April Zesbaugh interview

Back in 2003- or 2004, I started tuning into KOA radio in the mornings. The show was called Colorado’s Morning News, and was hosted by Steve Kelley and April Zesbaugh. This show was very informative, and kept me updated on the different news events both around Colorado and around the world. In 2005 Steve Kelley left the show and now the show is hosted by April Zesbaugh and Steffan Tubbs. I like the stories that April reads on the air, and I like the news stories that she covers. The show is on from 5-10 Am on 850 and 94.1 KOA radio.Here is my interview with April.Jeremy Levy: I first started listening to you back in 2003 or 2004, but is KOA radio where you got your start in radio if not, where, and how did you get your start in radio?April Zesbaugh: I got my start in radio in College at UNC in Greeley. I worked for the public radio station on campus, KUNC. I worked there throughout college and then got a job in Laramie, Wyoming at KUWR radio which was on the UW campus. Then I came to Denver for a radio job inside KCNC-TV. They owned a radio station for a couple of years as an experiment. Then I auditioned for the job at KOA on the morning show and got it! I recently had my 20th anniversary. I've been working there since 1996.JL: I know that you have done some remote broadcasts with the Rockies, and the Bronco’s, but are there any special broadcasts, and or interviews that are memorable for you?AZ: We've had so many special broadcasts and interviews it's tough to narrow it down. I remember watching Steve Kelly sit in every seat at the new mile high Stadium when it was built. He showed such grit, it was so inspiring. Yes, most of the remote broadcasts we do are in sports venues like Coors Field or Mile Hi stadium. I had a fun time on St. Patrick's Day at 'kegs and eggs' this year in a Lodo bar. And years ago before Colorado had Powerball, we took a group of listeners to Ogallala, Nebraska to play Powerball. That was a fun road trip. Both Steffan and I felt so honored to broadcast live from the Democratic National Convention when I was in Denver in 2008. And that same year we went to the Republican national convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. We interview a lot of politicians on a regular basis: the governor, our senators, all of our Congress people and local legislators. We also regularly interview nationally renowned comics like Norm MacDonald, Pete Davidson, and Caroline Rhea to name a few. I really liked talking with the creators of South Park, because they're from Colorado and funny. Just last week I got to interview Cyndi Lauper, a favorite of mine from the 1980s. That was pretty exciting. She told a funny story about how she used to wear real paint in her hair and it would flake off like orange dandruff.And of course we always talk to current and former athletes like John Elway, Pat Bowlen, Gary Kubiak, CJ Anderson, Charlie Blackmon, Tim Tebow, etc. It's always refreshing to find many of these rich, famous and powerful people who seem so down to earth.JL: What would be your advice for someone wanting to get into Colorado radio?What are one or two strengths, and what are one or two weaknesses of Colorado radio today?AZ: My advice for anyone getting into any broadcast field would be to get an internship. Typically you won't get paid for it, but the experience you get will be invaluable. I had an internship at a cable television station during college and of course at the radio station I worked at on campus. And then I also did an internship before I got my job at KCNC TV.Any radio station you work at will want to hear a tape of your on air work. So if you can get some studio time to put a tape together, that would be a great idea.I think Colorado radio right now is very diverse, which is great. People have a lot of listening choices. But I think it's very difficult for music radio in particular to compete with satellite radio and the 100+ channels of music and entertainment. Fortunately for us in the news business, people want to hear local news and traffic/weather and they're not going to get that on satellite radio. It is also good to be the big dog on the block. And I Heart Radio is definitely that. For instance, KOA is the only radio station in the Denver metro area that has a helicopter traffic reporter. One challenge for all radio stations is to provide compelling content around more and more commercials.JL: For me, I am very interested and passionate about getting into Colorado radio. I have done an internship at a radio station in Colorado Springs, and I really enjoyed being in the environment of a radio station. Would you have any advice for me, and would you have any connections for me?AZ: I am glad to hear that you're interested in pursuing radio as a career. Because of the advent of satellite radio and the internet, I feel like there are more opportunities for voice talent now then there were when I was coming up in the business. I don't know much about internships at KOA, but I know our news director sometimes has openings for weekend and overnite fill-in people. You are welcome to send me an mp3 of your work and I'd be happy to critique it.Good luck!April Z.