Small Market Radio Station DJ with a Lot of Heart: Galen Stevens

Large market radio stations and syndicated radio shows can reach hundreds of thousands of listeners each day. There is practically an army working behind the scenes to support the on air personalities. Their budgets are large and their listener base even larger. Yet, in the heart of America, exists a different breed of radio station. It is the small market radio stations which serve as the cornerstones of their community, providing quality entertainment to local people by local people.

Meet Galen Stevens. Stevens is the morning show DJ at KKLR in Poplar Bluff, a small town in the bootheel of Missouri. He does not have a large crew supporting him on the air..in fact, he also works as both the program manager and music director. He is also responsible for all the promotions done by the radio station. both the advertising done by the station and for the station.

Stevens has wanted to work in radio since he was seven years old. After graduating from high school, he attended Linwood College in St. Charles, Missouri. He started his career with Fox Radio and moved to River Radio in 1999. Stevens started at the bottom, working as a part time engineer during the overnight shift. Now only 28, he has worked his way all the way up to his current position.

Stevens' day starts early. He goes on the air at 6 AM, sounding chipper and alert, although he says he is not a morning person. He finishes up his airtime around 10 AM and then the rest of his day begins. A large part of Stevens' job consists of scheduling the music for the station. Long gone are the days of DJ's actually playing records or CDs. Everything is computerized..songs, commercials and the bumpers in and out of the breaks. Although he receives advice from a consulting firm, he tends to go with his heart and instincts as to what will work on the station. He says that a song "doesn't have to be on a list for me to play it."

In fact, it was Stevens who made a push for the station to turn some of its attention away from Top 40 country and incorporate what is called "Red Dirt" country into the station's lineup. Red Dirt country is a rising genre of country music that has its roots in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Although there is no one true definition of Red Dirt country, it has been described as a mix of alt-country, Southern rock, Outlaw country and Texas Honky-Tonk. Stevens made the decision to play music from artists such as Cross Canadian Ragweed, Jack Ingram, and Reckless Kelly. He says that it is possible that they might be alienating some of their more traditional listeners, but he feels it is important to cultivate an interest in various forms of country among the younger listeners.

Stevens feels that it is necessary to venture into this edgier form of country, not only because he personally enjoys it the best, but because it is essential to the success of the radio station. He points out that in a small town such as Poplar Bluff, country stations are "a dime a dozen." He compares it to having a basket of white balls and asking someone to pick the same white ball out of the basket each time. If a station wants listeners, it needs to find a way to distinguish itself from the rest of its competitors. He wants KKLR to be the red ball in the basket which will encourage the listening audience to tune back in each day for something a little different than what everyone else is offering.

Although Stevens says it would be nice to work at a middle or large market station one day, he really loves working for a small market station. He believes there are many advantages to working for a smaller station. First, small market DJs do not live and die with the ratings. In fact, the Arbitron ratings aren't even divided into time slots at a station this size. Also, if you work at a small market station you are likely to be able to advance quicker if you work hard. There is less management and therefore less micromanaging. For Stevens, the best part of working at small market station is the ability to interact with the community. The station does three to four remote broadcasts a week, appearing live at local businesses and events. Not only is it beneficial to the advertisers, but it helps to promote the station as well. It also gives the DJs a chance to meet some of their listening audience and develop a sense of community.

KKLR is a music driven station, however, it has a definite advantage over satellite stations. They provide local news, weather and events on a regular basis. Stevens estimates that he only spends six to ten minutes an hour actually talking on the air. He says that the focus is more on "stationality" than "personality." That is not to say that he doesn't add his own sense of humor and knowledge to his broadcasts. He believes strongly that the music is his product and his job is to sell that product. Listening to him on the air, it is easy to see how he has managed to move so quickly up the ranks in radio. He is personable, friendly and funny..way before the sun has even risen. Stevens says that he strives to talk in a manner that communicates that he is speaking one on one to the listener. When asked if he finds it difficult to handle being upbeat when he sick or bothered by a personal issue, he said that he is able to leave his "real-life" persona at the door of the studio. His only goal for those four hours is to make the listeners and advertisers happy. He seems aware that his voice is often the first thing people hear in the morning and sees it as his responsibility to provide the best quality radio possible, despite anything else that might be going on. Surprisingly, Stevens is rather soft-spoken in person. He's much less hyper and a lot more thoughtful. While you could consider what he does on the radio a form of acting, he never appears fake or insincere.

Despite the size of Poplar Bluff, it is blessed with a venue which has a seating capacity of 5,000 people (a little less than 1/3 of the entire population of the city). The venue has been able to host such artists as Rascal Flatts, Josh Gracin and Little Big Town. This is beneficial for the residents of Poplar Bluff as well as the radio station who works to promote these events.

There are definitely some perks to Stevens' job. He's been able to talk to some of the biggest names in country (Garth Brooks, George Strait and Keith Urban to name a few) but is most thrilled with getting to talk to Merle Haggard. He says that he grew up listening to Merle Haggard's music and that his grandmother was a huge fan. He calls Haggard's music, "a soundtrack to my life."

When asked what advice he had for those interested in a career in radio, Stevens quipped, "DON'T!" All joking aside, he says that it is not necessary to have a college degree or to go to broadcasting school. He compares working in radio to being a professional baseball player. You can train all you want, but you have to be born with the talent. If you aren't born with it, you'll never be great. You need to be willing to start at the bottom and work your way up. He believes you must be "willing to struggle to succeed."

He is living proof. In just 10 short years, he has gone from a high school graduate to program director at a 100,000 watt radio station. Stevens says that the goal of a DJ is not to be funny, informative or entertaining. The goal is to get the listener to keep listening.

It is clear that Stevens has mastered the art of being funny, informative, entertaining while also being able to engage the listener. KKLR has received top ratings over and over again, no doubt due to the on and off air work done by Stevens.

Although his voice might never reach an entire metropolitan area, Stevens is satisfied. "I set a goal for myself and I made it," he says.

It is the work of people like him who provide a voice to small town America. Who let people know the scores of the high school football games, the sales going on at the local grocery store, and the best place to get a Chinese dinner. It is the small market radio station that lives and breathes community. As the world seems to expand, it is comforting to know that in some places in America you can still get local radio from local people who care about the town you live in. After all, it is their town too.