Interview: John Richards, Tom Mara On KEXP's New York Adventure
John Richards, photo by Bootsy Holler.
To shed a little more light on what KEXP's partnership with Radio New York will mean to local listeners, I chatted with KEXP's John Richards (host, The Morning Show), Tom Mara (executive director), and Andrew Corey (programming manager).
Here are the answers to a few of my questions. Note, some of my questions are paraphrased for your convenience.
Will you be playing more New York bands, now?
Richards: I already play so many New York bands, actually. Usually every hour a New York band comes up just by shear quality. I can't imagine ever turning my back on Seattle music. I've been jacked into seattle bands for years.
I hear you'll be splitting your time between New York and Seattle. Is that true?
Richards: Yes. Starting in June. It'll be about 50/50. Well, 70/30 this year. 70, being in Seattle.
Will this be a Seattle show broadcast in New York City, or something different?
Richards: I think it's just going to continue to be the morning show. I actually don't think the sound of the show's going to change at all. I guess there's going to be more mention of where I am. It's still a Seattle-based show, a Seattle-based station.
How will local listeners hear a difference?
Richards: I think the difference they'll hear is exposure to more music. I've been able to find more music. And geographically find more up-and-coming bands. I've been broadcasting out of New York for a long time. There's a reason we played Interpol first, and LCD Soundsystem. I think you'll hear us discovering more bands, just because of what NY is, being a mecca, being close to Europe.
How will this be better for Seattle listeners?
Richards said there will likely be more in-studio performances, including those from artists who might not visit Seattle.
Mara: From a mission perspective, it just makes a lot of sense. Being able to export our talent that has already emerged in Seattle, and put it in front of 14-million people. That's just a good thing.
Richards: I thought a about that today when I was playing Blue Scholars. (NYC listeners) might not have ever heard our local hip-hop scene (until our show). To me, that's so great for our musicians.
Regarding syndication:
Mara: We're going to be learning a lot in this coming year. We don't have aspirations to syndicate KEXP to other stations yet. I don't think we should think about that until we have this experience under our belt.
John, do you want to be the Carson Daly of indie rock?
Richards: If I never become Carson Daly, I will be successful in my pursuit. Now, if I can bring more music to more people, that'll be great.
8 comment(s)
Shitoshinola says:
Nobody will read this
Posted On: Monday, Feb. 11 2008 @ 7:30PM
m says:
I WILL. (maybe.) Is he interested in a HOUSE SWAP?
Posted On: Tuesday, Feb. 12 2008 @ 9:53AM
m2 says:
HA! mr. shinola, I DID read it. RIVETING!!
Posted On: Tuesday, Feb. 12 2008 @ 9:56AM
Shitoshinola says:
There are many Dj\'s at KEXP that are pretty angry right now, get the story Weekly.
Posted On: Tuesday, Feb. 12 2008 @ 4:19PM
Shitoshinola says:
There are many Dj\'s at KEXP that are pretty angry right now, get the story Weekly.
Posted On: Tuesday, Feb. 12 2008 @ 4:20PM
Hannah Levin says:
Well, I\'m a DJ at KEXP and I\'m thrilled, not angry. And believe me, the locally-focused show I host (Audioasis) isn\'t going anywhere.
Posted On: Tuesday, Feb. 12 2008 @ 5:25PM
abandonvehicle says:
Go John GO!!!
I had always pondered this type of thing each time John went to NY.
Each time I spend a week in Utah with my fam I listen to KEXP streaming and 99% of the time think it could be a kickin station, commercial free , excellent music blasting out high o\'er Temple Square.
I mean seriously, each pledge drive there are competing states fighting for the most donors, why the hell should they be only able to access the tunes when at work or at home?
At the same time, big changes often bring resistance. ie the second FM channel of kexp that went almost to Portland.
Keep up the great work,
Scott~
Posted On: Wednesday, Feb. 13 2008 @ 8:33AM
dan10things says:
KEXP plays big city music. I think it was overly optimistic to think a second station in Tacoma would work. Tacoma and it\'s outlying areas are more working class, more Coors drinkin\' dudes with pick up trucks and blue collar jobs and attitudes, rather than hipsters that doing copying that look ironically and hanging out at Linda\'s. Smaller town young folks like metal and hard rock, not indie pop. If you spend much time driving around small town Washington, you hear the big local stations for people in their 20s and 30s coming out of Castle Rock, Vancouver and Tacoma all play metal and rock. That\'s why you see the success of a radio station like FunkyMonkey in the Tacoma area, where KEXP failed. Plus KGRG already had a long established listenership playing punk and college rock in the same area, so KEXP had two \"alternative\" stations to compete with. I would think NYC would be completely different, it should go over big there.
Posted On: Wednesday, Feb. 13 2008 @ 9:46AM