Andrew Yates, 50, who was a producer and executive producer for more than 21 years at 710 KCMO—with many of them with late radio icon Mike Murphy—has received his degree from Mid America Nazarene University.
In fact, Yates worked with Murphy from July 2000 to his final broadcast on 17 December 2004, which is considered the longest tenure of any producer with the KC radio legend. Murphy died in March 2011.
Getting a degree at his age might not necessarily be unusual except for the fact Yates first started to work on his music degree in the fall of 1979 at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. After about three years an opportunity came up in Las Vegas and his degree aspirations were put on hold until 2010.
He returned to Kansas City and worked at Classical KXTR from 1987 to 1996, KFKF from 96 to 97, KMBZ from 97 to 98 and the Royals Radio Network.
In 2008 his position with KCMO was eliminated. Although Yates was already a highly respected musician and composer, in 2010 he decided to go back to school at Nazarene and finally got his degree this month.
Somewhat ironically, Yates now has a piece of published music to put on his resume.
“My first published piece of wind band music hit the market on 30 April,” Yates told Bottom Line. “It was a piece commissioned by Jerry Fogel (a KC radio icon in his own right) titled ‘West Point’s 162nd.’ I wrote it for Fogel’s 50th anniversary of his class graduating from West Point.
“I had a friend of mine (Heather McMichael, former TV personality) ask me if I was going to be able to retire on the royalties. I told her it was just a march and not “West Side Story!’”
WDAF-Fox 4 Gia Vang did a nice story on Yates’ accomplishment and noted he might now become an instructor at the college.