Bruce Kelly
Encyclopedia
Bruce Kelly is an American radio
personality.
According to Alexander Zaitchik
at Salon.com, "Kelly is a flamboyant master of publicity stunts as well as a top-rated morning jock".
in Washington, D.C.
from September 2000 to November 2005. Kelly was also the first "live" human voice heard on XM or Sirius Satellite Radio
during XM studio's beta test launch in May 2001.
In November 2005, he resigned from XM to care for his ailing 79 year old father, who fully recovered in May 2006 after a series of strokes.
On April 30, 2007 Lincoln Financial Media
announced Kelly as the replacement in morning drive on WMXJ
for South Florida
media icon Rick Shaw, retiring after 50+ years on air in the market. His stint at the station lasted only for his initial one-year contract amid decidedly mixed audience reviews. Friday, April 25, 2008 was his last Majic show.
Station management blamed "flat" ratings, however an ironic twist surfaced with the next ratings book in May showing prior to Kelly's dismissal, the show had improved from 10th to 5th place in the prior quarter in the key demographic of listeners aged 35 to 64.
In October 2008, Kelly announced his next position as Co-Manager of Bob Marley
's The Original Wailers, the backup-musicians for the reggae
legend's career from 1973 until his death in May 1981. Kelly claims to have conducted the last media interview with Marley.
In September 2009, Kelly was an integral part of a three page feature on Salon.com
about the career of talk radio star Glenn Beck
.
The expose became an internet blog sensation because of the re-telling of a 1988 on-air incident between Beck and Kelly's then wife, regarding her recent miscarriage. The articles became the foundation of a new book "Common Nonsense" by author Alexander Zaitchik
- scheduled to be released early summer of 2010.
On January 4, 2010, Radio Fargo-Moorhead announced Kelly as the new Morning Personality for classic hits
KMJO
, joining existing host Ryan Kelly to form the "New MOJO InTheMorning" radio show.
As of early June 2010, Kelly had disappeared from the Mojo 104 website and apparently is no longer with the Fargo station. Kelly refused to comment to local media and industry trade publications, citing "contractual agreement" with his former employer.
September 24, 2010, Kelly accepted a new position as morning host of WZFG
, a talk radio station in Fargo/Moorhead and program director of sister station KEGK
, both owned by Great Plains Integrated Marketing.
In late December 2010, Great Plains Integrated Marketing's Board of Directors appointed Kelly - Vice President Of Programming for the four station group.
Kelly returned to Arizona in October 2011 as the new Operations Manager of 90.7 KVIT
"The Goldmine", a non-commercial radio station owned by the East Valley Institute of Technology
in Mesa.
Kelly has also been featured in The Washington Post
, USA Today
, The Arizona Republic
, The Boston Globe
, and Nightline, in addition to dozens of local TV, magazine and newspaper features.
-AM which was then a rock station.
Kelly was #1 rated in WRVQ
Richmond, 96-X and Y-100 (WHYI
) Miami, WPGC-FM
Washington, D.C., WBZZ Pittsburgh, WHTT-FM Hot Hits Boston, and most notably, fifteen consecutive years as the dominant morning radio personality in Phoenix, from 1985 through 1999, on KZZP
, Y-95, and KKFR
.
In 1990, 1992 and 1993, he was honored by Billboard magazine as the CHR personality of the year.
Kelly is an alumnus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
and the student radio station, WUVT-FM
. He is also a graduate of T.C. Williams High School.
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
personality.
According to Alexander Zaitchik
Alexander Zaitchik
Alexander Zaitchik is an American freelance journalist who has written for: The Nation, Salon, The New Republic, The New York Observer, AlterNet, Mother Jones, Reason, The International Herald Tribune, Wired, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Believer, and Rolling Stone...
at Salon.com, "Kelly is a flamboyant master of publicity stunts as well as a top-rated morning jock".
Career
He was the original program director, format creator and morning personality on The 80s on 8 from XM Satellite RadioXM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
from September 2000 to November 2005. Kelly was also the first "live" human voice heard on XM or Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
during XM studio's beta test launch in May 2001.
In November 2005, he resigned from XM to care for his ailing 79 year old father, who fully recovered in May 2006 after a series of strokes.
On April 30, 2007 Lincoln Financial Media
Lincoln Financial Media
Lincoln Financial Media is a subsidiary of Lincoln National Corporation that owns radio stations in the United States.-History:In April 2006, Lincoln Financial acquired Jefferson-Pilot's television and radio operations, which were renamed Lincoln Financial Media. The group owns 14 radio stations in...
announced Kelly as the replacement in morning drive on WMXJ
WMXJ
WMXJ is an oldies/classic hits music formatted radio station that broadcasts from Miami Gardens, Florida. The station is owned by Lincoln Financial Media, which was previously known as Jefferson-Pilot Communications.-History:...
for South Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
media icon Rick Shaw, retiring after 50+ years on air in the market. His stint at the station lasted only for his initial one-year contract amid decidedly mixed audience reviews. Friday, April 25, 2008 was his last Majic show.
Station management blamed "flat" ratings, however an ironic twist surfaced with the next ratings book in May showing prior to Kelly's dismissal, the show had improved from 10th to 5th place in the prior quarter in the key demographic of listeners aged 35 to 64.
In October 2008, Kelly announced his next position as Co-Manager of Bob Marley
Bob Marley
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...
's The Original Wailers, the backup-musicians for the reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
legend's career from 1973 until his death in May 1981. Kelly claims to have conducted the last media interview with Marley.
In September 2009, Kelly was an integral part of a three page feature on Salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
about the career of talk radio star Glenn Beck
Glenn Beck
Glenn Edward Lee Beck is an American conservative radio host, vlogger, author, entrepreneur, political commentator and former television host. He hosts the Glenn Beck Program, a nationally syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks...
.
The expose became an internet blog sensation because of the re-telling of a 1988 on-air incident between Beck and Kelly's then wife, regarding her recent miscarriage. The articles became the foundation of a new book "Common Nonsense" by author Alexander Zaitchik
Alexander Zaitchik
Alexander Zaitchik is an American freelance journalist who has written for: The Nation, Salon, The New Republic, The New York Observer, AlterNet, Mother Jones, Reason, The International Herald Tribune, Wired, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Believer, and Rolling Stone...
- scheduled to be released early summer of 2010.
On January 4, 2010, Radio Fargo-Moorhead announced Kelly as the new Morning Personality for classic hits
Classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from 1964 to 1989. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format...
KMJO
KMJO
KMJO is a radio station broadcasting an adult hits format. The station focuses on music from the 1980s, 1990s, to the present and bills the format as "contemporary adult hits". Licensed to Hope, North Dakota, it serves the Fargo-Moorhead metropolitan area...
, joining existing host Ryan Kelly to form the "New MOJO InTheMorning" radio show.
As of early June 2010, Kelly had disappeared from the Mojo 104 website and apparently is no longer with the Fargo station. Kelly refused to comment to local media and industry trade publications, citing "contractual agreement" with his former employer.
September 24, 2010, Kelly accepted a new position as morning host of WZFG
WZFG
WZFG is a 50,000 watt radio station serving the Fargo-Moorhead market, licensed to Dilworth, Minnesota. Its two-tower transmitter site is near Sabin, Minnesota. The station is owned by Great Plains Integrated Marketing.-History:...
, a talk radio station in Fargo/Moorhead and program director of sister station KEGK
KEGK
KEGK is an oldies/classic hits radio station serving the Fargo-Moorhead area, licensed to Wahpeton, North Dakota, and primarily plays rock and pop music from the 1970s and 1980s...
, both owned by Great Plains Integrated Marketing.
In late December 2010, Great Plains Integrated Marketing's Board of Directors appointed Kelly - Vice President Of Programming for the four station group.
Kelly returned to Arizona in October 2011 as the new Operations Manager of 90.7 KVIT
KVIT
KVIT is a Phoenix metro area public radio station that plays Top 40, live and pre-recorded programming twenty-four hours per day. The station transmits from the Goldfield Ghost Town in Apache Junction, AZ. A live Internet audio stream is available...
"The Goldmine", a non-commercial radio station owned by the East Valley Institute of Technology
East Valley Institute of Technology
The East Valley Institute of Technology is a joint technological education district serving the eastern portion of the Phoenix, Arizona metro area...
in Mesa.
Media coverage
Throughout his career, Kelly has frequently been the subject of national headlines, including the following:- the 1987 removal of Evan MechamEvan MechamEvan Mecham was the 17th Governor of Arizona. A decorated veteran of World War II, Mecham earned his living as an automotive dealership owner and occasional newspaper publisher...
as governor of ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix... - 1989's "Radio Relief", in which all PhoenixPhoenix, ArizonaPhoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
radio and TV stations participated in a fund raiser to benefit victims of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquakeLoma Prieta earthquakeThe Loma Prieta earthquake, also known as the Quake of '89 and the World Series Earthquake, was a major earthquake that struck the San Francisco Bay Area of California on October 17, 1989, at 5:04 p.m. local time... - a 1991 April Fools' DayApril Fools' DayApril Fools' Day is celebrated in different countries around the world on April 1 every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when many people play all kinds of jokes and foolishness...
hoax involving the "accidental death" of cartoon character Bart SimpsonBart SimpsonBartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987... - in 2000 as the Washington RedskinsWashington RedskinsThe Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
on-field/booth announcer, he became the only NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
announcer in history to be fined ($60,000) for interrupting play during a home playoff game against the Tampa Bay BuccaneersTampa Bay BuccaneersThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
Kelly has also been featured in The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, The Arizona Republic
The Arizona Republic
The Arizona Republic is a daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. It was ranked tenth in US daily newspapers by circulation in 2007.-Early years:The newspaper was founded...
, The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
, and Nightline, in addition to dozens of local TV, magazine and newspaper features.
Publicity stunts
Starting in the mid-1970s, Kelly continued a long-held radio tradition of over-the-top publicity stunts for the benefit of local charities. Some of the many stunts that attracted national media coverage include:- 1976 — In front of a crowd of 10,000 and dressed in a white tuxedo, jumped into a vat containing 20,000 US gallons (80 m³) of orange flavored JelloJelloJello may refer to:* Jello Shoecompany, an Austrian shoe retailer* Jell-O, a brand name for gelatin desserts* A genericized brand for gelatin desserts in general* Sphyraena jello the pickhandle barracuda-People:...
at Kings Dominion - 1983 — Over the course of three days, sat in every seat (59,000) of Pittsburgh's Three Rivers StadiumThree Rivers StadiumThree Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's Major League Baseball franchise and National Football League franchise respectively.Built as a replacement to...
- 1984 — In less than 72 hours, completed the entire Boston MarathonBoston MarathonThe Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
, 42.195 kilometres (26.2 mi), on a custom-made pogo stick - 1990 — Demolished over 3000 Milli VanilliMilli VanilliMilli Vanilli was a pop/dance music project formed by Frank Farian in Germany in 1988, visually fronted by Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. The group's debut album achieved international success and earned them a Grammy Award for Best New Artist on Feb. 21, 1990. Milli Vanilli became one of the most...
LPs and CDs with a steamroller in protest over the duo's Grammy awardGrammy AwardA Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
being revoked due to controversy surrounding their lack of actual singing on the recordings - 1997 — Became the first heterosexual to be Grand MarshalGrand MarshalGrand Marshal is a ceremonial, military, or political office of very high rank. The term has its origins with the word "Marshal" with the first usage of the term "Grand Marshal" as a ceremonial title for certain religious orders...
of a nationally recognized gay pride parade, after numerous gay public figures declined, most notably ArizonaArizonaArizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
Congressman Jim KolbeJim KolbeJames Thomas "Jim" Kolbe is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives for Arizona's 8th congressional district, serving 11 terms from 1985 to 2007.-Early life:...
Other career highlights
In 1976, after college, Kelly worked in Charlottesville, Virginia at then WELK-AM (1400) doing afternoon-drive and later moved on to Richmond's WLEEWLEE
WLEE is a News/Talk formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Richmond, Virginia, serving Metro Richmond. WLEE is owned and operated by Davidson Media Group....
-AM which was then a rock station.
Kelly was #1 rated in WRVQ
WRVQ
WRVQ is a Contemporary Hit Radio formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Richmond, Virginia, serving Central Virginia. WRVQ is owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications.-External links:*...
Richmond, 96-X and Y-100 (WHYI
WHYI
WHYI-FM, better known as Y-100, is a heritage FM Top 40 contemporary hit radio station that broadcasts at 100.7 MHz. Its city of license is Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Y-100 broadcasts at an effective radiated power of 98,000 watts from its 1,005 foot transmitter, which is located on the...
) Miami, WPGC-FM
WPGC-FM
WPGC-FM is one of the most popular among Washington, D.C.'s urban format radio station's, and has been ranked as one of its top rated radio stations for over 20 years, according to the Arbitron ratings. It has a city of license of Morningside at the 95.5 MHz frequency on the FM dial...
Washington, D.C., WBZZ Pittsburgh, WHTT-FM Hot Hits Boston, and most notably, fifteen consecutive years as the dominant morning radio personality in Phoenix, from 1985 through 1999, on KZZP
KZZP
KZZP, 104.7 KISS-FM, is a Top 40 radio outlet serving the Phoenix, Arizona area. The Clear Channel Communications station broadcasts at 104.7 MHz with an Effective radiated power of 100 kW and is licensed in Mesa, Arizona. Due to its 100 kW tower located atop South Mountain, the station can...
, Y-95, and KKFR
KKFR
KKFR "Power 98.3" is a Rhythmic Contemporary Hit Radio outlet in the Phoenix, Arizona, radio market. The station broadcasts at 98.3 MHz on the FM dial with an effective radiated power of 41 kW. Its COL was Mayer, Arizona. The station is owned and operated by Riviera Broadcast Group...
.
In 1990, 1992 and 1993, he was honored by Billboard magazine as the CHR personality of the year.
Kelly is an alumnus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech , is a public land-grant university with the main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia with other research and educational centers throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and internationally.Founded in...
and the student radio station, WUVT-FM
WUVT-FM
WUVT-FM is a Freeform formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Blacksburg, Virginia, serving Blacksburg and Montgomery County, Virginia. WUVT-FM is licensed to the Virginia Tech and is operated by The Educational Media Company at Virginia Tech.-History:...
. He is also a graduate of T.C. Williams High School.