I am built.
Speaker 5 (40:52):
I didn't touch her, Thank the Lord, I didn't touch her.
But it's just like I just I fan girl. I
am the worst.
Speaker 2 (40:59):
But you know, honestly, you kind of represent everybody's supposed
to be professional though, George, I'm like her.
Speaker 3 (41:09):
I'll go up to anyone that's famous and go take
a picture of him.
Speaker 1 (41:12):
You're not.
Speaker 6 (41:12):
That's not like me.
Speaker 2 (41:13):
That's she gets terrified. There's not anybody.
Speaker 3 (41:17):
Oh I love embarrassing my kids though.
Speaker 7 (41:19):
I mean literally, I just was down a round Top,
which is a little town outside of Austin. All these
country stars and people I don't even know their names,
but I know they're like, you know, you.
Speaker 3 (41:27):
Know, they're supposed to be famous, famous, Like I.
Speaker 7 (41:29):
Sold somebody the Tanner Beard. He's on Landman, and he
bought this thing that's going to be in a movie.
So we're like just hamming it up with everybody.
Speaker 2 (41:38):
I love it so unaffected JC.
Speaker 4 (41:41):
My toxic trait is that I think I could become
friends with anybody that we interview. Yeah, Like I literally
think that. Like in my head, I'm like, oh man,
tomorrow's why you're.
Speaker 2 (41:49):
Always emailing me wanting to go hang out. Yeah, that's me.
I got it.
Speaker 4 (41:51):
And so in my head, I'm like, oh man, we're
gonna get each other's numbers, We're gonna get beers and stuff.
But if I think of the one time I've like
super fanboyed and I felt out of body. I got
to interview Jamie Fox, oh wow for his movie night Shift. Uh,
and I just remember sitting down and when he sat down,
because I used to watch this dude on a living
color and I watched the Jamie Fox Show, and I
(42:14):
remember him sitting in front of me. Was so surreal
that I didn't really know what to say or how
to start the interview. And I think, and I just think,
I think he noticed it, and so he to break
the ice. He just went woo, and so I followed
it up with a and so it's his awkward blue
and he like reached out and touched me, and I'm like, god,
(42:35):
I'm dumb, gosh, say this is Jamie Fox right now.
Speaker 6 (42:39):
It's stupid, so traumatic.
Speaker 2 (42:42):
For some reason, I have a feeling that it would
take a lot for you.
Speaker 1 (42:45):
But well, the worst one, I'll start with the worst
moment because for whatever reason, they allowed me to interview
Chris Rock by myself, and I was brilli because you're yeah,
I was brand spanking new, big Chris Rock fan. I
(43:08):
can't say I can doone it, but I understand it.
So I'm kame. I mean, I have Jimmy Fox, I'm
a Chris Rock. I bombed this interview more than anything
I've ever done in it was it was terrible, he wasn't.
Speaker 6 (43:21):
But you know, it wasn't very generous.
Speaker 5 (43:23):
It was not like where Jamie Fox was helping Chris
giving out nothing.
Speaker 1 (43:28):
Nothing he was given with me, Jennifer, you blew no, no, no.
Speaker 2 (43:34):
But but I.
Speaker 1 (43:35):
Will say my happiest moment in thirty years was when
I was standing at my bar one day and my
phone rang and it was a it was a Nashville
area code, but and I don't answer my phone, and
the ladies I said, hello, is this big al? Yes? Uh,
this is Berkeley from Blake Shelton's office. I'm like, no,
are you busy such and such a day? I said no,
(43:57):
I thought someone was pranking me. I swear to God
I did. And she goes, okay, I'll call you back
in a couple of days. I'm like, well, that was
the most odd and bizarre phone call ever. A couple
of days ago, Brye phone rings again, Saint Mary Cooda.
I answered, Bert, this is Berkeley again. Blake would like
for you to come to Oklahoma to introduce him before
a showy background information. I'm a huge Blake Shelton fan.
(44:20):
You have been a huge I sing his song Scary
ok I never had never met him up to this point.
Speaker 6 (44:26):
But but.
Speaker 1 (44:28):
A huge yeah, she says, And to make it a
little easier for you to get up to Tishamingo, Oklahoma,
He's going to send this helicopter to pick That's no way,
Blake Shelton's gonna sing it, send this helicopter. So I
call our producer, White Chad. I said, did you have
something new? Dude? I have no idea what you're talking about.
I wasn't dating anyone at the time. I called my
(44:49):
best friend, Kirk. I said, Kirk, I don't know if
this is a legit. But Blake Shelton apparently sending his
helicopter to pick me up. He said, I could bring
a friend. Come on. He Kirk comes over to the place.
We go up to the airport in mid Lothian and
there's the most beautiful helicopter I've ever seen in my life,
a six seater full of.
Speaker 5 (45:08):
The story I've ever heard.
Speaker 1 (45:09):
Yeah, I got you man, come on, awesome and so
we fly up there we go. The lady says that
you big al I'm like, don't, don't, don't, don't, don't
do the oscars. Uh stop. So they said you are
you big out? Yes, Blake would like to see you
or is it take me to Blake? He says big Al,
I said, Blake and we hug. I said, Blake, why
(45:30):
in the world would you, out of everyone that you know,
asked me to do this? He said, because you're just
so nice to me on the air.
Speaker 5 (45:36):
Wow, and Al had been campaigning on Twitter out he
bought it constantly, I would like to buy a big out,
big out, which yeah drifts.
Speaker 6 (45:50):
And was constantly ating them on Twitter.
Speaker 2 (45:53):
That's how Blakes, how's big ol Like? Without mentioning, Blake
was like, how's that doing?
Speaker 1 (46:00):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (46:00):
That's strong.
Speaker 1 (46:01):
Yeah, I mean that over thirty years. That was the
coolest night I've ever had in radio. Right there, and
on the way back in the helicopter I had, the
pilot had.
Speaker 4 (46:09):
To stop the question was about fangirls.
Speaker 1 (46:11):
Twice to peek because the question was.
Speaker 2 (46:14):
About two of this interview will be I'll giving me
more details on the like Shelton experience, the new podcast
Chris and l Guys. This has been great. I really
appreciate it. I was a little bit nervous coming in
being the.
Speaker 3 (46:27):
One second guessing did I was the.
Speaker 1 (46:30):
First time for the Cowboys.
Speaker 4 (46:32):
What's no no, no, no, please don't no. I'll tell
you the story was this guy he ran a forty,
he was too slow. Next five he returned to the cleve.
Speaker 2 (46:45):
So, as we wrap up today, this has been great.
I think. I think the the staying power and the
legacy the three of you and George with your leadership
is really amazing. The wave carried on kids kids is
something that should really be an example to you know,
media company, any kind of business. The way that you
(47:05):
all have embraced that, it's it's second to none. I'm
gonna ask one last question, and you know, I talk
to teams about you know, everyone thinks they're seismic moments
when you win, and they happen occasionally, but really it's
the it's the little things or the cracks and the
gray spaces that I talk about that you do every day.
And I think about you guys early in the morning,
getting up every day being there. What do you all
(47:27):
think is that one thing that you guys do that's
a small thing that maybe get overlooked, that is so
important to your success.
Speaker 1 (47:35):
Well, I've never been asked that question. I have no idea.
Speaker 4 (47:38):
I think we've done a not to toot our own horn.
But I think we've done an incredible job at evolving. Yeah,
radio changes drastically year in and year out, and when
you got other competition besides other shows that you got
to go up against. Now, I think our show has
found a way to when we feel like there's a
lull or there's a plateau, we go into it and
(48:00):
what do we got to do to make it better?
What do we got to do fix it? What do
we got to do to stand out again? And I
think we've done an incredible job in the last thirteen
years since we lost care that that that's awesome.
Speaker 2 (48:10):
I mean sometimes you just look at things and go, Okay,
what am I going to do? J C al Kelly, George,
thank you.
Speaker 1 (48:18):
I think it's just.
Speaker 2 (48:19):
Now, you know, when we're late on our brock, think
that's why.
Speaker 3 (48:22):
That's the end of the thing.
Speaker 2 (48:24):
So we'll try this again. J c al Kelly, George.
I love having you guys.
Speaker 3 (48:30):
That I do. I want to just interrupt out he.
Speaker 5 (48:34):
Was trying to wrap it up and podcast it would
be thank everyone for joining us on.
Speaker 2 (48:42):
Yeah that works, Thank you for joining us WHOA Yeah, George,
I deal with that every morning. I don't know how
you do it every morning, it'd be interesting. I'm trying
to take over and control that. But I think we
somewhat kept it between the rails. Maybe we'll see how
(49:04):
this comes out. But I think from you know, as
the CEO of Youen Networks, you've seen and done a
lot with talent and grown a business. As we talked
about a little bit earlier, just just give us like
where you see, you know, as an er leader of
an entertainment company and the landscape today, Like where do
you see things going? And you know, what do you
(49:27):
want to see in the next few years.
Speaker 3 (49:29):
That's a good question. You didn't prep me for that one.
Speaker 1 (49:31):
So what I do?
Speaker 3 (49:32):
Yeah, no, I mean you're good at this.
Speaker 1 (49:34):
Look.
Speaker 7 (49:35):
The audio industry, I think is really strong. I think
that we saw this probably ten years ago, and iHeart
was on the forefront of this. Is that millennials when
they went to on demand and Netflix and all these things,
they didn't see audio and video any different. Really, they
saw it the same way. They wanted it on demand,
They wanted it their way on whatever device they were.
(49:55):
And so for us, now is the opportunity on how
to bring all those multiplay forms together to make it
work for the marketer and the brand, and so much
like iHeart has already done, we just do it on
a much smaller space. But it's on air, online, and
on site. So the radio is the big loud speakers
that brings the masses in online and digital allows you
(50:17):
to track it and hopefully bring it down to the sale.
And the events is the glue that keeps it all together.
It allows you to have that relationship, one to one
touch with people. And so y'all have done it on
a massive scale, We've done it on a smaller scale,
and I think those combinations is what's going to allow
us to thrive as an industry.
Speaker 2 (50:35):
Yeah, it's interesting, and you know, having JC and Kelly
and Allen, I mean I think everyone got a real
taste for the talent side of things now that it's
just you and I real quick like, any any final thoughts.
Speaker 7 (50:50):
Yeah, I mean I just wanted to say I was
getting ready, but that I was telling a long story.
Speaker 2 (50:53):
So don't know about him and Blake Shelton.
Speaker 7 (50:55):
Yeah, So, but seriously, I mean it's who you surround
your We got great talent to surround ourselves with. That
that's one thing, But then your partners like Without iHeart,
no one really knows that we would have been gone,
you know, twelve thirteen years ago, but they stood by
us and allowed us.
Speaker 3 (51:14):
To get better.
Speaker 7 (51:15):
We've done research and I made this thing to a
product that is very successful and has been for the
last decades. So without partners like you and now you
coming back into iHeart has been amazing. Eddie Martini, who
was my first boss in Baton Rouge in nineteen ninety.
I mean to be able to work with those kind
of people again that know how to take care of
(51:35):
our clients and how to over deliver and underpromise, it's huge,
yeah for sure. And so and then you got your
family as of support, and then I'll bring religion in
my Lord into support and hopefully that doesn't get cut
out like every you know supports guy, but it really does.
It's that circle that you surround yourself with. And I
(51:55):
can't be more thankful for iHeart, you and Eddie for
not only now inviting us in the building. You know,
we haven't been in the building in twenty years.
Speaker 2 (52:04):
Yeah for sure.
Speaker 3 (52:04):
So now being.
Speaker 7 (52:05):
Part of this community in the in the everybody that
works here is almost like a new family, which we're
being part of because we felt like we've been a
family all this time.
Speaker 2 (52:14):
Yeah, I mean it's nice of you to say and
thank you and the feelings mutual, you know. To wrap
this up, I think you know as leaders. You know,
you and I talk a lot, you know when you
guys are here, and I look forward to having you
here more. But you know, sales and a lot of
things you do in business in life can be individual,
but you win with teams.
Speaker 1 (52:33):
And when you.
Speaker 2 (52:34):
Surround yourself and you have a good team, you have
a team like you know, Kelly and Al and JC
and the rest of the crew and everybody's here, you
put yourself in a position to win. And in the
hard times you have support and in the good times
you celebrate in high five like there, like kids said
to you. So with that, I think that's a good
place for us.
Speaker 3 (52:50):
To wrap up.
Speaker 2 (52:51):
Thanks for high five and thanks for listening.
Speaker 3 (52:54):
Thanks
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