Whether she is dancing on television (in Dancing with Rochester’s Radio Stars), dishing it out on her morning radio show, or sitting on her back deck playing with her dogs, Kimberly Ray is glad to call Hilton, NY her home. “I’m definitely a west side girl,” said Ray, the morning co-host of “The Breakfast Buzz” on 98.9 FM (5 to 10 a.m. weekdays). “There’s a lot of moving in radio. I’m hoping this is my last stop.” And why not? Currently the morning show she hosts with Barry Beck is rated No. 1 in its time slot, after battling for that position for several years. At the risk of jinxing herself, Ray said life is “pretty good” considering her professional success and happy home life with her husband, Jason, daughter, Chloe, and mother, Lois. Ray has traveled enough to see what else is out there. She was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri and started her professional career in a small station in Kirksville, Missouri. From there she went to Jefferson City and then on to Asbury Park in New Jersey where she worked overnights at WJLK and did voice work for an advertising agency in New York City. It was back to Kansas City in 1992 where she worked at KBEQ, a country station, for six years. Her next stop, Cincinnati, left a bad taste in her mouth as Ray was fired. They called me in and said, “We’re not going to renew your contract. Your last check will be on this date and we will escort you to the car,” Ray said. As fate would have it her radio-partner-to-be wasn’t having much better luck in Columbus. Ray got a call from Beck’s co-host at the time asking about an opening at Ray’s station. Beck’s co-host wanted a fresh start without her partner. So Ray called Beck and after talking for awhile they agreed to try working together if the opportunity ever arose. After one more stop in Memphis, Ray was Rochester bound. Without knowing what the other had done, they both applied for their current gig at the Buzz. Both of their audition tapes made it into the top five and when Ray was called in for an interview she told the station that she would be interested in working with Beck. The GM pulled Beck’s tape out and said he was already considering hiring him. As far as Ray is concerned, it has been a radio marriage made in heaven. “Beck is a great guy. For us, he is the guy who holds down the fort,” Ray said. “Thank goodness our GM didn’t see things the way everyone else did. He saw us as an investment and he’s let us do our own thing.” For Ray it has always been radio or bust. “There aren’t that many jobs out there for people like me,” said Ray. Her father was the first to identify Ray’s broadcasting potential when she was in high school entering the Miss Missouri beauty pageant. My dad said, “Your mouth runs constant enough. Why don’t you go into radio?” said Ray. And Ray wasn’t willing to take just any job. She has always wanted equal say in the work that she does, which isn’t the general rule in a male dominated industry. “I wasn’t willing to be paid $20,000 to be some dude’s laugh track,” said Ray. “Radio is a great business, but you have to know what you want and be able to go after it.” A big part of “going after it” has involved rehashing some of the more tender moments of her life on the radio. Ray said she has always entered relationships with that disclaimer, but before her husband Jason, not everyone was willing to deal with that. “He’s a very understanding person,” said Ray. “I told him when I met him that this is my life and it ends up on the radio.” Whether positive or negative, Ray doesn’t shy away from feedback. She embraces the increased attention she gets as “The Breakfast Buzz” gains in popularity. “I love when people come up and say, ‘Hi.’ If they didn’t I’d wonder why. It would probably mean one of two things - that they didn’t listen to me, or they didn’t like what they heard.” June 17, 2007 |
