KDAWG Radio and Music Industry Conference

Four interactive question and answer sessions covering topics from music, music placement, radio, television, advertising, and more made up the first annual Radio, Music, TV & Webcasting Industry Conference - the most successful first year Intercollegiate Broadcast System conference in history - at the University of Redlands in a day-long event held Saturday, Nov. 15. The event, hosted by the college's KDAWG radio and Intercollegiate Broadcast System (IBS), featured 12 panels with 17 professional industry speakers hailing locally and even from across the country, some panelists traveling from New York, Chicago and Boston to participate in the event. KDAWG station manager Evan Sanford explained that Saturday's conference provided an opportunity for students at the University of Redlands and beyond - with students traveling from University of California, San Diego; UCI; Pierce College; California State University, Long Beach; and more - to learn about broadcast careers. Since U of R doesn't currently have broadcast journalism or communication departments, "This served as a great opportunity for students," Sanford said. "There were sessions on radio, music, music placement, TV and FCC regulations, and that's all things that aren't taught at the university but were taught at this event." Sanford called the conference "a legitimate educational experience for students." Bev St. Andrews, host of KCAA's "Let's Go Shopping With Bev," spoke on the role of women in the industry. "There were about 55 people there for the first panel," said St. Andrews. "I asked them, 'How many of you want to go into radio?' All their hands raised. I thought, 'This is cool. We're looking at the next generation of radio here.'" A career in radio was a lifelong dream of hers, St. Andrews explained. She worked with Lite 92.7, now known as Jill FM, in Riverside, 590 KTIE in San Bernardino and with KCAA 1050 AM & NBC News Talk Radio. Friday, Nov. 21, will be her 373rd "Let's Go Shopping with Bev" show. "When somebody has a dream and a passion, you put that dream and that passion together. If you get the opportunity to try it, try it, because you amaze yourself and everyone else. I truly believe this. If I gave up my dream, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing today." St. Andrews was accompanied by her colleague Mia "Mocha" Johnson, who also hosts a 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. radio show on KDAWG Monday through Friday. Johnson completed broadcasting schooling in four months and was hired immediately by Clear Channel Media in the High Desert when she got her start, Johnson explained. With a love of coffee, she nicknamed herself "Mocha" and spent six years working in the industry before beginning at KCAA, where she engineers and co-hosts many of the variety radio programs. In April, she got her start with KDAWG, where her radio show brings in 12,000 listeners a day. Johnson's two biggest pieces of advice were: "Toughen up your skin," she said. Second, "Keep going. Don't let anyone tell you what you can't do. Stick with it." When asked if she faced roadblocks as a woman in the industry, Johnson replied that she had. "You have to stand your ground. Be strong. Voice your opinion. It's not wrong to be a team player, but you have to have a voice. Recognize your talent." Sanford said the panelists weren't the only ones giving advice - though they were "phenomenal." "Some of the students were giving our panelists some advice on social media, especially," Sanford said. "So it was very unique to see the dynamic change like that." Sanford said with the success of the weekend's event and the support garnered from the community and industry professionals, the event will become annual. "I'm still on a high from it," Sanford said. "I'm already thinking about ways to take it to the next level." [END] 11/14/14 1:05 p.m.: Bree interviewed Bev. St. Andrews. Here are her notes from that interview and so you can incorporate into the story: * Host of "Let's Go Shopping with Bev" on KCAA 1040 AM Radio. The radio show is on every Friday at 4 p.m. The show interviews local business owners and reviews services and products from local businesses. * Been in radio for 8 years altogether. * "Ever since I was little, I wanted to do radio. It was a passion of mine. I remember when I told my parents, they were like, 'Okay.' But when the opportunity arose for me to start radio, I took it." * Bev began her radio career in Connecticut. Then she moved to California and got a job with Lite 92.7, now known as Jill FM, in Riverside. * She started doing commercial spots and hosting Market Night in Riverside, but the station relocated to Victorville and Bev did not move with the station. She got back into radio after some time off at 590 KTIE in San Bernardino, and later began her career with KCAA 1050 AM & NBC News Talk Radio. * "'No' is not in my vocabulary. I was determined to do it," she said of her career in radio. * Her radio show was an idea born while she was taking her daughter shopping. "We were shopping at the mall and I got fed up, so we left and I started seeing all these mom and pop local shops. I thought, 'How do I get their names out there?'" She started talking to local business owners and found out there was a need for a spotlight on the area's local shops. * Friday, Nov. 14 was her 372nd show. * "It's fun, it's exciting, it's interesting. Everyday there's something new going on. It's fantastic," Bev said of her career. * "When somebody has a dream and a passion, you put that dream and that passion together. If you get the opportunity to try it, try it, because you amaze yourself and everyone else. I truly believe this. If I gave up my dream, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing today. It's a sincere pleasure being involved with the organizations I'm involved with, because we're giving back." * Bev was in the The Role of Women in Industry Q & A Session, the very first of the day. Other panelists in this session included Bev's co-workers: Mia Johnson (who also works with the University's radio station, KDAWG), Nicole Smith and Erin Brinker. Also on this panel was Trish Bell from KABL. *"There were about 55 people there for the first panel," said St. Andrews. "I asked them, 'How many of you want to go into radio?' All their hands raised. I thought, 'This is cool. We're looking at the next generation of radio here.'" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 11/14/14: Notes on Nicole Smith (909) 841-4513 or (909) 894-3707 * Host of "Change is in the Air" on KCAA 1050 AM. The radio show is on Tuesdays from 5 - 6 p.m. The show talks about real-life situations with the hope of empowering and encouraging others to make changes in their own lives and differences in the lives of others. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 11/14/14: Notes on Erin Brinker (909) 323-9337 * Host of KCAA 1050 AM's Morning Show. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 11/17/14: Notes on Mia "Mocha" Johnson cell (760) 900-5318. *On-air Talent & Producer of "Mia Mocha's Mega Mix" *KDAWG Redlands College Radio *Single parent, took broadcasting school at home so she could be with her children *Met with the program director with Clear Channel Radio in the High Desert at the time *"We hit it off, it was wonderful!" *Graduated within 4 months and was immediately hired with Clear Channel *They had stations for talk shows, country, classic rock, etc. "They had this playing field of eclectic stations." *Named herself "Mocha" because she loves coffee so much *Worked with High Desert stations for 6 years before she started working with KCAA *Does a lot of community outreach *At KCAA she engineers and co-hosts a lot of the variety radio programs *Has been with KCAA for 3 years *Has been with KDAWG, University of Redlands Student Radio, since April 2014 *Started out with a 10a.m. -12 p.m. radio music show, now it's 10 a.m.-2 p.m. *First starting, had about 200-700 listeners. Today there are 12,000 listeners just since April to her show. *She also mentors students *Two biggest pieces of advice: 1) Toughen up your skin. This industry is brutal. 2) Keep going. Don't let anyone tell you what you can't do. Stick with it. *Said she faced some roadblocks and challenges as a woman in the industry, but she tells her students: "You have to stand your ground. Be strong. Voice your opinion. It's not wrong to be a team player but you have to have a voice. Recognize your talent." ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 11/14/14: Notes on Evan Stanford (909) 748-8880 * Station Manager of KDAWG -First one so he said it's a really big deal for him. First chance to put it on at U of R. -Open to everyone. This event is on a large scale. -Started the radio station last year, he mentioned that to do an event like this on their second year is very successful. -This is a big opportunity for students or anyone interested in a career in this field to get educated about the field and the process of getting into the field. "Legitimate educational experience for students." -Some panels from New York, Chicago, and Boston. Came a long way to speak. -Each panelist will talk briefly about their personal experiences in the business. and all will be doing a Q&A session after. "So excited to share this experience with my fellow students" -"This is the perfect opportunity to get the radio stations name (KDAWG) out there" -"I literally could not sit still all week long because I'm so so excited for this event." -He knows most of the panelists and called to invite them to the event. "60% I already knew" The rest of them got invited by spreading the word via social media. "It was a kinda of an organic invitation process." **Wants to make an input after the event. Bree calling him at 12 p.m. on Monday (11/17/14). 11/17/14 Notes: *Highest attendance of any first year IBS conference *Annual thing because we had that support *Already thinking of ways to take it to the next level *Participating colleges: University of San Diego, Pierce College, UCI, CSU Long Beach and more *~70 attendees with 20 speakers; roughly 100 people *U of R doesn't have a broadcast journalism or communications major, "so this served as a great opportunity for students. There were sessions on radio, music, music placement, TV and FCC regulations, and that's all things that aren't taught at the university but were taught at this event." *"Our speakers were phenomenal and they gave so much insight into their careers with the advice they gave to the students." *Students were even able to give panelists some advice about social media and how they use it. "That was very nice to see the dynamic change there." *Local radio show panelists, it was beneficial for students because "they want to feature a few students on their radio programs," said Sanford. *Sanford and 5 others helped begin the radio station last year. "When people ask us if we want to talk about it, we say 'Absolutely!'" because we did it. *Panelists traveling from New York, Boston and Chicago, they were beneficial speakers for the students, too, because "Those are the people who have been in the business the longest. They teach and they're professors at the colleges and universities out there. So glad they did travel cross-country." --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- KDAWG Radio & Music Industry Conference Date: Saturday, November 15, 2014 Time: 10:00 a.m. Event Location: University of Redlands Address: 1200 E. Colton Ave., Redlands, CA 92374 Description: Students and public will ask questions of radio and music industry professionals over three Q&A Sessions held throughout the day. NOTES: Please see Event Program in "Confidential" notes above for a full outline of the day's events and bios on the panel speakers. It's probably not necessary to be there ALL day. Get the overall "gist" of the event, speak with students, get quotes from the panelists, and take photos. See also the University Map in the attached documents so you know where to go. REGISTRATION: General Registration is from 8-10 a.m. Panel begins at 10 a.m. PARKING: Also attached is a map of the University of Redlands campus that contains where the guest speaker and general parking will be located. General Admission: parking will be located off of Colton Ave on the right and behind the tennis courts. LUNCH: Lunch will be from 12:15 until 2 pm. During this time, attendees will eat lunch, along with taking part in the KDAWG broadcast studio tour and enjoy performances from some artists that have been featured on the station. We hope this information is helpful to you for the event and if you have any questions prior to the event, please let me know. From all of us at KDAWG, we are so excited to see you at the conference. Best Regards, Evan Sanford Station Manager KDAWG College Radio University of Redlands (909) 748-8880