Tanna Guthrie hosts 99.7 The Point's Afternoon Show in Kansas City. Photo property of Tanna Guthrie.
This edition of Jacob Interviews kicks off a very special series of interviews featuring radio personalities from across the country. Since the 1980s, many radio listeners of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area have been tuning into 99.7 The Point’s Tanna Guthrie. She has been with countless radio stations from KMBZ to KUDL. I had a chance to catch up with Ms. Guthrie and we talked about her career and her show.
Jacob Elyachar: How did you get into the radio business?
Tanna Guthrie: My speech instructor in college told me that I had a good voice and asked if I had ever considered a career in broadcasting. I hadn’t, since I grew up in a fundamentalist household and with no television or radio. See kids, college does pay off!
JE: Could you please tell readers about your time as a D.J. in the Kansas City Metro Area?
TG: I started in the early 1980s, as a reporter for KMBZ before co-hosting a midday talk show on that station. From there, I joined the morning show with Max Floyd and Jon Hart on KY102. That later morphed into 99.7KY with the Max, Tanna & Moffitt Morning Show. When that station flipped, I landed the afternoon show on 98.1 KUDL. When that station flipped, I ended up back on 99.7 doing the afternoon show playing the hits from today’s artists like Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Daughtry.
JE: What have been some of the obstacles that you faced throughout your career? How did you overcome them?
TG: I got fired four times in my radio career. I’m like that whack-a-mole game. I keep popping up after getting smacked. I’m not really sure why I’m often the last man standing.
JE: Could you please share the layout of the show for readers who have not had the opportunity to listen to your show?
TG: It’s very music intensive and I talk over the intros of songs, so as not stop the music. It’s actually more challenging then when you have more time to talk. I have to be very concise and know exactly where I’m going when I have just :06 to ramp a song.
JE: What are your plans for 2012?
TG: To not get fired.
JE: Could you give any advice for people who want to have a career in radio?
TG: As former KU Men’s Basketball Coach Roy Williams used to say, “You have to have the want to.”
To learn more about Tanna, visit her 99.7 profile on the station’s Website: http://www.997thepoint.com/pages/9607769.php
