Stations Win National Honors

They seem as different as can be--the hip-hop station and its morning-show host, and the outlet for contemporary Christian music--but they share recognition from their peers around the country, who named them the best in the business for the past year.

Big Boy, morning host at KPWR-FM (105.9), was named major-market personality of the year in the National Assn. of Broadcasters Marconi Awards last Saturday, while his station, Power 106, was named the nation’s contemporary hit radio station of the year. And Orange County’s KFSH-FM (95.9), the Fish, was named religious station of the year.

“Power 106 is like an industry standard. It’s one of the top stations as far as sound and air talent,” said Dontay Thompson, contemporary hit radio/rhythmic editor for the trade magazine Radio & Records. “They’re like your friends who happen to be on the air. They’re all there to have fun, and they’re all about the music and the lifestyle, and they don’t take themselves very seriously.”

Big Boy, whose “Big Boy’s Neighborhood” airs from 5 to 10 a.m. weekdays, said he and his cast of characters make sure they’re having a good time, because anything less would be audible to listeners.

“I love to laugh, I love to enjoy myself, and at the same time I know I have responsibilities and am very serious,” said Big Boy, who has held the morning slot for five years. “My job, first, is to entertain.

“I’m pretty much just trying to satisfy the audience. I’m not really a guy to run after awards,” he said. “But if it comes my way, I’ll take it with a smile.”

The success of Big Boy and the station as a whole relies on tenets that seem basic but are often forgotten, said Jimmy Steal, KPWR’s program director and regional vice president for Emmis Communications-Los Angeles, which also owns country station KZLA-FM (93.9). He said Power 106 makes sure it knows its audience intimately and stays consistent in offering what it wants, from music to the types of products advertised.

And the consistency has paid off: Power 106 was first in Los Angeles for the spring ratings period, the most recent available, while “Big Boy’s Neighborhood” was the area’s second-ranked English-language morning show.

In addition to ratings success, the Marconi Award voters also consider stations’ public service and innovative promotions.

KPWR won in the same category in 1989, the first year of the Marconis. “This really is the highest honor for broadcasters,” Steal said. “We’re all pretty elated. Big Boy won because he’s an incredible natural talent.

“He’s a great storyteller. The ability to weave a story without the benefit of pictures is a great skill. I don’t know if he’s second to anybody with that. And they’re just slice-of-life stories,” Steal said, who added that the DJ’s connection with the community is integral to Big Boy’s appeal.

Born Kurt Alexander in Chicago, Big Boy moved to Culver City at age 2 and has lived in the area ever since. “I can talk about the Culver City [High School] Centaurs and Palms Middle School,” or reminisce about a certain corner that used to hold a McDonald’s, said Big Boy, 33.

“I’d take it as a blessing if it happened anywhere else,” he said. But succeeding in his hometown means “so many people who love you get a chance to see you. They know exactly who you are and where you came from and where you want to go.”

Big Boy, who also debuted Wednesday as a recurring character on the new Fox television series “Fastlane,” said he’ll continue to ride the success as long as he can.

“I’ve been not busy before, so I don’t mind being busy,” he said.

The other winner in the Southland market this year was KFSH, the contemporary Christian station that debuted only two years ago and that won religious station of the year.

“It’s really had a very rapid growth compared to many start-ups,” said Dave Armstrong, vice president and general manager of Salem Communications-Los Angeles, which operates KFSH and talk stations KKLA (99.5 FM and 1240 AM) and KRLA-AM (870).

He said the award is especially gratifying because industry peers do the voting, and he credited his station’s success to the same recipe that Steal cited: knowing the audience, keeping the music consistent and entertaining for listeners, and using innovative promotions.

Recently KFSH had an all-request day to benefit the WorldVision ministry; listeners could ask for any song they wanted, as long as they pledged to sponsor a child, a commitment of about $300 a year. “We played ‘Dancing Queen’ by ABBA. Some people wanted to hear Led Zeppelin, so we played Led Zeppelin,” Armstrong said, and in so doing garnered sponsorships for 515 children.

He said the station also does much more audience research than most Christian stations, to determine that they’re playing exactly what local listeners want to hear and not just following national album charts.

“We’re just trying to connect with the people most likely to listen to our station”--churchgoing Christians, Armstrong said. He admitted, though, that compared with most radio stations, “our job is a little easier. We know where they are once a week, usually.”