Jordan Kemp

Working for KFSR helped to lay the foundation for my career in broadcast media...

As a student at Fresno State, I first became involved with KFSR as a summer intern.  My initial duties were in the Music and Production Departments serving in research.  That summer was informative and…“festive,” as I was responsible for cataloging the station’s digital holiday library.  I also had opportunities to serve in the Marketing and Development Departments during my internship.

When my internship ended, I was offered a job with KFSR in the Production Department as a production assistant.  My primary work involved audio production, a crucial (if less glamorous) side of radio broadcasting.  I conducted a comprehensive inventory and re-production of the station’s digital jazz library.  The work was fulfilling, as I heard the fruits of my labor each and every day as I heard the music play on-air, sounding much cleaner than it had before my editing work.  I also worked in the Development Department helping with the station’s bi-annual pledge drives.  I was given the opportunity to work in the Programming Department and served as an on-air co-host during the pledge drives.  I gained experience in the Marketing/PR/Event Management Departments by helping with station fundraising events, including the, “KFSR Jazz & Wine Festival.”  The station events expanded my experience in networking, while also providing experience in representing an organization to the public.  Those skills are critical to success in any job, including broadcasting.

While I studied at Fresno State, my job with KFSR helped to shape me into a more well-rounded student looking for a career in broadcasting.  It helped show me every angle of putting a show on the air, be it radio, television, or webcasting.  For some students, this can act as a real wake-up call, but for me, it was a perfect way to learn anything and everything I could before I graduated and eventually started my own career in broadcasting.

Apart from the hands-on educational experience, I also gained a life-long mentor in KFSR General Manager Julie Logan.  Julie fostered an environment for me to be able to learn from her that was both challenging and nurturing; exactly what I needed as my studies neared an end.  The lessons I learned from her about broadcasting and life itself will stay with me for my entire life.  She helped to mold me into the man I am today, and more to the point, she provided direction for me when I needed it most.

KFSR can provide opportunities for students in all aspects of broadcasting, both on and off air. Students with a genuine curiosity or desire to work in media can learn more about what really goes into the industry, top to bottom, with any time spent at KFSR.  I can say, from my first day as an intern, vetting holiday music in the production room studio, all the way to my last day, after I graduated and moved on to my career, KFSR and the people I worked with at that station were instrumental to my development at Fresno State.

Happy Holidays, and Go ‘Dogs!