While Rowlands’ reputation as a top-notch pilot is unparalleled in this market, few people realize that he is also a serial entrepreneur who has created a number of interesting businesses.  Even fewer probably realize the pilot flying high overhead is actually scared of heights!!

We sat down with Rowlands to discuss his career and think you will agree he is a fascinating individual.  Ladies and gentlemen, Johnny Rowlands…

Name:  Johnny Rowlands

Title: Pilot/Reporter – NewsChopper 9 – KMBC-TV

Hometown: Prairie Village, Kansas

Educational background?

Baker University, B.S. In Communications, Minor in Journalism

Marital Status:

Recently married to the amazing Angela Engle, ballroom dance instructor and the most graceful and compelling woman I have ever known.  Son Blake, 29.

How long have you been in your current position?

I’ve been at Ch. 9 since 2003.

How did you get into your chosen field?

Honestly, this wasn’t my chosen field.  As a kid I had dreamed of being an airline pilot, but I found out in high school that I didn’t meet what was then the requirement of perfect vision uncorrected.  So, going into college I was lost.

In my freshman year at Baker University I started doing the weather forecasts for the campus radio station, ended up as News Director for a semester, and then as a DJ.  Started my Top 40 career at KEWI in Topeka, then came home to KC to work at Super Q in the mid/late ’70′s.

I got my airplane private pilot license for fun and bought into a Cessna 150 in 1977.  Left Q, tried a couple of unsuccessful stints as a Program Director, and jumped at the chance to fly traffic for KMBZ in 1983.  I started my own traffic company in ’88, and was the first to fly a TV helicopter for WDAF in October, 1993.  I moved over to KMBC in 2003, and here I am.

Any other jobs?

My last answer pretty much explains that, except for working the clubs as a DJ in the early 80′s, and teaching at Baker University for a few semesters during that same time period.

Have you won any major honors or awards?

I haven’t ever really done anything that important.  I shared an Emmy along with others from Ch. 9 for some tornado coverage a few years ago, but that’s about it.

Has your chosen field changed over the years?

I would say since I started in ’93 that there has been a huge shift from just doing traffic to actually being an additional reporter resource, especially with the emphasis on breaking news these days.   There’s no other way to match the quick response a helicopter provides, and that’s particularly evident on the stories that break outside the metro.

And of course it has enormously changed how severe weather is covered.  We have the ability to validate warnings by actually showing video of those tornado producing cells and the associated signatures of tornado development, which is huge in helping people stay safe.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?  Least rewarding?

The most rewarding would be the aforementioned tornado coverage.  There is nothing more powerful to get people to take action in regards to their safety than showing a tornado live on the air and pinpointing the path.  Radar returns and even spotter information can take several minutes to process.  We’re showing storms in real time, and it’s the immediacy that by default makes it the most accurate information.

The least rewarding is covering anything involving a fatality.  It’s at the very least sobering, if not downright disturbing.  I am always aware that the victims’ loved ones could be watching, and in that regard I try to be very careful in what we show.  Thankfully the television station is very sensitive to that and shares my intent to be as discreet as possible.

Did you ever consider another career other than flying a helicopter?

As long as I’m flying I would be happy.  The TV stuff is fun, and I feel very blessed to be doing what I’m doing, but being on-call all day is grueling, and I’m going into my 20th year of that, with no relief of that expectation in sight.

So if I made a change it would be something where I could get my life back.  Oh… and not have to get up before 5:00 in the morning anymore.  For some people that’s not a big deal, but I’m not a morning person.

Do you have a mentor?

I’ve had many wonderfully talented people who have been a great influence on me over the years, but anyone who knows me knows I would say my mentor was my father.  He was a Pearl Harbor survivor, on the USS Nevada at Normandy lobbing salvos onto Utah beach, and loved by anyone who ever met him.

He died in 1999, and at his funeral I had Dan Fogelberg’s “Leader of the Band” played, specifically for the  lyric “My life is but a poor attempt to imitate the man.”  He was as authentic as a person could possibly be.

What is the strangest thing you have come across in your job?

Probably how many people think I am Johnny Dolan, who was the king of WHB in the 60′s and early 70′s.  He left WHB about the time I came onto the Q, so everybody thinks we’re the same guy.  It used to be when people told me how much they loved me on WHB I would try to set the record straight, but anymore I just smile and say how great the good old days were, and then move on.

Have you ever had any close calls while in the air?

Probably the worst was the failure of a fuel control unit on the JetRanger I was flying for Ch.4.  I was storm chasing with Don Harman on board and basically the throttle failed wide open, the engine and rotor system pegged at 120% of normal rpm, and I had no control over it.

I thought it was going to shake itself to death before I got in on the ground.  It was like being in a blender.  I got it on the ground okay, but when it was all over I remember being pretty weak in the knees.  Don, on the other hand, was totally cool and seemed unfazed by the whole ordeal.  Making jokes, of course.

With all the things going on while you are flying you seem to make it look effortless.

I’m not sure how effortless I make it look, but I do multi-task.  It’s always, though, in the context of flying comes first. I  have lots of voices in my headset, all the way from the control tower, to the Ch. 9 news desk, producers and sometimes directors.  Add to that the Total Traffic folks who provide the traffic info, talking with my photog on the aircraft intercom, and monitoring either Ch. 9 or KMBZ off air, and yes, it can get busy.

It does take a lot of focus and concentration, but it’s not something I’m really aware of until we fly one of those marathon stories and end up hovering over a scene for hours and hours.  It’s then when I realize how exhausting it can be, so much so that I’m typically totally gassed the next day, and actually physically sore all over just from being tensed up for all that time.  I guess I’m just not a naturally relaxed person.

What is your favorite thing to do in Kansas City?

Anything.  I just love this city, the people, the climate, and how beautiful it is at night from the air.  Angee loves it too, which is the best part.  We just love to socialize, in whatever form, at whatever venue.

What do you do in your free time?  Any hobbies?

I try to stay fit, so Angee and I work out together almost every morning.  Her ballroom dance students are great, so there’s a lot of socializing that goes along with that.    We like to go to the movies, and Angee is very much into the arts so we hit the Nelson Art Gallery every so often, as well as the ballet and other performances at the Kaufmann Center.  We like to travel as well, but with my schedule we don’t do enough of it.

“People might be surprised to know that you …”

Well, I’m afraid of heights.  I’m fine with a seat underneath me, but don’t make me look over the edge of a building.

What is your favorite TV show(s)?

I don’t watch a lot of TV, but people usually laugh when I tell them I watch “Cops” all the time.  I’m a huge law enforcement fan, and “Cops” is as close as I can get to a ride along.  People laugh even harder when I tell them I watch “Dog The Bounty Hunter,” too.  That show is just great entertainment.

Have you ever interviewed a celebrity? Explain.

I always got intimidated when I did celebrity interviews and got so nervous I usually tried to get out of doing them.  I wouldn’t say he was a big celebrity, but I interviewed Leif Garrett on Super Q at the peak of his career and he dropped the “F” bomb.  It was unmistakable, and I saw my brief little career flash before my eyes.  But amazingly,  I didn’t get one phone call. Nor did management.  It was a miracle.

Who is the most interesting person you have interviewed or met?

I interviewed Michael Bolton on the Q when he was a total unknown and he was a lot of fun.   A week later I flew to St. Louis for the weekend and bumped into him at the airport.  He stopped me, called me by name and thanked me for the interview.   Don’t know if fame has changed him, but he couldn’t have been a nicer guy.

Aside from Bottom Line (assumed!) who do you follow on Twitter?

I channel all my Twitter energy to Kris Ketz, and apparently it’s working.

It is said you’re somewhat of an entrepreneur…

Spending a lot of time at Johnson County Executive Airport on-call, I decided it was a good opportunity to start a helicopter services company called KC Copters (kccopters.com).   We provide scenic tours over the city, romantic tours for proposals and anniversaries, and of course the wildly popular Plaza Lights Flights around Christmastime.  We’re also an FAA-approved flight school.

A division of KC Copters is Hi Def Helicopters (HiDefHeli.com), an aerial video company, and we’ve done some pretty big shoots for the History Channel, documentary filmmakers, and Simon Cowell’s X-Factor, as well as a lot of local stuff.   Another company I started last spring is BorrowMyTruck.com,  When folks need a friend with a pickup, they can go to our site and rent one to haul just about anything for a very reasonable price.

And finally, I’ve recently launched HeliChasers.com, the first and only helicopter storm chasing tours.  Next spring, when there is no severe weather threat in KC, and outside of the spring ratings sweeps, I’ll be taking vacation time to fly folks to tornado hotspots, just like the ground based tours, only better!

In other words, she didn’t just leave college and move into an anchor slot.  There have been plenty of twists and turns along the way.

Today, Fuller, a single mother of two,  is a polished, professional anchor doing the weeknight newscasts at the CBS affiliate. But the road to the anchor chair involved several years of hard work in front —-and behind— the camera in a variety of  jobs to hone her craft.

During her career she has traveled throughout the world and interviewed Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President Bill Clinton. She almost interviewed Fidel Castro. In West Africa she was able to translate and do interviews in French.

She joined KCTV in 2003 and has become a fixture on newscasts and an audience favorite. After interviewing her for this profile it is obvious why she is so popular with viewers.

NAME: Karen Fuller

TITLE:  News Anchor, KCTV5

HOMETOWN: Two hometowns: Jonesboro, Arkansas (0 – 9 years old), Oak Park, IL (9 – 21)

EDUCATION: B.A., Radio/Television, Drake University, Des Moines, IA

MARITAL STATUS: Divorced almost 9 years;  one daughter, 11, one son, 10

HOW DID YOU GET INTO YOUR CHOSEN FIELD?

I majored in Radio/TV Production at Drake University and  I had several internships during that time that included running the studio camera and teleprompter (for Gary Amble and Kelly Eckerman) at WHO-TV and writing promotions at KCCI.   After graduating, I found a job working for an executive at a computer company shooting and editing his sales presentations.  It wasn’t my dream job but it paid the bills. While I worked, I took more broadcast courses at Columbia College in Chicago.

WHEN DID YOU GET YOUR FIRST BIG BREAK?

In the summer of ’92, I got a newsroom internship in Little Rock, AR.  I was a desk assistant and would tag along with reporters.  Eventually I was sent out to get sound bites.  That was also when then-Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton was running for president.  Once, while shouting questions with other reporters as he walked down the airport tarmac, he turned and answered my question.  That was a big moment for a young would-be reporter.  I would later interview him as former President Clinton, about his memoirs.

ANY OTHER MAJOR MOMENTS IN YOUR CAREER?

Another big moment was during an internship at WFLD in Chicago.  There was a huge fire at an apartment complex and no reporters in house or nearby.  So they sent me with a photog and I field-produced the fire that killed several people and left many homeless.  It was my first time dealing with death on a story.  While out on stories, I would shoot standups and by the end of the summer, had put a tape together.  I sent it to any openings in small markets, and finally landed a reporting/anchoring job in Mason City, IA—market 158!

IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU WORKED YOUR WAY UP IN TV

I went the small market route. My first paid on air job was as a reporter and anchor at KIMT, Mason City, IA.  This is also where the missing TV Anchor, Jodi Huisentruit worked (she replaced me on the morning show), and where I started that morning show with the late Don Harman of Fox 4.

HOW DID YOU END UP IN ARKANSAS?

After a year in Mason City, I went on vacation back to Arkansas and stopped by to see a couple of news directors in Little Rock.  One of them decided at that moment to give me an on-air audition right then and there.  I wasn’t expecting such a thing, but am grateful that he did it.

When the other station’s news director saw me live on the competition, he called and offered me a job.  I took it.  I spent the next 10-years at KATV in Little Rock, moving from reporter/fill-in anchor to 5 o’clock anchor, to the 6 and 10 within a few years.  After a decade, though, I was ready to get back to the Midwest.   With the help of an agent, I was considered for jobs in Atlanta, Boston, and Pittsburgh, but Kansas City came calling with the best offer.

CAN WE ASSUME YOU HAVE WON NUMEROUS AWARDS OVER THE YEARS?

Not really. I’m the Susan Lucci of awards.  I’ve been nominated for individual Emmys over the years, but have not won.   I’ve been a part of news teams that have won Emmys for Best Newscast, but have not won one personally.  I have won an SPJ award for Enterprise Journalism, and have been recognized by various charities for volunteer work or serving on boards.

HAS YOUR CHOSEN FIELD CHANGED OVER THE YEARS?

It absolutely has.  When I started years ago, we still ripped wire copy and used a typewriter.  I was a one-man band in north Iowa shooting on S-VHS (in below 30-degree wind chills!) , editing my own stories, and newscasts.  I ran the teleprompter with a foot pedal and timed out my own newscasts.

I would go in at 2:00 in the afternoon to prepare for a 10:00 show.  It took that long to read and rip the wire copy, find matching video on the feeds, write the show, then edit it.  This was in a very small market however, so as soon as I made a jump, the facilities became nicer and more current.  Now, photographers are shooting digital, the studio cameras are robotic, and commercials are hubbed out of a city hundreds of miles away.

IS SOCIAL MEDIA IMPORTANT?

Very much so. Because of social media, we can reach out to viewers beyond the TV screen.  I can send an Instagram, a Tweet, or chat via Facebook, getting information out immediately instead of waiting for a newscast.  I’m now trying to figure out Tumblr and Pinterest!

WHAT ARE THE MOST REWARDING ASPECTS OF YOUR CAREER?

There’s a lot to like about this career or we wouldn’t do it.  But there are definitely drawbacks, too.  For example, the pay is good but the hours are tough.  You’re working holidays or weekends when others are out enjoying “normal” free time.

But then, each day is something different and there’s no paperwork to pile into a briefcase at the end of the work day.  You’re working with people who like putting together the news of the day as much as you do, and have some fun doing it.  The most rewarding part of this job, to me, is the variety I mentioned before.  No one day is the same and with social media so prevalent now, news changes by the minute.  It’s fascinating.  I’ve always been curious to find out the who, what, where, when, and how.

LEAST REWARDING ASPECTS?

The least rewarding part is seeing bad things happen to good people, and working odd hours, being away from your family or missing important events.

DID YOU EVER CONSIDER ANOTHER CAREER?

As a freshman in college I was intent on majoring in psychology.  But then I learned of the many statistics and math involved and knew I didn’t have a chance.  I loved writing, history, and current events so a counselor suggested I combine the three into a broadcasting degree.  If I had anything resembling a voice, I might like to be a singer.  Or, if the sky’s the limit, I’d love to work in Paris for a French network.

DO YOU HAVE A MENTOR?

Yes.  He’s Bob Steel, a former news director in Little Rock, Arkansas.  He has helped me immensely in my career and I extremely grateful.

WHAT WEIRD THINGS HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU IN YOUR TV CAREER?

Two strange things have happened in my career.  One happened in a tiny village in Ivory Coast, West Africa.  I was doing a story on a company that was teaching women how to bake bread in high volume ovens, producing ten times the amount in a day than they were producing, and therefore, making a lot more money for themselves and their village.

It was an entirely French speaking village, and I do speak French.  I translated the story and conducted the interviews in French.  That was strange enough, but the really strange moment came when our crew presented the Chief of the village with a pretty Mont Blanc pen.  He started to laugh and cry.  We didn’t know what to do or what we had done.  Finally, he thanked us and told us that we had flattered him with the gift of a pen, because we assumed that he knew how to read and write.  He didn’t, nor did anyone in the village.  We got a good lesson though in how there are those in the world who spend each day thriving, while others are simply surviving.

IS IT TRUE YOU ALMOST INTERVIEWED FIDEL CASTRO?

Yes, and that’s my second strange story. I was in Havana, Cuba.  To be in Cuba at all was exciting.  I was doing a story on rice imports from Arkansas to Cuba.  We were being entertained by the Secretary of Agriculture, who promised to pass along our request for an interview with Fidel Castro.  That night we got a call saying that we were to be ready to leave our hotel around 3:00 a.m. in the event we got to interview then-President Castro.

The official said that Castro only conducts interviews in the early morning hours.  So, I spent hours fighting sleep waiting for the phone to ring while watching the only American television channel which was Cartoon Network!  It was bizarre.  Sadly, though, the call didn’t come and we did not get the interview with Castro.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING TO DO IN KC?

I love Kansas City, and I mean the whole city, not just Johnson County.  Going downtown to concerts at the Sprint Center is a lot of fun, but so are places like Knuckleheads.  It’s one of my favorite small venues.  I love our sports teams through thick and thin, and am especially proud of Sporting KC’s success.

My very favorite thing to do though is take the kids and go to a barbeque joint and chow down!  Don’t ask my favorite place though because I like them all.  The flavors are different and each has its own uniqueness.  I go to Oklahoma Joe’s most of all though because it’s close to the station.

WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR FREE TIME?

With two children and a full time job there’s not a lot of free time left over.  I do yoga two or three times a week, and lately have been learning to play on the X-Box with my son.  I do have my own Nintendo DS because my kids love theirs and I wanted to be able to play with them.  I have my own games now.  I also like shopping with my tweenage daughter and playing catch with my son.

ANY WEDDING BELLS IN YOUR FUTURE?

No romance for me.  I can’t seem to find “him.

WHAT WOULD PEOPLE BE SURPRISED TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?

I drive barefoot.

FAVORITE TV SHOW NOT ON CBS?

The BBC’s Kitchen Nightmares with Gordon Ramsey

WHO IS THE BIGGEST CELEBRITY EVER INTERVIEWED?

Dan Rather was in town for a book signing not too long ago.  We had him on our 4 o’clock news and I was filling in for Carolyn Long that day, so I got to meet and interview him.  He was surprisingly soft spoken and was open to talking about most anything, including his departure from CBS.

OKAY, WHO’S THE MOST INTERESTING PERSON YOU’VE INTERVIEWED?

(Former Soviet President) Mikhail Gorbachev, because he has a fantastic sense of humor.  He had his translator with him every moment yet you just KNEW he could understand everything you’re saying.  I met him twice and he remembered me the second time.  Now THAT’S a good politician.  It’s also incredible to think of how much classified information he knows.

ASIDE FROM BOTTOM LINE, WHO DO YOU FOLLOW ON TWITTER?

Of course I follow Bottom Line!!  And 707 others including the major networks, newspapers (love The International Herald Tribune and Le Monde), British boy-band-member Harry Styles (for my daughter), and Justin Bieber (for myself – and THAT’S off the record!)

Name: John Holt

Title:  Anchor/Reporter Fox 4

Hometown:  Great Bend, KS

Educational background?
   BS University of Kansas School of Journalism; JD University of Kansas School of Law
Marital Status (Children?) Married to Suzy. Parents of Jack (West Point 2011) and Katie (Creighton 2013)

How long have you been in your current position?
   I arrived at FOX 4 when the station switched from NBC to FOX in fall of 1994! I snuck in the back door when they hired more than 50 people to beef up the newsroom, starting as the weekend morning anchor, and then anchoring our coverage of the OJ Simpson Trial. 

How did you get into your chosen field?  
    I became interested in broadcasting in high school. Long hours driving a hay swather during a couple of summers working on a farm had me making up play-by-play games in my head. I wanted to do sports. But I had the opportunity to work at my hometown radio station (KVGB) and do everything, from news to farm reports to dee jaying. I fell in love with broadcasting in general.
   When I got to KU I continued radio work, and then, my junior year, earned an internship at WIBW-TV in Topeka. It was a news internship, and I was able to write, edit, on-air report, and by the end of the summer fill-in anchor on a Saturday morning news show. I was hooked on news for good!
   After that internship, I continued my senior year and during law school to work for WIBW. My 3rd year in law school, WIBW’s 10 p.m. anchor left, and I adjusted my schedule to become the M-F 10 p.m. anchor. Law school by day, news at night, and I was set to remain in journalism post-law school. I stayed at WIBW for three years after that and despite flirting with the law part-time, never looked back!

Previous jobs?
   In addition to radio jobs at KVGB in Great Bend, and KLWN/KLZR in Lawrence, my TV jobs were:
      WIBW-TV-AM-FM  in Topeka
      KSNW-TV in Wichita (started as a reporter, then moved to anchor desk 5, 6 and 10 pm)
     WDAF-TV Kansas City (’94-present)

Major awards/honors?
   Emmy 2004 News Series; Emmy 2004 Investigative Reporting; Emmy 2007 On-Camera Talent/Anchoring; Emmy 2009 General Assignment Reporting
   KC Media Professionals: TV Anchor of the Year 2000
   KC Media Mix: TV Personality of the Year 2006 and 2008

Has your chosen field changed over the years?
    Journalistically, the business has evolved in many ways. Television news has become more video driven, breaking news driven, and in some ways, personality driven. One of the great things about working for a TV station like FOX 4 that does so much news is the ability to still do long-form storytelling, whether it’s investigative or feature driven.
   Technologically, the business has changed in many ways too. It’s all digital now, which of course makes for a higher quality product (though it’s been a high def challenge for some of us on camera! LOL). But with the arrival of the internet and social networking, it also means we are working across a variety of platforms.
    I’m not only writing for broadcast, but for the web, and integrating Facebook and Twitter as a means of delivering content and sharing our work. Additionally, with station websites now part of the mainstream, our deadlines aren’t “next show up,” they are “right now!”  We have to be competitive on the web journalistically, so we can be competitive from a business model standpoint. The web is now a revenue source for the “business” of television news.

What is the most rewarding part of your job? Least rewarding?
   The most rewarding part of my job is still storytelling. I love working on a story, developing it, and writing it in a way that hopefully is compelling and perhaps even evokes some emotion.
   The other aspect of my job that I love is working in the community to help charities, be it serving on a board or emceeing an event. It’s my way, and the culture of FOX 4, to be a part of the community we live in. In addition, it’s a great way to meet people, network, and even generate story ideas that hopefully lead to good journalism!
   I have few “least rewarding” experiences, other than the many nights, weekends, and holidays I’ve worked. I missed out on a lot of my kids’ experiences, but having a great family who understood why I wasn’t always there made it easier. I’m not alone: my colleagues and competitors deal with these challenges too!

Did you ever consider another career?
   I considered law, and indeed worked part time for an Overland Park law firm while working in Topeka just to see if I would enjoy the practice of law.  I enjoyed the experience, but in the end my dream and calling were journalism.

Do you have a mentor?
   In high school I had a Constitution teacher who pushed me to dig, and investigate, and ask questions of everything and everyone. Homer Kruckenberg played a major role in pushing me to excel. My debate coach Gene Specht taught me the art of public speaking and taking complicated content and boiling it down to make a point or tell a story.  My high school journalism instructor John Mohn also taught me to love journalism and storytelling.
    In the business I had many news directors, executive producers, and even fellow reporters and anchors who guided me and helped me. But perhaps the biggest influence for me was a man I never actually worked with, but knew about and modeled my career after: Kansan Bill Kurtis. Bill worked at WIBW before my time while, as I did, attending law school. He chose to use his law degree in journalism and or course, has had an outstanding career. I had the opportunity to meet him a few times and believed  I could use my law degree in journalism too. Not a day goes by that I don’t draw on that education and experience. Bill Kurtis proved to be a great mentor indeed.

 What is the strangest thing you have come across in your job?
    No one thing really stands out, though I’m amazed at how people have misconceptions about our roles. For example, some assume that because we are a FOX affiliate we’re told by the network how to report and that we have a conservative bent. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our job is to tell both sides of every story and stay as free from bias as possible. We’re human too, but I think by and large most TV journalists in this town do a good job.

What is your favorite thing to do in Kansas City?
    I’m a sports fan at heart, and grew up following the Chiefs and Royals. So a day at Kauffman or Arrowhead is my idea of a great time. The drama of sports is unscripted, without political bias or agendas! I’m a loyal fan: I believe we will win again on both sides of the Truman Sports Complex!!

What do you do in your free time? Hobbies?
   I’m an avid reader, and love music. So I often combine those two. When I have time I love to play golf. And I enjoy public appearances such as emcee roles for local charities.

“People might be surprised to know that you …”
   …have no use for movies. Give me a good book and tunes any day!

What is your favorite TV show(s)?
    Why Fox 4 News at 5 and 9 p.m. of course! Beyond that, sports and news programming.

Who was the biggest celebrity you ever interviewed?
    I’ve had my share of political interviews over the years: Hillary Clinton during her husband’s initial campaign, along with Bob Dole over the years as a senator and presidential candidate.  Do you sense a political theme here?

Who is the most interesting person you have interviewed or met?
    I don’t really have a specific individual here, but often the most interesting interviewees are regular folks who have a great story to tell! From tornado victims in Joplin to victims of scams. I love that aspect of my job!

Who do you follow on Twitter (in addition to bottomlinecom.com)?
    I follow lots of newsies like our own desk guru Sam Atwell, and even competitors and friends like Kris Ketz (KMBC anchor). And I follow my daughter, just to keep up with her. Ha! I also follow a number of sports and news tweeters (FOX News of course), and use it to keep up with breaking developments on both fronts. I tweet as well, but try to use it more to interact with my followers rather than to push content.  @JHoltFox4KC

How did Joplin affect you?
   I’ve covered many storm disasters over the years, including a flood that hit my own hometown and family, and the Andover tornado in the early 90’s that claimed nearly two dozen lives. Each time I was able to compartmentalize my role as a journalist and do the work, without feeling any emotional ties to the victims (other than my parents who were flood victims).
   Joplin tested me like no other story. I had never covered anything quite as devastating in loss of life or damage to property. Those of us in Joplin had to fight through wanting to help and feeling helpless, to do our jobs. Joplin needed journalists to share the town’s needs while at the same time not getting in the way. It was truly an amazing experience.
    The hardest for me: the days and weeks following. I struggled when I got back to the safety of my home and quiet neighborhood and family, knowing what I’d left behind. It was the toughest time I’ve had as a journalist dealing with a story, having witnessed the profound sadness over loss of life and livelihoods. 
   That’s why I insisted on going back to help cover the anniversary and report on Joplin’s progress. For the first time ever in my career, I got a bit emotional following one of my stories (on high school seniors and what they’ve dealt with this past year). It wasn’t scripted, it just happened on-air, and it shocked me a bit. But on reflection, I think it was just bottled up inside and in a small way worked its way out. I was honored to have chronicled that major story.

What do you see in your future?
   Hopefully a World Series, Super Bowl, and lots of wins for my beloved Jayhawks, but as for me, that’s a great question. I’m blessed as a prostate cancer survivor to have a future.
    I love what I’m doing and don’t have any desire to move on, though in our business one never says never. I hope I can continue to grow and adapt to the changes and challenges of modern journalism, and continue to enjoy what I do.
   One thing I wouldn’t mind doing at some point is returning to my radio roots in some fashion. I loved radio, it’s a very intimate medium, so I’d be open to those opportunities in conjunction with my TV work. But  most of all, just keep having fun!

Name: Darla Jaye

Title: Talk Host “KMBZ Live with Darla Jaye”

Hometown: Minneapolis, MN.

Educational background?
  Music major and theater minor-Simpson College, Indianola, IA.

How long have you been in your current position?
   7 years on July 5, 2012

How did you get into your chosen field?
   I was an actress and a singer in Minneapolis and had just finished a comedy show at Dudley Riggs Brave New Workshop (alot like Chicago’s 2nd City). I was told I would have a major role in the next show, but it was given to someone else. I was devastated and tired of waiting tables, so decided to check out a local broadcasting school called Brown Institute.
   While studying broadcasting, I got an internship at a local radio station and started doing their female voice spots, cuz I was the only woman there. A man was touring the station and listened to me recording a fruit basket commercial as Mae West, and offered me a morning news job in Lafayette, IN. I packed up what little I had and moved to a cornfield and the rest is history!

Previous jobs?
   WKJM-Lafayette, IN., WKLQ-Grand Rapids, MI. & WGRD-Grand Rapids, WMMS-Cleveland, OH., KIOI-San Francisco, WLLC-Detroit, WVNN-Hunstville, AL., and KMBZ-Kansas City.

Major awards/honors?
   Talkers Magazine-Talkers Top 250 Talk Hosts 6yrs. in a row, First Female solo Talk Host in Kansas City, KAB Top Radio Personality-2nd Place-2008, Graduate-Eisenhower   Excellence in Public Service 2010, FBI Citizens Academy-Kansas City

Has your chosen field changed over the years?
    When I started in music radio doing morning shows (co-host always), I was usually the only woman on the air at each station. When job hunting I often heard “We already have A woman here.”
   After several years in Rock radio, trying to break into Talk, I was told that women weren’t good Talk Hosts, and that men wouldn’t listen, from several program directors. There are a lot more women in radio today, from management to on air.
   Obviously as technology marches forward, there are way more responsibilities then just the on air product. Facebook, Twitter, Texting, and whatever comes next!

Who do you follow on Twitter?
   President Obama, other Talk Radio Hosts, Bottom Line Communications (of course!!) and all the national & local news media.

Marital Status
  Single. No kids.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?
   That I am still excited to go to work every day, as there is always something new to talk about. Being able to be creative and focus on what I want my show to be and say. The ability to be a part of the community and talk about issues important to my audience, and to help charitable organizations.

Least rewarding?
   I can’t think of a “least rewarding” that won’t get me in trouble!

Did you ever consider another career?
    I wanted to be an actress and singer before I got into radio.  I am also very interested in being involved with the Military, particularly Veterans. I also considered politics. I seriously considered running for Congress Ks. 3rd District in 2010.

Do you have a mentor?
  I have had several radio mentors through out my career. Mama Jaye has been my lifelong mentor.

What is the strangest thing you have come across in your job?
   Like many in the entertainment industry, lots of radio people are very insecure!

What is your favorite thing to do in Kansas City?
   Go to the Plaza and try new restaurants all over the metro.

What do you do in your free time?
   Read, work out (a new thing for me!), shop, go to movies, hang out wiith friends.

Hobbies?
   I’m a voracious reader, I sing, write and follow politics.

“People might be surprised to know that you …”
   Have a huge heart and a very soft mushy side.

What are your favorite TV shows?
   “60 Minutes” and anything on HGTV and “Chopped.”

Who was the biggest celebrity you ever interviewed?
    Barbra Streisand. She was my idol when I was growing up, and one of the Rock shows I was on managed to get her for mere minutes on my Birthday. It was the first time I was ever tongue tied!

Who would you consider is the most interesting person you have interviewed or met?
    Sarah Palin after the 2008 campaign. After following the media onslaught and vilification of her during the campaign, I was pleasantly surprised to find she was very kind and quite intelligent, as opposed to how she has been portrayed.

What do you love most about Kansas City?
   The people and how quickly I felt like this was and is home.

Name:
Larry Moore
Title:
Anchor, KMBC-TV9
Hometown?
My hometown is Baring, Missouri, a little town east of Kirksville, Missouri. I spent a lot of time in Edina, Missouri, where I attended St. Joseph Grade School.
Educational background?
I have a Master’s Degree specializing in television news from the University of Missouri and a bachelor’s degree from Truman State University.
How long have you been in your current position?
For nearly 40 years I have anchored the evening news on Channel 9.
How did you get into your TV?
As a youngster, I had planned to be a newspaper reporter and publisher. I circulated my own neighborhood newspaper when I was in 4th grade. When I reached college, the excitement and immediacy of television news lured me away from the print media.
What are some of the previous jobs you held?
I began as a beat reporter with the Kirksville, Missouri, Daily Express. I worked for United Press International out of Kansas City. I was state editor and reporter for the Columbia Daily Tribune. I decided then that television news held the most promise for my future and personal security.
I operated a commercial truck garden while in high school and the first two years of college, distributing produce to supermarkets and hospitals throughout north Missouri, I wrote a gardening book, The 20X30 Backyard Garden Guide, based on my experiences.
Major awards/honors?
I have received numerous awards for professional work and community service. I just recently received the President’s Medal from Rockhurst University and the Diversity Award from Johnson County NAACP.
How has TV changed over the years?
When I joined Channel 9, we had to shoot film by 3 p.m. in the afternoon so we could have color film on the evening news. Now we can go live from anywhere in the world in color in a matter of seconds.
Marital Status (Children)
I have been married to my loving wife, Ruth, for 43 years. We have five children and five grandchildren.
Any children following in dad’s TV footsteps?
Of my 5 children, none are involved in television news. They will tell you they’ve seen it from the ground up and from the inside out.
What is the most rewarding part of your job? Least rewarding?
The most rewarding part of my job is being the first to know of events going on in our community, our nation, and our world and to be able to communicate details to a waiting viewership. The least rewarding is the bad hours the job entails. It’s 24/7. News does not respect time.
Did you ever consider another career?
When I was in junior high and high school my plan was to be a major league baseball pitcher. I had a great fastball and nasty curve. All of that changed when I injured my right shoulder and could never learn to become a hitter.
Did you have a mentor during your TV career?
I would not call him a mentor, necessarily, but the style of broadcasting I developed I copied considerably from Walter Cronkite. Rather than just reading the news, I tried to incorporate an excitement into news as he did. If I’m not interested and excited, why should the viewer be interested?
What is the strangest thing you have come across in your job?
Some of the strangest things I have come across involves the amazing things some people will do to be on television.
Any aspect of your career that that makes you particularly proud?
I am most proud of the Dream Factory, which I co-founded in Kansas City 28 years ago. During that period we have granted more than 5,500 dreams to sick and disabled kids. All the work is done by volunteers.
Dreams coming true have changed lives for the good and today a number of past recipients are now doctors, nurses, executives, business owners, lawyers, and physical therapists. We have never had to say no to a child because of lack of resources or money.
What is your favorite thing to do in Kansas City?
My favorite thing to do in Kansas City is to broadcast the evening news. I have never considered the work a job. It truly is a love that I’ve had for some 40 years.
What do you like to do in your free time? Hobbies?
In my free time, I enjoy photography, growing vegetables, (I‘ve had lots of two-pounders), riding horses, and playing with grandkids.
Your Catholic faith seems to be an important aspect of your life…Yes, it is. I have been since 1991 a member of the Knights of Malta, an order of men and women dedicated to helping the poor and the sick. Membership is approved by the Vatican. My wife and I are members of St. Thomas More Catholic Parish in South Kansas City.
People might be surprised to know that you…I really did write a book on gardening a number of years ago. It’s called the 20X30 Backyard Gardening Guide and is on the shelves of public libraries and is in the Library of Congress.
What is your favorite TV show?
As one of my sons once said in a charity stage appearance when I asked him the questions, he said, “Channel 9 News.”
Who was the most famous person you ever interviewed?
I’ve had the great opportunity to interview many of the famous and not-so-famous. When a reporter interviews a President of the United States, it is always a special occasion. I’ve had the opportunity to interview several—Nixon, Ford, Reagan, and Clinton. I also had the privilege of doing the very last television interview of the man from Independence, Harry Truman.
Who would you consider the most interesting person you have interviewed?
Probably the most interesting person I’ve interviewed is Jane Fonda. Regardless of how one feels about her political beliefs, I found her to be a most extraordinary and educated individual. No matter the question I would pose, she would never waiver.
Who do you follow on Twitter?
I don’t do much on Twitter. I can’t understand how one can hold onto a full-time job and still have time to Tweet. Talking on the phone while driving or Tweeting while driving are two things I do not do.
What was the most difficult story you ever covered?
The most difficult story I ever covered was my struggle with cancer 20 years ago. As I went through treatment, we presented an educational campaign on Channel 9. We had no idea how the process would conclude. It was like a bad movie, but I did survive.
Is it fair to say that you have pretty much seen it all in KC over the years?
In many ways, my tenure at Channel 9 is a history of television news in Kansas City—black and white film and the urban riots of 1968 to microwave technology and the GOP convention in 1976 to the World Series and satellite technology to the crime wave of the 21st century and iPhone technology.

 NAME:  Ted Cramer
TITLE:  Currently a part-time deejay for KFKF, Kansas City and the co-host of the Saturday morning “Country Legends” show on the station.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN YOUR CURRENT POSITION?
   Eight years now.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN IN BROADCASTING?
   I’m currently in my 58th year of broadcasting and 42 of them as a program director.
HOW DID YOU GET INTO YOUR CHOSEN FIELD?
   I knew at the age of 5 I wanted to go into radio. There was never any question about doing anything else. I was fascinated with it all through school and made it my job to get into it.
WHAT WERE SOME OF YOUR PREVIOUS JOBS BEFORE KFKF?
Well, I have had quite a few!! Here you go:
1953-1957–KIMO (1510) in Independence. It was my first commercial job and I was a jock and for a time in 1956 the News Director. That was my first exposure to country music.
1957–KLEX in Lexington, MO for three months.
1957-58–KFEQ radio and TV in St. Joseph, MO, where I was a radio DJ and TV news anchor on Channel 2.
1958-59–Back to KIMO, which changed its call letter to KANS
1959-1961–KCKN in Kansas City. The station was Top 40 when I went there and switched back to country in 1960. I became the program director and pioneered the modern country format.
1961–Program Director at WTAP in Parkersburg, West VA. I also did TV.
1963-1973–I came back to KCKN at PD and put KCKN-FM on the air in 1963 (which is now KFKF).
1969-1973–I was PD also at WUBE in Cincinnati (it was co-owned with KCKN under Kaye-Smith Broadcasting). I turned WUBE into a country station and in 1970 turned WUBE-FM into country.
1974-1977–PD at WOWK/WIGL-FM in Miami, FL and put WIGL on the air in 1976.
1977-1979–PD at WDAF-61 Country and changed the format to country with Randy Michaels.
1979-1981–PD at 610 WTVN in Columbus, OH. (WDAF and WTVN were Taft stations).
1981-1984–PD at WMAQ in Chicago (NBC’s only country station)
1984-1987–Time off, but worked an occasional shift at 61 Country.
1987-1988–Co-owner of WREN in Topeka.
1988-1989–Joined Gaylord Broadcasting as PD at WKY in Oklahoma City.
1989-1991–Transferred to WSM in Nashville as PD.
1991-2004–Returned to WDAF in KC at PD.
2004-Present–KFKF.
MAJOR AWARDS/HONORS?
    Inducted into the Country DJ Hall of Fame in 1999. Billboard’s Program Director of the Year in 1988 and R and R “Station of the Year” in 1978. I’ve been lucky to also have received a number of local awards for public service in various markets throughout the years.
HAS YOUR CHOSEN FIELD CHANGED OVER THE YEARS?
   Radio has changed dramatically since I started. The number of stations in each market has grown dramatically dividing up the pie both in ratings and revenues.
   Technically…I started out playing 78rpm records and 33 and 1/3 transcriptions. 45′s replaced 78s. We then started dubbing our music to carts replacing records.
    Our commercials that had been on tape or et’s (electrical transcriptions) were also on cart. Records were replaced by CD’s which most of us dubbed to cart.
    And finally to the present day, all recorded material is played back on digital operating system hard-drives. The digital sound quality, of course, is much better than previous formats. The systems also allow voice-tracking, causing a reduction in the program staffs. There are far fewer programming jobs in radio today and salaries are less.
    In addition, changes in the FCC rules allowed companies to buy as many stations as they wanted and as a result just a few companies operate most of the stations in larger markets.
MARITAL STATUS?
Married with no children.
WHAT IS THE MOST/LEAST REWARDING PART OF YOUR JOB?
   Putting together a sound for a radio station and winning. I’ve been very fortunate over the years having a lot of success at the stations I’ve programmed. Creating the modern country format was one of the most exciting experiences along with making 61 Country an AM success story for almost four decades.
   The least rewarding moments of my career were probably created by individuals at radio station home offices who have no idea how to program a local station. Some of the large radio chains have executives in the highest offices who are totally incompetent and make huge problems for local programmers. On top of that local managers have lost the art of good management. It’s sad.
DID YOU EVER CONSIDER ANOTHER CAREER?
No. Radio is really all I ever wanted to do.
DO YOU HAVE A MENTOR?
No.
WHAT IS THE STRANGEST THING YOU HAVE COME ACROSS IN YOUR JOB?
   When I went to work at WWOK I was impressed with the signal. At 1260 we covered all of Dade and Broward County and then some. The station was non-directional in the daytime.
After about six months were were enjoying some really good ratings in a market that was not considered the best for country music.
    Then one day the chief engineer came to me and said the transmitter work was done and we were to begin using the new pattern from a five-tower array. The day we went to the new pattern I drove the signal and was shocked to learn that the signal now disappeared totally in the far reaches of south Miami and gone in Homestead.
   No one ever told me when I went to work there about this situation. WWOK has been non-directional since the station was purchased by Mission Broadcasting three years earlier.
    The FCC awarded the license to Mission on the condition that the antenna system be repaired. In spite of losing a significant chunk of potential listeners, we seemed to maintain our position in the market. I still don’t know how!!
DID YOU HAVE A SONG YOU PLAYED WHEN YOU HAD TO TAKE A BATHROOM BREAK? 
   My “crapper cart,”  or bathroom record, was El Paso by Marty Robbins…probably at 4:15 or so.  That was really long in comparison to everything else at that time.
   We could change the oil in the car during that one!
EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND?
   I went to grade school at Border Star and E.F. Swinney in Kansas City and then high school at Pembroke-Country Day. I went to college at Kansas and UMKC.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING TO DO IN KC?
   My wife and I love to eat out at the various restaurants. We have many very good ones here.
WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR FREE TIME? ANY HOBBIES?
   Audio has always been a hobby of mine through the years and I love to listen to various genres of music. I also like to work out since weight has always been a problem with me!
PEOPLE MIGHT BE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT YOU…
   I’m a perfectionist. The worst kind of Virgo!
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW?
   At the moment I like “The Firm,” “Grimm” and other action shows. I love the old Perry Mason series.
WHO IS THE MOST INTERESTING PERSON YOU HAVE INTERVIEWED OR MET?
    There are so many!! I’ve interviewed everyone from Patty Andrews to Kenny Chesney. Virtually all of them are interesting in their own way.
WHO DO YOU FOLLOW ON TWITTER?
No one. I don’t Twitter.
WHO WAS THE BIGGEST CELEBRITY YOU EVER INTERVIEWED?
   President Harry Truman. Officer Mike Westwood of the Independence Police Dept. was Harry’s bodyguard. Mike and I worked on different projects at KIMO and when I came down to cover the opening of the Truman Library for KFEQ radio and TV Mike got me into interview Harry for about 15 minutes.
    Harry was extremely gracious. Great sense of humor. He was incredibly excited about his new library. The Truman you saw was the Truman you got. He was an exceptional individual and in my opinion one of the best presidents in history. He was down to earth and apparently not afraid of anything!

Name: Nick Haines
Title:  KCPT Executive Producer Public Affairs/News
How long have you been in your current position?  13 years
How did you get into your chosen field?
Every year, the British Broadcasting Corporation hires 12 people in their radio news training program. I was one of the fortunate dozen. After graduating from the University of Essex with a degree in government I went straight to work for the BBC.
Previous jobs?
   I met my Kansas City-born wife while at college and worked for the BBC for three years before I moved to the US in 1991.
But when I arrived in KC, nobody wanted to hire me. Not one phone call was returned. Not one bite on any of the dozens of resumes I submitted. Just to acquire health benefits, I took a job taking phone orders for the Disney catalog company in Overland Park. Then later, I worked the graveyard shift as a long-distance phone operator at Sprint.
    Soon, a full-time job opened at KCUR radio, which I applied for, but didn’t get. But, they liked me and offered me a part-time position making on-air announcements and reading newscasts during a brand new program called, “Talk of the Nation.” No sooner did I start working there, I was getting calls from other radio stations.
    I quickly landed a full-time gig at the public radio station in Lawrence. First as a healthcare reporter where I traveled the length and breadth of Kansas filing healthcare stories. Then later, I covered the Kansas legislature, as statehouse bureau chief for Kansas Public Radio. It was during that time that I first appeared on KCPT’s Kansas City Week in Review program as a reporter.
   Later, I would become the news director of the NPR station in Lawrence, KANU. I joined KCPT full time in 1998.
Major awards/honors?
2011 – EMMY AWARD
Public/Current Affairs Special (Mid America)
“The Local Show: Mental Health”

2010 – EMMY AWARD
Best TV News Feature (Mid America)
“Evicted, Foreclosed, Homeless”

2008 – HEADLINE AWARD
For Excellence in Journalism
Johnson County Community College

2007 – Outstanding Enterprise Coverage
Kansas City Association of Black Journalists

2006 – Best TV Host
The Pitch Newspaper

‘THE 50 PEOPLE YOU OUGHT TO KNOW IN KANSAS CITY ‘
Kansas City Magazine, July 2005

How has your chosen field changed over the years?
   Journalists are expected to do far more with fewer resources. At the same time, they face a more cynical, polarized audience with shorter attention spans.
Hometown?
   Port Talbot, a steel town in south Wales, UK. It is the same hometown as Richard Burton and Anthony Hopkins.
Marital Status (Children?)
   My wife Dawn grew up in Overland Park. We have four children. Lauren 15, Adam 13, Ethan 11 and Caroline 9.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
   As Executive Producer of Public Affairs programs, having the opportunity to “green light” really important stories of community need, such as our recent four-part series on suicide and depression.
Least rewarding?
   Constantly having to identify pockets of funding to try and get projects off the ground.
Did you ever consider another career?
   Prison warden, attorney, missionary, tour guide and game show host were all options at one point or the other.
Do you have a mentor?
   What a remarkable concept. I was fortunate to have mentors early in my radio career. But not since I transitioned to television.
Educational background?
   I have a degree in Government from the University of Essex, Colchester, England. I graduated in 1989. I went to a Catholic Comprehensive School. Catholic schools in Britain are part of the state system and are paid for by the government.
What is your favorite thing to do in Kansas City?
   I like nothing better than taking a trip back in time at the Renaissance Festival on a crisp, fall day.
What do you do in your free time? Hobbies?
   I’m currently addicted to the music service, ‘Spotify.’ So my kids will tell you that playing strange British music at full blast is one of the things I like to do in my free time. Taking my four kids from one place to another by automobile is how I spend 84% of the rest of my spare time.
   I love escaping on weekends to the Overland Park Arboretum. Even many people in Johnson County are unaware of this free treasure in their midst. A gorgeous 300-acre wooded oasis where even on the hottest of summer days you can walk or run on the trails and be completely shaded by the trees.
“People might be surprised to know that you …”
    People might be surprised to know that I attend WWE wrestling events at Sprint Center with my two sons and I am first in line at Kansas City’s Haunted Houses when they open in the fall.
What is your favorite TV show?
   ‘Restaurant Impossible’
Who was the biggest celebrity you ever interviewed?
    I never seek out celebrities. When Lance Armstrong was coming to town, KCPT was asked whether we’d be interested in interviewing him. I asked, why? What possibly would we ask him that he hasn’t been asked in a hundred national interview shows?
   I see little value in trying to localize national stories just to insert myself in the action.
Who is the most interesting person you have interviewed or met?
   There are so many interesting people we are privileged to meet in this line of work. I remember being flown to Germany to spend a week on board a Royal Naval frigate to do a fly-on-the-wall series for the BBC on life inside the Royal Navy. I remember the vivid stories of despair and pain shared to me by a British man who had just been released after being held captive as a “human shield” inside one of Saddam Hussein’s Royal Palace’s. And then, captured the enormous jubilation as we interviewed him on tape as he was reunited with his wife.
   Moments after leaving the studio, he returned to his home, and then blew his brains out in the garage. My news director at the time, wanted me to then return to the home to interview the wife. Believing no public good could be achieved by invading her terrible grief, I simply reported back that no one had answered the door.
Who do you follow on Twitter?
     I try to follow as many local reporters as I can. I am constantly trying to seek out new reporters to book on Kansas City Week in Review and I am always interested to know what’s on the minds of my fellow journalists.
What is the strangest thing you have come across in your job?
   While I worked for the BBC, I was in court covering a case involving a “prostitution ring.” When I left the courtroom to file a live report, one of the defendants followed me out and threatened to bite my “b**ls” off if I made the call.
Did a young Nick Haines make the call? 
  The answer to that mystery is only available when you pledge your support to KCPT at the $1000 level and above.

Name: Sam Mellinger

Title: Sports Columnist, Kansas City Star

How long have you been in your current position?
     Two years, almost exactly.
How did you get into your chosen field?
    Lots of work and lots of luck. Started at the small daily where I grew up (Lawrence) the day after I got my drivers license. Was incredibly lucky to know exactly what I wanted to do when I was really young, and I’ve been working toward it ever since.
Previous jobs?
    Hired out of college as an entry level high schools reporter. Did that for about five years, then covered baseball for about five years, and now the column since 2010.
Has your chosen field changed over the years?
    Um, yes. Drastically. There are fewer of us. Or there are many more of us. Depends entirely on your perspective, which is a good indication of how different this is. Deadlines are hazy now. As I type this, I’m off to do a video for our website after working on a blog post this morning and tweeting in between. Tomorrow, I’ll write an actual column.
    For the most part, the changes have made my job even better — though in full disclosure, it’s hard to imagine the job any other way. There’s more interaction with readers, more opportunity to have conversations, better access than ever to information. There’s also more stuff out there, which sometimes is a challenge, but if you’re good enough and work hard enough and get lucky enough…you get noticed.
Hometown:
Lawrence
Marital Status (Children?):
    Just got married a few weeks ago. She’s still happy. I think.
What is the most rewarding part of your job? Least rewarding?
   The best part is just getting it right. Not in terms of spelling names correctly and getting facts right — though that’s obviously critical — but in terms of telling someone’s story the right way, or clearly articulating a point you feel strongly about and knowing that because of this absurd job I have people will see it and react to it. It’s absolutely fantastic. I’ve said this before, but if I called this my dream job, it would be dishonest because that would imply I ever thought I could even dream about it.
    The least rewarding part is hearing personal and ignorant attacks from readers. Disagreement is part of the gig, and it’s nearly always interesting and fun. I could just do without the occasional personal threat or attack that comes along with it. Part of the job, though.
Did you ever consider another career?
   Not since “astronaut.” I was about 14 when I knew this is what I wanted to do. The second day I had my drivers license (the first day I spent trying to impress my girlfriend…same girl, actually, who I married a few weeks ago) I drove to the daily paper in my hometown and started working. It was a year or so later that they actually started paying me.
Do you have a mentor?
    I don’t know about mentor, but I have a million people I look up to and try to learn from for a wide range of reasons. The ones I’ve learned the most from personally, through friendships or conversations, include Joe Posnanski, Jason Whitlock, Jason King, Mike Fannin, Wright Thompson, Jeff Passan, Randy Covitz, Bob Dutton, Blair Kerkhoff, Mike DeArmond, Bill Plaschke, Bernie Miklasz, Vahe Gregorian and John Canzano.
    Writers I’ve learned a ton from just reading or watching include Liz Merrill, Gregg Doyel, Bill Plaschke, Dan LeBatard, Dan Wetzel, Adrian Wojnarowski, Michael Rosenberg, Jerry Brewer, Tim Brown, John Lowe, Chris Jones, Charles Pierce, Tom Junod, Bob Ryan, Sally Jenkins, Michael Wilbon, I could really do this all day.
What is the strangest thing you have come across in your job?
    I once got an e-mail from a very nice man who sent a picture of his daughter and her phone number, asked that I please call her. About two weeks later, I wrote something he apparently didn’t like, because he e-mailed back and told me to lose the number.
Educational background?
   Bachelor’s in journalism from Kansas.
What is your favorite thing to do in Kansas City?
   Eat. Aside from Chicago and New York, I think this is the best eating town in the country. I have a lot of friends here, too, and family. This is home.
What do you do in your free time?
   Hobbies? Katie, my new wife, is really the center of it. She has been so important to me in so many ways, and for such a long period of time. I’m lucky beyond reason. Try to read for pleasure, try to work out, try to see friends as much as possible, try to walk my dog every day.
“People might be surprised to know that you …”
     …get called a hater and homer for all three local colleges, and roughly the same rate. Or that I once won a math contest when I was in fifth grade. Actually, that one shocks me. The stupid kids I was competing against should be ashamed.
What is your favorite TV show?
   I don’t watch a ton outside of games, but I’d probably say either 60 Minutes or Parks and Rec.
Who do you follow on Twitter?
    Probably the ones you’d expect: a mix of friends, media folk, athletes, and information sources. My favorites might be ones like HumbleBrag and TweetsBeCrazy that make fun of the whole thing.
Twitter is, obviously, an essential part of my job that I fortunately really like.
Who is the most interesting person you have interviewed or met?
    Mark Crooks, a four-time cancer survivor (the first was as a child) who wrote a book on near-death experiences he put himself through on purpose. Mark was on the cutting edge of health and exercise before quitting his job as a professor to become a carpenter and handyman because he liked working with his hands and was tired of the politics of an office job.
   Mark jumped off the Paseo Bridge, scaled a downtown office building, swam from Kansas City to St Louis, drove a station wagon into a lake, all for research. Just a fascinating guy who did exactly what he wanted in life, did it damn well, and left an impact on a lot of people.
Final thought?
   I maybe should’ve mentioned this earlier, but one of the absolute best parts of this job is the remarkable people you’re able to meet.

Name: Dan Lybarger (danlybarger@excite.com)
Title Freelance/Technical Writer & Critic
How do you make your living?
    I make most of my money writing computer instructions. That’s a challenge because computers have always come easily to me, and I have to remember my readers don’t want to be sitting at a monitor. The trick is to figure out how to tell them just what they need to know so they can get on with their lives.
    As for my work as a critic, journalist and blogger, that occasionally makes money and interests more people. People perk up when I tell them what I do for a side gig; they’re not as interested in what I do during the day.
How long have you been in your current position?
   I’ve actually been a semi-professional professional critic for one year longer than I’ve been a technical writer. I wrote reviews in the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Forum in 1991 and started full time work in late 1992.
How did you get into your chosen field?
    In college, I saw had a bright computer professor named Emilio Ramos who was cussing out a manual. If he found your book inadequate (this was a former NASA guy), imagine the frustration the ordinary end user would have with it. I figured I couldn’t do any worse than whoever wrote that book for Sperry Computers.
   As for film criticism, that started when I was six. The teacher showed us a Lassie movie, and I raised a stink because she ended the movie with Lassie being stuck in a pit. I informed her that Lassie always gets out of whatever mess she gets into, and that this must therefore be a substandard Lassie movie. I doubt I used those words.
    She had to take me out of the class to explain that there was another reel she was going to play the next day where Lassie got out. I was satisfied.
    At 22 or 23, I was reading the reviews that ran in the UALR Forum and thought I could do a better job. Their critic was a Saudi computer major who knew little about movies and had issues with English. I simply walked into the office and printed out a review I had written on my own, and it was published the following week.
    I went “pro” when Philip Martin, an editor from Little Rock’s Spectrum Weekly and I met in the same bar and talked films. The paper’s offices were above the watering hole. He’d seen me do a really bad Bob Dylan impersonation, but it won the UALR version of an America’s Funniest People audition. Needless to say, I didn’t make nationals, but I won a Robert Cray cassette and met a great job lead.
Previous jobs?
    I cleaned my father’s old car wash in Paola, tutored in a computer lab, worked as phone jockey for Sallie Mae and even served as a census taker. In that job, a farmer threatened to shoot me because he had some sort of objection to the Constitutionally-mandated census. He was more interested in me leaving his property than in explaining his concerns. I had no desire to be target practice.
Major awards/honors?
   Simply being able to stay in the game is an honor. That said, an interview I conducted with William Shatner about his 1962 movie The Intruder, which was about violence surrounding school desegregation, earned me a nomination for the Rondo Hatton Horror Awards. I didn’t win, but because I made no effort to get a nomination, I’m still tickled I got the nod. Incidentally, it was my first national magazine cover story.
Has your chosen field changed over the years?
    It has changed dramatically. When I wrote reviews for the now defunct Spectrum Weekly in Little Rock, I hand delivered them on a diskette to the office. At Pitch, I faxed them in, and then came e-mail. As a result, there were several people at the latter paper who had no idea who I was until the annual parties. Many probably wished they didn’t know after having met me.
     I’ve been through several outlets that have folded under my feet like TMI Weekly in Topeka, which was a wonderful place to write for, but like so many outlets had problems making money. Print was dying when I started in the business, so I’m happy whenever I still find a paying gig.
    At the same time, the changes in technology have opened up opportunities for me. I can write for faraway places in New York, California or some other part of the country.
    Hometown Born in Topeka, Grew up in Paola. Paola is the hometown of Emmy-winning writer Steve Pepoon and Danney Carey, the drummer for Tool.
Marital Status (Children?)
Single, but with a girlfriend (Carmen). There are no children I’m aware of.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
    Getting to talk with people whose work or actions I really admire. It was a real treat to get to talk with Pentagon Papers whistle blower Daniel Ellsberg and with former CIA agent Robert Baer. These guys are on different ends of the spectrum, but I learned a lot from each man. I’m an extroverted guy, so getting to meet people is often a treat, even if their names aren’t familiar to me.
    Because I’m a crummy athlete, movies were something I could do that didn’t involve pushing my clumsy body farther than it wanted to go. Getting to see a great one and tell the world about it is certainly a treat. I also love introducing people to movies, books, TV shows, music or other things that they’ll fall in love with. As humans, we’re on this planet for a short time, so settling for mediocrity in movies shouldn’t be an option. Unlike other consumer options, movies cost the same regardless of quality, so it’s one area where settling for second best shouldn’t happen.
Least rewarding?
   Hustling to sell an article can be frustrating, but the real pain for me is transcription. I’m a decent typist but getting down hours worth of conversation is a pain. Some of the writers I know at the Star just take notes, but my handwriting is sloppy and slow. That’s why my professors at Ottawa University demanded that I take computer classes. It’s gratifying that I still passed my classes when they could actually read what I wrote.
   Also, if you’ve seen Battlefield Earth, you begin to think the Almighty hates you.
Did you ever consider another career?
    Yes. Film criticism is probably less steady and less lucrative than acting. And the latter is one of the rarest jobs around. I often compare film criticism and writing in general to being a chariot driver.
    Because chariots depend on the horses completely for both power and steering (the wheels are on stationary axles), it’s a formidable skill for the driver to develop. That doesn’t mean that anybody’s going to pay you to do it. This is why I consider myself fortunate because few people get paid in this racket. I often write for free.
     I love to play piano, guitar and harmonica, but my singing voice makes Bob Dylan sound like Placido Domingo. Pray you never hear the songs I recorded.
    I also wanted to give up film criticism after watching Powder, Jeepers Creepers 2 and Showgirls.
Do you have a mentor?
    I’ve had several over the years. Philip Martin and Anne Clancy at Spectrum Weekly in Little Rock. Mr. Martin is now looking over my work for The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Thanks to Facebook, it’s been fun getting to know him again.
    At Pitch, Bruce Rodgers and Jon Niccum did a great job of guiding me. I still write for Bruce at KCActive.com, and Jon also got to test his patience with me at the Lawrence Journal-World.
    At the Star, Bob Butler was incredibly helpful, and it’s a shame he’s no longer there. I grew up reading his reviews, and it probably would have crushed me if he turned out to be a jerk. Sharon Hoffman is an amazing copy editor, and David Frese has actually bought magazines simply because something I’ve written got printed in them.
   Through work, I got to meet Loey Lockerby who has been my greatest friend. We probably get along because we both have names no one can spell or pronounce.
What is the strangest thing you have come across in your job?
    I’ve had quite a few, but a 1999 junket I took to Los Angeles was the oddest. I am about the only person I know who has broken toes simply by walking across my hotel room. That same trip, I had to sit at a roundtable with Martin Lawrence and his entourage of two tall, intimidating body guards and two women, one of whom came in with a bandage over her eye. For some reason, none us wanted to ask him about the time he ran into traffic waving a pistol.
   On the plus side, I got to meet Dave Chapelle, and he posed for my first published photo.
Educational background?
   Paola High School, B.A. Magna Cum Laude Ottawa University (Ottawa, KS, not the capital city of our friendly northern neighbors), M.A. University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
What is your favorite thing to do in Kansas City?
   Kansas City is an unusually good city for movies. We have more screens per person than most larger cities and some thriving specialty houses. I’m also fond of the barbecue (as my waistline indicates), and I like to sit back and drink hot tea at the Black Dog Coffeehouse.
What do you do in your free time? Hobbies? With two jobs, I don’t get much of that, but I do like to play piano and guitar and spend quality time with Carmencita. I also like walking. With two sedentary jobs, it’s essential.
“People might be surprised to know that you …”
   I once (and only once) drove a forklift. It wasn’t pretty.
What is your favorite TV show?
   The Daily Show, The Twilight Zone, Portlandia. I really miss out on a lot of TV because I’m usually enduring cruddy films and am rarely home during the day.
Who was the biggest celebrity you ever interviewed? Explain.
   That would probably be Charlton Heston, and I’ve also talked with Billy Crystal, Sir Michael Caine, Cate Blanchett (who opened the door for me during a junket), Faye Dunnaway, Mel Brooks.
Who is the most interesting person you have interviewed or met?
   That would have to be Agnieszka Holland. She’s a Polish film and TV director who’s done everything from Treme, The Wire, Europa Europa and the forthcoming In Darkness. She’s had quite a life. She’s survived the Prague Spring in 1968, spent time as a political prisoner and has raised a daughter, Kasia Adamik, who is a talented filmmaker, too. She’s a blast to talk with, and I don’t review her movies anymore because we’ve become friends.
Who do you follow on Twitter?
You’ll laugh at this: Yoko Ono. But I also like following Stephen Colbert, Albert Brooks, John Hodgman, Michelle Goldberg, UMKC’s William K. Black, Roger Ebert
Add any questions I should have asked…
These seemed adequate. I apologize for taking so long and being so verbose. Anne Clancy, a former editor, once told me, “Dan, it’s always easier for me to cut than to add.” I should add you caught me at a break.