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Comments: 128 • Responses: 53  • Date: 

joshuar947622 karma

Are you over Iowa being the first presidential primary state?

Have you met or interviewed any national politicians?

zupkoffa27 karma

No, I love the caucus!

I've met all of them. Here, they meet with people in small cafes. It's an intimate setting and I get a lot of face time with them. It's a lot of fun if politics is your thing.

sonofabutch2 karma

Which one is the most different from his or her image?

Khatib9 karma

If they're meeting with people on the campaign trail, they're only going to show them their image.

zupkoffa18 karma

Basically, this. They recite the same speech everywhere.

Change it up every couple weeks, maybe. It's like a comic's routine.

Bmc0012 karma

Hello fellow radio worker! I'm actually in the same building as the Brownfield Network here in Missouri, about to produce the Iowa WBB game among others. I have to ask a question, so, how's it going on this slow news day?

zupkoffa9 karma

I have the day off, fortunately!! I hope those working today are making it through okay. Chance of winter storm tonight probably making it easier.

I like Radio Iowa News. Another Learfield product.

DelBoogs9 karma

I'm in DSM, born in FD. Any interesting local legends or intrigues over there?

zupkoffa22 karma

Bonnie and Clyde bank robbery, Bonnie and Clyde shootout and Jesse James' train robbery all happened within 10 miles of where I work.

John Wayne was born 20 miles away.

MAKEsticksNOTstones3 karma

Since you are the only source of news for those people, I'm assuming they do not have internet. Are there many places in Iowa without internet?

zupkoffa2 karma

Some remote rural places would have trouble getting it.

lurking_digger3 karma

Hello, Happy Thanksgiving!

Three questions: Is it feasible to have a late night (11-4am) call in talk show to provide contact to insomniacs and share breaking world news?

Which source / news agencies do you use?

How much investment to start am station?

Thank you

zupkoffa6 karma

Hello, Happy Thanksgiving!

Three questions: Is it feasible to have a late night (11-4am) call in talk show to provide contact to insomniacs and share breaking world news?

Which source / news agencies do you use?

How much investment to start am station?

Thank you

Hi!

Thanks for your message and Happy Thanksgiving to you.

1: It is feasible to do that, but not in my market. You would need to be in a large market with a lot of people (probably top 50) for a show like that to work well and to be able to sell enough ads to pay your salary and beyond. If it's on a 50,000 watt AM station, then at night the show can be heard all around the country and beyond, which increases your audience.

2: All of the news that I produce is local. I don't use any wire services or anything, because none exist for my region. I cultivate all of my own stories by going to a lot of government meetings and meeting with officials. Plus, I always have a scanner on, so if something big happens I know about.

Keeping in contact with business and civil leaders also helps.

As far as national and world news, we have ABC at the top of the hour. Pretty standard.

3: It depends on a lot of things. AM or FM? Size of market? Broadcast power? Cost of real estate? If you want to be well staffed or run on automation?

Several hundred thousand to get started in a small, rural market. Tens of millions to get an established station in a major market.

GBpack40081 karma

Can you explain what a wire service is? I thought most news stations found their own local news.

zupkoffa1 karma

It's an outdated term. AP and Reuters are two well known examples.

catjugglinpimp2 karma

Is the Silver Sow Award really coveted?

zupkoffa3 karma

I've never heard of that.

Radiophage2 karma

What's your daily routine?

What's your favourite story from the last year?

What's a question you want to be asked?

zupkoffa5 karma

What's your daily routine?

What's your favourite story from the last year?

What's a question you want to be asked?

1: It's cliche, but there is really no set routine. I attend the same meetings each week, but whatever happens in the news defines my day.

2: I've done hundreds of stories over the past year. Tough to choose a favorite. One of the most fun was when a local opera house dedicated itself to Norman Lear. He was there in person all day. Reason being, it was the setting of Lear's movie "Cold Turkey", which premiered right before the launch of "All in the Family". Lear's loved Iowa since.

3: I came in with an open mind and no preconceived notions.

Radiophage1 karma

Awesome, thanks for responding!

Let me clarify the third question: what's a question you wish people would ask you about your job, but never do?

zupkoffa4 karma

If I want a raise.

DenveRox1 karma

Is the opening of deer hunting season a top news story for you?

zupkoffa2 karma

It's a big story, not necessarily the lead.

Stern36571 karma

Is there no TV news there?

zupkoffa4 karma

Des Moines is 45 minutes away. Unless there's a murder here, they stay away and talk about Des Moines stuff.

Stern36573 karma

So you are the only daily source of LOCAL news.

zupkoffa7 karma

Yes, maybe I wasn't clear enough, but yes.

FCDH1 karma

Do you ever have people calling in to express their views/ask questions on air? If so, what was the funniest/weirdest/cringiest moment you've heard?

zupkoffa1 karma

We don't really take calls. Not a talk show.

homie_jesus1 karma

FM station? What else do they play and do you have a sense of how many listeners you have?

zupkoffa5 karma

There's no way to know listeners in an unrated market. We have several thousand facebook likes and tens of thousands of website views a month. Thousands of people a month listen to our online stream.

We play country music. 1960s-Early 2000s.

zupkoffa1 karma

And yes, FM!

HughRistik1 karma

Which two counties? I used to live in Powesheik. I miss Iowa.

zupkoffa6 karma

Adair and Guthrie. Rural, but still close to Des Moines. 30-50 miles depending on community. Great balance!

DaramoeX1 karma

Nice! I am from Greene county myself. Good part of Iowa.

zupkoffa1 karma

Jefferson?

equallyconfusing1 karma

Would you care to share some of the funny/interesting/scandalous stories that you have reported on? It would be interesting to hear some of the local flavor!

zupkoffa5 karma

For the recent November election, we revealed that a local candidate had illicit relations with two 12-year-old boys several years back. That story got picked up by TV stations.

feralfred1 karma

Male or female? The candidate, not the boys.....

zupkoffa1 karma

Male.

soggyoreo1 karma

How long do you think the medium you use is a viable business option in rural Iowa?

zupkoffa7 karma

Can't put a timeline on it, but we are not going anywhere anytime soon. To critics, radio has been "dying" for 30 years.

Timesurge1 karma

Mind saying what kind of scanner you use and what you listen for/which channels you stay on?

zupkoffa1 karma

Online scanner. Listen to local Sheriff's Office.

WilliamTM1 karma

  1. Can we see a photo of where you work?
  2. What's the funniest story you've ever reported on?
  3. What's the weirdest story you've ever reported on?

zupkoffa1 karma

I can post a photo when I'm back Friday.

Similar questions to your last two have been answered.

merepuppy1 karma

[deleted]

zupkoffa1 karma

We dealt with that for two or three weeks then it was over. Not a huge deal.

Black_Handkerchief1 karma

I don't really question your identity (what's the point in impersonating a rural news director? o.O), but I do want to point out your proof is pretty shitty. It might as well be a screengrab from the KMCD website. Where's the personal KMCD id tag? The stationary? Hell, even a pen would be more credible as proof than the 'About us' blurb that is your screenshot...

Can you show us something more suitable, preferably with a date / reddit reference? Obviously you can black out any obviously personal information.

zupkoffa1 karma

This thread will be here tomorrow. For you, I'll post a timestamp from work when I'm back.

lagori1 karma

Given the likely size of your audience (apologies for the assumption), how is it that you remain afloat and do you attempt to 'innovate' at all or change the model as audience consumption habits change? If advertising makes up a chunk of your revenue - how do you engage local businesses to advertise with you over the competition (which in cases of those with an online presence, could be basically the whole internet).

zupkoffa1 karma

I don't deal with sales or revenue. As long as my paycheck doesn't bounce, I'm content.

We do well as a company.

csupernova1 karma

Any advice for a journalism student looking to enter the field soon?

zupkoffa1 karma

Don't do it just for the local notoriety.

0x0123456789ABCDEF1 karma

So how do you feel about a War of the Worlds broadcast?

zupkoffa1 karma

Indifferent.

Hepcatoy1 karma

Thanks for doing this ama! What an interesting job you have. Do people ever look towards you as a source of knowledge? Have you ever found yourself being the hub of information for an event/ topic?

Hopefully this is clear. Thanks for your reply!

zupkoffa2 karma

All the time.

Beachbum3131 karma

How many people work in the station? By the way you're answering questions, it almost seems like a one man show.

zupkoffa2 karma

Yeah. I'm used to it.

SalvageStemCells1 karma

Are you a fan of the 90's NBC sitcom 'NewsRadio'?

zupkoffa2 karma

I love that show! Classic Phil.

KayJustKay1 karma

Did you break 9/11? Also, did you ever have to break sad news that affected someone you knew? Did you give them a heads up or is that against the rules?

zupkoffa1 karma

I was 12, so no.

zirvis1 karma

Do you ever tire of providing only local news and wish at times that you could report on state, national, or maybe global events?

zupkoffa1 karma

No. Local news turns into national or world news. If Hillary Clinton comes here, or a gruesome murder occurs it is a national story.

OldyGoldy11 karma

[deleted]

zupkoffa1 karma

Slightly crushed.

sheephunt20001 karma

Are you a fan of Welcome to Night Vale?

zupkoffa1 karma

Not aware of it.

coffeeINJECTION1 karma

Would your station heads ever allow you to read War of the Worlds live on April 1st or October 31st?

zupkoffa2 karma

No.

coffeeINJECTION1 karma

Better question would be, would you want to?

zupkoffa1 karma

Not really.

Javad0g1 karma

Have you ever had an opportunity to do an Orson Wells - War of the Worlds- kind of production? April Fools?

zupkoffa0 karma

No.

otterbaub1 karma

This sounds really cool. I have no knowledge of the radio or news industry so i apologize if my questions are a bit odd

  1. As answered earlier you attend a lot of local governmental meetings for your information. Do you also work on or try to do Human interest pieces or mostly? For example, going beyond reporting "The local 4H club took 2nd place in Best looking Dairy Cow." And perhaps telling the story of the road that led to the 2nd place win.

  2. Are you just the Director or are you on Air as well?

zupkoffa1 karma

This sounds really cool. I have no knowledge of the radio or news industry so i apologize if my questions are a bit odd

  1. As answered earlier you attend a lot of local governmental meetings for your information. Do you also work on or try to do Human interest pieces or mostly? For example, going beyond reporting "The local 4H club took 2nd place in Best looking Dairy Cow." And perhaps telling the story of the road that led to the 2nd place win.

  2. Are you just the Director or are you on Air as well?

Yes! I love doing longform human interest stories like that. One of my favorite parts of the job.

I'm on the air a lot

elebrin1 karma

What percentage of your reporting is brought in from other sources, and what percentage do you write in-house?

zupkoffa1 karma

100% in house.

Shugbug19861 karma

What are some of your hobbies? What's some interesting things you've reported on?

zupkoffa2 karma

Stock trading, Magic the Gathering, reading other people's news.

Androthi_II1 karma

What was your motivation to do this AMA, were you bored or did something exciting happen recently in your area and you are wanting to share it with more than the two rural counties that you cover?

Also, does your station only do the news or does it also support a specific genre or decade of music? If only the news, what type of information does the station share to fill the time?

zupkoffa2 karma

Bored. Thought I might entertain some of you.

neverthere1 karma

Serving rural communities, do the large agribusinesses play a roll locally in news stories? Is the community concerned with the glyphosate controversies and such?

zupkoffa1 karma

Farms here are large. 90% of our listeners aren't farmers.

Agribusiness aspect is a portion of our programming, but not as large as you would think.

AvocadoAlexandra0 karma

you can create propaganda. you have a really influential position. have you ever abused it to cut out stories that you don't agree with?

zupkoffa3 karma

I like to be as objective as a human can be. I pride myself on that.

snirpie0 karma

[deleted]

zupkoffa3 karma

No.

passiontiger740 karma

(quick assumption that you have a parent company please correct if that isn't the case) When you are reporting non local news do you choose what to report or just report all that the parent company tells you to?

zupkoffa1 karma

I only report local news.

jeepdave-1 karma

Do you lean conservative or liberal and if so do you frame your stories with the bias?

zupkoffa3 karma

I plead the Fifth.

jeepdave0 karma

So, yes?

zupkoffa1 karma

I won't say political lean. I try to remain objective.

hryfrcnsnnts-1 karma

On average, how much do you take from Reddit and use on the radio?

zupkoffa8 karma

0%. Everything I do is local news.

Ketrel-1 karma

Are you the only one in those counties with internet access, or is this strictly for local news that wouldn't be online to begin with?

zupkoffa5 karma

There are no other daily news sources besides us on paper, on air or online.

Ketrel-1 karma

Um....what about every major news network?

zupkoffa5 karma

They don't cover local news here.

gasm_spasm-4 karma

How many days of the year is the height of the corn the lead story? Be honest.

zupkoffa7 karma

Only in a drought year or harvest time.

Ppitm1-22 karma

Ever told a ridiculously fake story just to fuck with the five people that listen to you? xD

zupkoffa14 karma

No. And we have a lot more than five listeners.