Shawn
Dietz
I
came to KLMJ/KQCR with very limited radio experience.
I’d always been interested in the Radio industry, but didn’t really
start thinking about it as a career choice until I began feeling the itch to
leave my steady factory job at AFG Glass in Hampton.
It was one of those situations where you get really stressed out at the
end of a 12-hour workday, you come home and talk big about quitting, but in the
end you come to realize it’s a really good job for someone with no post high
school education. Then, in April of
2008 fate intervened, and management announced that the factory would be closing
within the year. I began to think
about what direction I would like my life to go that would be best for both my
sanity, and my family. I thought
about radio, but I had convinced myself that with no formal education or
background in radio, the odds that a station manager would take a chance on me
were slim to none.
I tried a couple of jobs that made me more miserable than
ever, then I decided to go back to school.
I enrolled in NIACC in the only program that I thought would satisfy both
my interests, and possibly get my foot in the door of a local radio
station—Marketing/Sales. In the
Summer of 2009 I was blessed to have the opportunity to volunteer for a small
Christian/Easy Listening station in Mason City (97.9 KCMR) which allowed me to
gain some experience and they even let me write a Marketing plan for them that
actually got some use!
I will graduate in the Spring of 2010 with an Associate’s
Degree, adding the missing ingredient to compliment my vast useless knowledge of
things like music, sports, news, and current events.
What else could I do, but work in the radio business?
My personal music collection spans everything from local Christian artist
Jon Anderson (I played a lot of his music at KCMR) to local Hard Rock/Metal
bands Crooked Halo and Xxile; bands that I do video for and you can see for
yourself at www.youtube.com/knightsent.
I also have everything from American Standards like Frank Sinatra, Tony
Bennett, and Dean Martin, Metal artists like Black Label Society and Pantera,
Country acts including Garth Brooks and George Strait, and everything in between
including ‘90’s Gangster Rap artists such as 2Pac, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Doggy
Dogg (I lost respect when he lost the “Doggy”), and guilty pleasures like
80’s one-hit wonders, and Michael Jackson.
Last, but certainly not least, nothing. . . NOTHING trumps KISS!!!
I am a proud member of the KISS Army, and got to see them close down Cobo
Hall in Detroit. The best concert moment any KISS fan could ask for.
I’m also a die-hard football fan. Back in my younger days I would usually win the KLMJ Sports
Trivia contest on weekday mornings once a month. My favorite teams are the Iowa Hawkeyes and any NFL team that
has a Hawkeye on the roster, except the Packers.
I like Aaron Kampman and Abdul Hodge, but there’s just something about those uniforms.
My biggest influence to get into the news and current events
portion of radio is Glenn Beck . . . Question With Boldness, Hold on to the
Truth & Speak Without Fear! Gotta
love it!
I’ve only been with KLMJ/KQCR a short time, and I’ve
pretty much been acting as Studio Producer (fancy term for “button pusher”)
for sports broadcasts on KQCR with the spectacular calls of Duane, Austin, or
Kelly on play-by-play, and have been enjoying working with Betsy and Craig in
the News Department. I’m
looking forward to a long career in this business, and a long tenure with KLMJ/KQCR.
I’ve pretty much laid out my life story here, but if there’s anything
else you might want to know about me you can find me on Facebook (reluctantly),
or you can E-Mail me at shawn@klmj.com. Thanks for reading, and
thanks for listening to 104.9 KLMJ and 98.9 KQCR!