Heritage Rock station WDHA/Morristown is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and PD Curtis Kay has been there for almost all of it. He joined the station in 1980 for nights, and has served as MD and APD before recently being promoted to PD. ‘DHA has lots of activities planned to mark their birthday this year, such as the annual Rock The Park concert and numerous fan appreciation days. As Kay says, “When you do something that you absolutely love, it’s amazing how you can survive and last for so long. Everyday I’ve come to work in 30 years has been a fun thing.”
Curtis Kay
Curtis Kay started at WDHA/Morristown in 1980 doing nights, and over his long tenure at the station, he eventually rose to the position of APD/MD. He recently got promoted to PD after serving as interim PD for about six months, and he also holds down the 3 to 7 shift. This year, WDHA is celebrating 30 years on the air as “New Jersey’s Rock Station,” and Kay has been there for almost all of it. Though he originally joined the station with the intention of a brief stay, he liked the area and the atmosphere so much that he decided to stick around. “One thing led to another and the next thing you know, 30 years have almost gone by!” Kay told FMQB. But as he points out, if you love what you do, then it never seems like work.
eQB presents excerpts from the April FMQB magazine Rock Up Close: WDHA: New Jersey’s Rock Station Turns 30
On programming a heritage station like WDHA…
We balance new music that works for our area of Northern New Jersey. The great thing about WDHA is that we’ve always been a Classic Rock-oriented station, but we’ve also played a lot of new music over the years, so our audience is used to that. They know, no matter what age group, they’re always going to hear something that’s new, fresh and different. That’s been ’DHA’s philosophy: a good mix of Classic Rock and New Rock, and just changing with the times. No matter what the trend is, we’ve always been on top of it. We’ve always had that flexibility.
On the station’s imaging…
We keep things lighthearted and funny, and then we also have serious imaging where we’re promoting the fact that WDHA is celebrating its 30th anniversary as a Rock station. We’re really keying in on that, seeing as how New York radio has flipped so many times and we’ve always done the same thing for 30 years. We drum that home: “We’ve always been here. We’ve always been New Jersey’s Rock station.” We’re in the shadow of the number one radio market in the country. But all those stations that have existed as a Rock station in New York have either come or gone, and ’DHA has always been here.
On the challenges facing the radio industry…
For a station like WDHA, keeping in touch with your audience is key. All the technology is really great, but WDHA is more of a getting out there, in-your-face kind of station. I think that’s one of the things radio has to realize: it’s still a one-on-one medium. Getting out and getting involved with listeners and doing a lot of charity events and local events is huge for us. It’s important to remember that you can get lost in technology sometimes. The technology is very important, but you can’t just base a whole radio station on that. You still have to deal with that one-on-one listener, and I think radio needs to get back to doing that a little bit more.
On the secret to his longevity in the radio biz…
It’s all about hard work, devotion and not taking myself too seriously. Also, it’s always being available and willing to work. It’s funny, when you do something that you absolutely love doing, it’s amazing how you can survive and last for so long. Everyday I’ve come to work in 30 years has been absolutely a fun thing. When you love doing what you’re doing, you just don’t get burned out.
** QB Content by Mandy Feingold **
Also in the April Issue:
Silent Majority Group’s Jeff Hanson and Rick Schmidt
For being the Little Engine In Florida That Could, Silent Majority Group has a freight train of success and experience in its dossier. Company President Jeff Hanson is best known for his highly successful management company, guiding Creed to over 30 million sales and worldwide acclaim. His record label, management and merchandising company are headquartered in Orlando, and overseen by day-to-day guru and VP and veteran programmer Rick Schmidt. We recently caught up with Hanson and Schmidt on SMG’s beginnings, its current success with acts such as Tantric and Framing Hanley, and the guiding philosophies that are currently serving the company very well.
