8 questions with....Josh Odson!

Josh is hilarious, talented, and a total all-star. He's a legend around here (cough cough SALES CLASS). Here's 8 questions with one of the best!

Brief Career synopsis:

I started off as a board op at KFAB in 2011.  Saturday morning shift (i.e. 5am) also babysitting for every imaginable Husker sport, album release special, NASCAR event, and I Heart concert.  I became a fill-in producer whenever someone needed a day off and in 2016 became the full-time producer of The Chris Baker Show in the afternoons on KFAB.  Then in 2017 became host of my own weekly show on Sunday nights.

Current title:

Producer – The Chris Baker Show (M-F 2-6PM)

Host – The Josh Odson Show (Sunday 8-9PM)

1) What made you want to do this for a living?

My mom listened to the radio every morning when she got ready for work, and when she drove us to school.  It seemed like a fun way to live your life, just making fun of things that are happening around you.  Dad always said “LOVE what you do for a living and you’ll never work a day in your life”.

2) As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Like most kids it goes through phases, changing at different ages.  Astronaut, baseball player, actor.  However, with all the useless knowledge floating around in my head, radio seemed like the only thing I was really qualified to do.

3) What is the biggest challenge facing your industry?

An unwillingness to think outside the box.  Too many people in radio are doing too many jobs in the building, so they get lazy in the creative process.  “Well, this is what works, this is what’s always worked, this is what we’re going to do.”  Nobody tries a new promotion or new sound to the station because everyone is so busy and wants the quickest results.  Meanwhile, podcasts, YouTube, and the internet are passing radio by with their new-fangled ideas.

4)  5 WORDS OR LESS - What is the most brutal part of your job?

The “post mass shooting” show.

5) 5 WORDS OR LESS - What is the best part of your job?

I laugh every single day.

6) What is the biggest misconception about your job?

That talk radio is just old white guys talking about their 401k and shouting all the time.  We really try and act goofy and talk more about stupid criminals, movies, and make the audience laugh more than talking politics.

7) Fill in the blank ...“The problem with newbies is they don’t know …

how many things they’re going to miss on their way up the ladder.

I know, Sarah’s throwing an awesome party Saturday night.  Her parties are always dope.  But, there will be another one.  And another one.  And one after that.  We need you to sit here in the studio and make sure the Blake Shelton album release party goes over the air without incident Saturday night.  You’re going to miss birthday parties, weddings, and all sorts of get togethers starting out in radio.  Nobody gets to the full-time cushy gig without making sacrifices.  It’s really tough to make those decisions, but your real friends aren’t going anywhere, and they’ll want you to be successful.

8) What industry related skill/software do you wish you knew more about?

Web stuff like HTML, web design, and embedding things.  The more and more the biz aligns with the internet the more and more I feel like an old man that the world has left behind.