Meet Kris Kosach | TV & Radio Host, Multi-Media Producer and Manager

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kris Kosach and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kris, let’s talk legacy – what do you want yours to be?
My media heroes include innovators like Alan Lomax who canvased the American South and recorded very early bluesmen and folk stories in the Deep South. Or John Peele who broke musical artists like Pink Floyd and David Bowie. Teri Gross is a contemporary inspiration for her aptitude to speak with tastemakers on all manner of topics.

What these hosts all have in common is that they are capturing a slice of history by telling stories, or giving voice to artists. Each of these narrators educates the listener through entertainment. That’s what I would like my legacy to be.

I’d like to be remembered as a reliable and authentic voice for important stories you haven’t heard before, but definitely should. I’d like to make a name for myself as trusted source for a damn good story, but to also go on record by capturing a moment in time, or a subculture or a zeitgeist that is fascinating.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I believe local broadcasts are becoming homogenized and normalized to a dangerous degree. There was a time when outlets in Los Angeles and New York were quite different from one another. That’s not the case anymore. A DJ in San Francisco may be voice tracking a show for a station in LA without ever disclosing that they are hundreds of miles away. In 2017, the FCC killed a law requiring stations to have local news, which effectively silenced regional storytelling. In 2016, the UHF signal that TVs used to use was auctioned off to telecom giants. The simple (and cheaper) solution has been to bet on digital signals, but those can be coming from anywhere. Don’t get me wrong, digital audio is fantastic! It’s just that I believe local broadcasts and their unique take on a city is being lost in the shuffle, and that’s worth saving.

That’s why I chose to work with KLBP, Long Beach Public Radio. As the General Manager relaunching this relatively young station, I believe in mentoring the next generation of broadcasters to bring their own flavor to the airwaves. Be hyper local. Share your stories. What’s happening down the street? I tell my staff- be YOU in your city!

You see, throughout my career, I have been blessed to work for outlets that intentionally deviated from the norm. For example, my first radio station gave the DJs 50 minutes of music per hour to play. The other ten was up to us (within reason of course). It was not only a way for the jocks to create their own on-air style, but it proved that the station trusted us. That’s unheard of in commercial radio today.

I am blessed to have been a founding VJ (video jockey) at MTV’s sister network MTV2 (then known as M2). There, we broke the rules yet again by playing every genre imaginable BACK TO BACK: that’s right- country into hip hop into rockabilly into punk. We ‘broke’ artists we took chances on. Big ones, like Korn and The Spice Girls and Leann Rhymes. We played the videos that David Bowie wanted us to play- not the ones the label chose. It was real. It was genuine. It was gloriously weird and forever memorable.

Meantime, I truly believe there is so much music and untold stories that gets lost in this pool of homogenous white noise. That’s why I created the podcast Text Prose & RocknRoll (www.textproserocknroll.com) where I interview all manner of musicians, documentarians, music biographers and journalists to tell the stories of music that deserve to be heard. And yes, I cover all genres. It’s similar to “Behind the Music” without being formulaic or sensational. We dive into the genesis of music, sometimes with venerated artists, to explore their inspirations and often humble beginnings. Does society influence art or do artists influence society? That’s fascinating to me! And *where* that influence comes from is imperative to the story. Just imagine if the young men in NWA had grown up in Burbank. It just wouldn’t be the same.

As for how I got my first job in broadcasting? Well, that came as a result of being prepared and in the right place at the right time. After a successful run in college radio, I called my favorite radio station and asked for an informational interview. I had no agenda. I simply wanted to know how one breaks in. I received a call a week later saying, “Hey kid, great timing, we need an overnighter. You interested?” But as excited as I was, my first job was NOT glamorous, working Friday, Saturday and Sunday from midnight to 6am for minimum wage, all while also paying the rent by working 32 hours a week at the mall. I went for years -in my 20s- without having a single date simply because I was stuck in a booth all weekend, never went out with my friends, and never met new people. Also during this time I moved around the country for new and better broadcasting jobs (i.e. Reno, Omaha, etc). It was a lonely time, but in the end it was worth it.

Along the way, I have learned to say ‘no thanks’ to jobs that didn’t feel right, or might be taking advantage of my good nature. This, of course, comes after I had jobs that took advantage of my good nature! I also learned that some of the advice I had been given was absolutely correct. For example, getting laid off can sometimes lead to better jobs. You learn a lot when you fail.

So what would I love the world to know about what I do? For starters, that horrible mantra ‘fake it til you make it’ has got to stop. Let’s just call that what it really is- it’s BS’ing; it’s LYING, and you’re not fooling anyone. Rather, find a mentor, work your butt off and learn from your opportunities. Then take that knowledge to the next place and apply it, while learning more. Repeat. Springboard, but don’t use people. Always be gracious when you leave a job because in my experience, you will run into the same people again. I recall a producer at MTV who caused such problems for the crew that one of them was never asked back. That’s because the executive didn’t like confrontation and while the troublemakers was on staff, the other was a freelancer, and they were easier to let go, even though they were innocent. Still, people remembered the trouble that producer caused. A few years later, a crew member who was there that fateful day was at their new fancy network job when they spotted the troublemaking producer waiting for a job interview. That crew member called the hiring manager and told them about the MTV incident, and guess what? That producer didn’t get the job.

Finally, if your journey, whatever it may be, learn to embrace failure, because only then will you truly grow. One cannot know the sweetness of victory without knowing the salty taste of sweat.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’d charge up the ole car because we are doing some driving! First, I’d opt for a sunrise hike in Griffith Park. When the dew is still on the leaves and the cars below haven’t begun their commute, it can still feel like you’re in the countryside. Next, I’d drop down into DTLA to check out the Grammy Museum or head over to The Last Bookstore. From there, I’d head over to the LA Harbor area to check out some of the old school mom and pop stores and great record stores in Long Beach and San Pedro. Then, I’d drive up and over the Palos Verdes peninsula to enjoy the view, pretend I’m in a car commercial driving along the cliffs and stop near the lighthouse to possibly catch a whale migration. Finally, I’d dip down into Redondo Beach and end the evening with Happy Hour and an old school steak and Old Fashioned at the Bullpen, a family friendly, super old school, no frills steakhouse and bar which is legendary to the South Bay, but still widely unknown. Oops. Maybe I shouldn’t have told you that.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Dedicated to the great grassroots team behind KLBP Long Beach Public Radio. Low Power to the People!

Website: www.textproserocknroll.com

Instagram: @textproserocknroll

Linkedin: @KrisKosach

Twitter: @KrisKosach

Facebook: @KrisKosach

Youtube: @textproserocknroll

Other: Please check out what we do at www.klbp.org Long Beach Public Radio

Image Credits
Credit: Kris Kosach/Alex Wellen