Originally published on March 07, 2008

Becky Brenner

CBS Radio
KMPS/Seattle PD

CBS Radio's KMPS/Seattle PD has done it all, all in one place

Many of country's radio and music executives are gathering in Nashville March 5-7 for the annual Country Radio Seminar. Presiding over this year's festivities is Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB) president Becky Brenner, one of the format's most respected PDs.

Getting into the business: I went to the University of Wisconsin for radio, TV and film. I was talking to a guy about how I really needed money and he said the best thing would be to get an internship at a commercial station, which offered more experience than working at the campus station. I went to the local top 40 and country stations, an AM/FM combo, and applied. Maybe four or five weeks into it, they asked if I wanted to do news on Saturday mornings. So I went to the small towns surrounding Oshkosh and wrote up news stories and reported back during the week. On Saturdays I anchored the news all morning. It was a full-service AM, so I was doing 15-minute news blocks.

Then they hired me full-time to do overnights, which worked well for my college schedule. I did that for eight or nine months, and the program director said, "We want you to do afternoon drive." And I was like, "Whoa, OK!" I was on the AM country live from 2 to 6 p.m., then voice-tracked the FM, which was top 40.

When I graduated, I was going to do television. I sent a tape to "Evening Magazine" in Green Bay and the guy sent a letter back saying, "We love your writing, your interviewing skills and you did a great job editing, but you have to cut your hair and lose 10 pounds." I was like, "Who needs that kind of grief?" Originally my dream was to take over for Johnny Carson. Unfortunately, it didn't happen.

Joining KMPS: After I graduated, I met my husband at the end of that year. When he asked me to marry him, I said, "I'm going to live in Seattle." I was born here and my family moved to Wisconsin, but I always missed it. In 1982, an opening came up for 7-midnight here. They hired me and I've been in Seattle ever since.

Until 1992, I did just about every job in the building. Jaye Albright came in as program director when I was doing production and heard me do a weekend shift and said, "Why are you not on the air every day?" She put me on middays, so I did that along with promotion and other operation things until I left in 1995 for Broadcast Programming and the BP Consulting Group, doing country consulting and programming. I then became VP of all formats for two years, before I was hired back at what was KMPS and [classic rock] KZOK. I've been here ever since.

Define your programming philosophy: Service to others is what has made it work for me. Serve the listeners, the advertisers, the staff, the artists and the labels. It creates an environment where everyone wins.

Biggest challenge: Doing more with fewer resources. That's been true since the day I started. The program director I first had in Oshkosh complained because they wouldn't give him money to get a remote vehicle to do on-sites. That was 30 years ago. We're still having the same issues.

Career disappointment: A few years ago, I would have said I regretted not being a GM, but watching what's happened I really don't. I've come to realize the day-to-day is what's most fun for me and I like focusing on one station, because you get more contact with people and have greater ability to affect results than if you're at some other management level.

Most influential individual: Jaye Albright, of course. Fred Schumacher, who was a general manager here for a long time and taught me a lot. [Veteran network radio executive] Edie Hilliard has been an amazing female mentor, and [CBS Radio senior VP/regional manager] Lisa Decker these last few years, who's been amazing to work with as well. All four were a great influence.

Advice for broadcasters: Don't fear change, think positively, and if you're not enjoying it, move on. Do some face-to-face, have real conversations with people, walk down the hall. I'm really pushing these days to get rid of e-mail. I look at my kids and wonder if they are ever going to be good at interpersonal communication where they don't have a device typing three-word sentences to people. It's inappropriate to say things on e-mail that you would never say to people's face, and it's horrible.

Liner Notes
Profile: Becky Brenner
Title: CBS Radio's KMPS/Seattle PD
Favorite radio format: Country
Favorite TV show: "I'm kind of addicted to 'Medium' and 'Lipstick Jungle.'"
Favorite song: "People tease me because I say, 'Oh, I love that song,' and everyone says I love every song. In the last few years, I really love 'Live Like You Were Dying.'"
Favorite movie: "Pretty Woman"
Favorite book: "I have so many and I read a lot of trashy novels, because sometimes you just need a release."
Favorite restaurant: "Right now it's the Icon Grill in Seattle."
Beverage of choice: "Beer—any microbrews, pretty much."
Hobbies: "I play volleyball, read a lot, I love dancing and I recently took up knitting again. And I like skiing and other outdoor things that I'm just getting too old to do anymore."
E-mail address: becky@kmps.com

'Originally my dream was to take over for Johnny Carson. Unfortunately, it didn't happen.' —Becky Brenner