Episode 7: Sam Alex

Rachel Kobus 0:00
This conversation was recorded in the fall of 2021.

Welcome to another episode of Redbird buzz. I'm Rachel Kobus With alumni engagement. Many listeners may have already heard the voice of 2007 Illinois State graduate Sam Alex as the host of taste of country nights, a five hour nightly radio show heard on over 100 stations nationwide. Now Sam wears many hats in the radio world. As the Creator, executive producer and host of the nationally syndicated radio program the Sam Alex Show--the ultimate on air backstage pass to Nashville's biggest stars. Sam will tell anyone that if you just ask people will give you a chance to try and to succeed. As a student on campus, that is exactly what Sam did when he walked into the ISU athletic director's office and asked for opportunities to work behind the microphone. After that one question, Sam would call the women's soccer games for the next four years, along with working as a student at WZND and as an intern at Bloomington Normal's country music station. Now Sam is letting others ask the questions as a part of Camp Broadcast, a workshop for aspiring journalists and broadcasters. As founder and director, Sam brings high school and college aged students together to have opportunities to work on interview skills with celebrities and other well known personalities. We are Redbird proud of Sam. And without further ado, let's hear more from Sam about how he launched and manages two businesses in the radio industry.

We are here with Sam Alex a 2007 graduate of Illinois State University. The producer, on air personality director everything of the Sam Alex show. I don't know where to start when you have your own show Sam, and also the founder of Camp broadcast. So welcome, Sam. What's the word Redbird?

Sam Alex 2:01
Go Redbirds! Rachel, thank you so much for having me. Yes, I feel like I just do at all. Why not? It's good to try things fail at it and just keep going. But yes, it's fun being your own producer and being your own booker, your own social media coordinator and host. I love doing it all.

Rachel Kobus 2:18
And I love that you do it all. And I love that you're it kind of started with the mantra I feel like you have is it's great to fail and try new things. Like that's what I feel like you're all about is trying new things, seeing what's out there, and having fun with it.

Sam Alex 2:31
So I remember being an undergrad I was doing hosting weekends and fill in at B104 country station in town. And on my own. I reached out to Laurent Robinson, who was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons, I just sent him a message saying hey, can I call you on my show? He said yes. Then boom, I had to do his first ever interview him being a professional athlete. And then same thing with former President Dr. Bowman just ran into him I was a public address announcer at a baseball game said hey, I'd love to have you call into my radio show and just talk about what's happening in school and then the community said sure, but and so if I would have had a producer for my weekend show. I don't know like it's just sometimes it's a bad thing having too much too soon. It's good to work for it. Organically make those relationships and so yeah, I feel like I've always been a producer even when I've had actual people producing all my shows. Yeah, by the way. My shows syndicated on a bunch of country music radio stations. Monday to Friday seven to midnight. So the past seven years I've been on B104's competitor 107.7, the bull and Bloomington Normal but you know what, we're all friends. Right? Right.

Rachel Kobus 3:37
I mean you're getting the news out there you're getting country music out there. And so I mean, that's where after graduation, I know you went to a couple stations but then you really launched when you started doing Taste of Country Music Nights and had that a nationally syndicated show you were nominated for awards. I mean you you did started it all with those interviews and getting on the red carpet like let's talk about it.

Sam Alex 3:57
I was so honored I was nominated for ACM Academy Country Music Award for national show of the year but yeah, I didn't go from weekends in Bloomington-Normal to nationally syndicated on 150 stations actually went from so WBWN 104 for in McLean County. And then my first full time job right after I graduated in August of 2007. Was at WBWB in Monroe County. All right, yes, that was in McLean County to Monroe County. WBWN to WBWB so confusing and then went from Bloomington, Illinois to Bloomington Indiana. It is so confusing, but yes. So I was right out of undergrad, was able to host my own Morning Show and on a top 40 station and like being here. Yeah. And was assistant program director. So I did that for three years. And that's the town where Indiana University is yes, I feel like I got to go to undergrad. I lived right off of Third Street with a block from campus, no sample gates. And just that to interview though. The Broadway touring shows coming through town, all the athletes, everyone involved in Jacobs School of Music and everything I learned from just grinding working part time and fill in at the local stations in Bloomington Normal. I got to just hit the ground running my first full time job. And then after three years, we were Indiana Broadcasters Association Small Market Show of the year and we're just doing amazing things and then went from there to Washington DC. It's a pretty big market and you want to know about why radio producing morning show there and being on air and then Cincinnati, Ohio, similar thing, and then had an amazing opportunity in February of 2014, Saying Sam, would you like to launch a taste of country nights syndicated country music show direct from Music City, USA and then just did amazing things there for so many years. And loved being on the red carpet, interviewing country music celebrities, building relationships, every time they have a new single a new album, or a charity they want to talk about just hop on in studio. Long story short, two years ago, I said hey, it'd be cool to be my own boss. So the Sam Alex Show was launched country music show are nationwide and Monday to Friday and a bunch of stations across the country. Now I get to use all that knowledge I learned in Bloomington Normal and the other stations across the country for my own show, which I own it-- pros and cons to that. Yeah, pretty cool. I could make my own schedule and just do what I want when I want--having fun.

Rachel Kobus 6:28
So What gave you that extra nudge? I mean, like you said, you were in Nashville for quite a few years. And then 2019 You just decided that was it -- one day you woke up or what really got you there?

Sam Alex 6:39
Yeah, it was a relationship I built really with lots of entrepreneurs in Nashville, especially musicians who are like, Hey, Sam, even though I'm represented by a record label, like Blake Shelton, Dan and Shay, Brett Eldridge, they are repped by Warner Music Nashville, even though they have a record label, who, I guess, you know, gets a percentage of the profits, so and helps market them. They're their own boss. No one tells Blake what to do. Maybe Gwen Stefani. No, like it's his own boss. Yep. So a lot of artists said, Hey, Sam, have you ever thought about being your own boss? So when you get new affiliates, you know, you're you're taking ownership, you're getting a piece of the pie, you get to control the content you talk about and the contests and the music, so on. So it was really the entrepreneurs and artists who said, Hey, you should be like us, your own boss. Wow. And I get to do cool things. Such as you know, I'm the correspondent for Celebrity Page TV is a syndicated entertainment news magazine show on the reels channel, as well as 150 local TV stations--so in Chicago, It's on the CW on the weekend. Yeah, New York and LA, it's on ABC, and so on. So I love hosting red carpets for them with the CMA Awards and the Oscars. And the many interviews, I do have my radio show, you know, our simulcast are on Celebrity page TV, as well. So it gets to do cool things, like making my own schedule before if you work for big company, maybe they want you in their corporate office all the time. But here I can, you know, do what I want. Yeah.

Rachel Kobus 8:10
See what works, I love it.

Sam Alex 8:12
So got to do cool things like going to Kentucky Derby, red carpet, and I'm interviewing Aaron Rodgers for I think it was the Aaron Rodgers viral video where he said, Hey, Sam, I'm gonna make sure you watch Game of Thrones. Yes. And he was saying that he was gonna be having a cameo in that show. And then next thing, you know, it's on SportsCenter, the lead story on the ABC affiliates in Milwaukee and Esquire and every outlet there is --anyhow, So I get to do cool things like that, where I could take my own projects, while simultaneously doing my show. From the road. It's kind of the Ryan Seacrest model, or Steve Harvey or other folks. They're their own boss. Yeah, they just get to choose the projects. Yeah. So so I've been having a blast.

Rachel Kobus 8:55
And I was going to say, you've been doing well, it's been two years and we see amazing things coming from Sam, Alex. So keep on keeping on.

Sam Alex 9:02
The only thing that wasn't amazing. I had the time of my life playing myself on the show in Nashville, interviewing Juliette Barnes. And Hayden Panetierre. Yes. And then the very next day, ABC canceled the show.

Rachel Kobus 9:16
I didn't know that was. I mean, I knew you were on.

Sam Alex 9:19
DerekHough was on the show. Kashia was in this. I think the issue was Rachel, they put my seat at the very beginning of the episode. I think everyone tuned out after my scene, if I would have been at the end people would have kept tuning in Connie Britton when it came back to the next season. It all worked out CMT picked up the show now. Yeah, yes.

Rachel Kobus 9:38
I love it. Well, I mean, you've already shared I was going to ask you because you've done so many red carpets and interviews what it maybe it's not with an interview or celebrity what what's some good memories you have so far? What's been the greatest moments in your career?

Sam Alex 9:52
It's always fun on the red carpet when the artists or the guests run up to you. Oh, yeah, Brothers Osbourne say hey, Sam. Hey, and run right up to you. So that's always fun to build a relationship when you're just, I guess living in the same town doing so many interviews over so many years, highlight two was at the CMA , CMA Awards many years ago, talking to Garth and Trisha, that's every time we get to interview them by being an ACM Awards, interviewed Dolly Parton many times, but what I really remember well in Vegas at the ACM is talking to Dolly Parton where she didn't just talk to me. She talked to every single media outlet on that red carpet, looking them in the eye, and listening to the question and answering it fully to the best of her ability, whether it was Entertainment Tonight Access Hollywood, or the local campus TV station. She was talking to them. How cool is that? From Dolly, which is treat everyone equally with respect how you want to be treated also good the CMAS many years ago, it was a crazy fun night, Justin Timberlake and Chris Stapleton, and the final five gymnasts, Aly Raisman. Oh,

Rachel Kobus 11:00
yeah.

Sam Alex 11:01
Madison Kocian. The whole team, all five of them. Right there. How cool is that? They came right up to me.

Rachel Kobus 11:10
So so when people do that, I guess this might lead into maybe what you you're going to talk about soon. And you're kind of teaching and educating future broadcasters--How do you come up with questions like how do you interview? You don't want to be the stereotypical. What's your next single what's what's going on in your life? Like you really you build relationships with celebrities--And that's why they know you so well.

Unknown Speaker 11:31
It's always good to have all those questions. It's good to have those great talking points from their manager and publicists and agents and spouse, and then it's good to look them, read them up and down, and then do what Craig Ferguson used to do in the Late Show. Like when the guests would come on out, he would rip those questions in half and throw them to the sky. Yes, you want to hit they're talking to me, you want to know what they're promoting. They're not they're just because they're a nice person. So you want to make sure you plug what they're talking about. But as you know, Rachel, the best question is a response or a follow up? Yes, statement. So basically, just putting down those questions, looking them in the eye and just having the conversation, there's a good chance you're not going to get to any of those questions, which is so good.

Rachel Kobus 12:12
Or there's a good chance you'll find out Aaron Rodgers is going to be a cameo and go viral with no one else knew. Exactly.

Unknown Speaker 12:19
I think he did many interviews. And we just somehow we just built the rapport where he knew I wasn't trying to do gotcha questions. I didn't have talking points, we were just having a conversation saying, hey, yeah, you see, I saw what time you go into the race tomorrow. Is there a horse you're thinking of putting money on--you'd like something a conversation you would normally have with any person? Not just a super famous person? No.

Rachel Kobus 12:43
You're just anyone else?

Unknown Speaker 12:44
Does that make you it sounds so simple, but it definitely have to do the Malcolm Gladwell 10,000 Hour Rule. This basically years of just making mistakes, learning from them. And then you start finding your groove.

Rachel Kobus 12:55
well, and you sharing all that kind of leads me into my next topic, because besides, you know, launching the Sam Alex show, you did something during a pandemic, based on all these interview skills, and what you found succeeds what the failures you've had, and you launched Camp Broadcast. So a camp for a spot. Yeah, no, why not? Because why not share what you've learned? I mean, that's what we how do we learn from people, we we learn from our mistakes, we learn from our experts, we learn from our peers, and I think Camp Broadcast brings all that together. Plus your students get to, you know, talk to maybe a couple of celebrities along the way, too.

Unknown Speaker 13:32
That's so cool. Yeah, real hands on experience, interviewing celebrities every single day at camp and then having a different guest mentor, or speaker someone like me who works everyday in the field. Yeah, taking their hosting real and so on. But yeah, it all happened a few months after COVID hit. I mean, I remember it was May. And there was like one day where all these summer camps made a big announcement. Camp is cancelled. These major media companies announced we're canceling all in person internships. And I just know if it wasn't for all the internships I had at LIT in Chicago clear channel and then in Bloomington Normal 96.7 I Rock, and WBNQ leading into working part time at B1044 and I'm on every day in Bloomington Normal 1077 If I didn't have all those internships, and then I was a camp counselor in Wisconsin, in Chicago, I was a camper for many years. Yeah, have all those internships and all those camp experiences. There's no way I'd be where I am in life or professionally. I felt So bad that they were all canceled. So that's that day, I just thought of Camp Broadcast. My friends who work in the base say hey, what do you think of this idea? And not only say, Sam has a great idea, they said, You should do it. And I would love to help. I would love to volunteer my time and join a camp for a day and help these campers--so mostly college students and recent grads, but we've had some middle schoolers and we had some people who are in their 50s going through a career change or looking to give a TED talk. But for the most part it's college students or recent grads are really looking to be a TV host sports play by play announcer a radio host. They want to start their own podcast or through a YouTube channel, or they just want to help improve their public speaking--a lot of parents have told me to this really helped their child just break out of their shell. Yeah. It's a skill set, talking to someone, especially talking to an adult, maybe we have nothing in common with and just having a conversation.

Rachel Kobus 15:24
So yes, it's all about building conversations. Like that's what we have to learn.

Unknown Speaker 15:28
So that first summer COVID first started, I did 10 One week sessions all on Zoom. And every day had a different celeb with the campers get to interview such as Scott Hamilton, figure skater. Oh, yes, ma'am. Super Bowl MVP, Real Housewives, folks from the bachelor and bachelorette, comedians and musicians Granger Smith, Cole Swindell, Cassidy Pope, so basically is, it can't broadcast that kind of you can see the over 130 celebrities who have volunteered their time. And over 100 guests who work in the theater tonight and ESPN, and so on. So that was an amazing summer that today's show did a whole segment. Five minutes. I thought they were just gonna do a quick plug. It was a five minute segment.

Rachel Kobus 16:09
I watched it and it was great too. I mean, you got their producer, you know, their morning producer that came with he actually got involved with it to

Unknown Speaker 16:16
He was with us a couple days--and then this past summer. My hometown of Chicago we just did one week old, okay, was in person. So we rented out a conference room. And every day from the campers would come in person. And we had Andy Mazur White Sox play by play announcer ,Christina Lucas and Olympic diver and Jenny Tolman. Yeah. The whole list, it's all at CampBroadcast.com--that kind of, we've got to do it in person. And then we also went on field trips, in person to a radio station in person to professional baseball game, where we got to sit in the broadcast booth. And just shadow everyone. And we also went on and our graduate or graduation was at Country Thunder, we brought all the campers. We went on stage, introducing some of the bands and went backstage where the campers got to interview musicians one on one. So at the end of the week, they had a five minute rule. Yeah, interviewing celebrities as they apply for internships, and jobs. So I mean, you need two things. One is a portfolio. So it could just be a landing page or links to your socials and so on. How valuable is that? If someone's applying for an internship or entry level job, and they have a reel? Yep, they're interviewing actual celebrities and stuff. Everything you would do at an actual internship, but I just squeeze it in four days. So

Sam Alex 16:16
yeah, now they're far ahead.

Unknown Speaker 17:33
will be in Chicago. Registration is open. It's almost sold out. But yeah, well, is where you can sign up. Yeah, it feels so good. Just paying it forward. So it's been a blast doing this.

Rachel Kobus 17:56
as they say New. So I was gonna ask you and you kind of answered this too. I mean, you're doing bigger and better things with it. You obviously you said you're going to continue it this summer. And it's almost sold out. So obviously, you know you are impressing impacting our future our future journalists our future broadcaster because this is not dying. This is just a transition of technology for how we get our news. And I mean, when people talk about, you know, journalism broadcast, it's gonna go away. It's not it's not

Unknown Speaker 18:23
my friend who hosts a morning radio show in a major market. He says we're not DJs anymore, we're not morning hosts or on air talents. We are content creators. So that's a giant umbrella. It is what it is having fun making TikTok videos, they want to start their own YouTube channel, their own podcasts, even though it has nothing to do with the traditional radio or TV. People are always looking for news to be informed. Yep. Entertaining and informative. Like those are the things that everyone should have. Who is a journalist or broadcaster, whatever the medium is? Yeah, radio or TV. It doesn't matter. Who's gonna want content. They always want to get their news and they always want to make people smile, and be entertaining.

Rachel Kobus 19:08
And Sam Alex always makes me smile. Every time I talk to you, you make me smile. You are so fun. Just love it.

Unknown Speaker 19:16
I need to know which major media outlet should we be on next because Camp Broadcast two summers ago was on The Today Show this past summer, Good Morning, America did a feature.

Rachel Kobus 19:26
I love it. I don't know who is next. I mean, technically Illinois State University podcast...

Unknown Speaker 19:34
I was gonna say Fallon or Kimmel, but

Rachel Kobus 19:36
I mean, it's just a little better. Don't tell him I said that. 100% Well, actually, that kind of you know, segues me in as we kind of start wrapping up here, Sam is I would be remiss to not ask you I mean, Illinois State, like you said, and internships and you know, where you start. It's where you started at-- so what can you say about your experience at ISU, how did it help you prepare to be where you are today?

Sam Alex 20:04
That Well, I mean, it was so nice. I got to make so many mistakes and really just hit the ground running such as when I walked into WZND, the campus station, my freshman year, they said, Hey, are only opening is Tuesdays at 5am. Boom, raising my hand, how cool. You'd normally have to work your whole career to be able to do a morning shift. Obviously, it's different when you're an undergrad. You don't want to get up early. You know, the primetime shift would be later in the afternoon or later today. So it's kind of reversed. I thought, oh my gosh, mornings just like my idols. Cool. So that you're 18 years old. I get to just, they just I was just thrown in. We do a proper newscast and sportscast and so on. So that's awesome. And then also, I remember orientation week, before classes even started your freshman year, just walked into assembly hall and the athletic director's office saying hi. So I'd introduce myself. My name is Sam, if you're ever looking for someone to fill in to be the public address announcer for any of the sporting events, just let me know. I love to do it. Brendan Foraker, assistant AD the very, very next day, or you said hey, tomorrow. Can you be the public address announcer for a women's soccer game? Yes, I did. And then four years later, it turned out that I was the announcer for every single home women's soccer game from 2003 to 2007. So here's Kanisha Campbell, here's Meghan Moeller, he was interviewed.

Rachel Kobus 21:29
All because you started a conversation. It's really about starting the conversation and putting yourself out there.

Sam Alex 21:35
Well, well, and it's because the opportunities being offered at ISU where they Yes, yes, we're gonna give you a shot, go for it. So that's where it's been invaluable. We're able to just to just try things. So thank you to ISU for just giving me and giving all the other students a chance to fail.

Rachel Kobus 21:56
Perfectly said--I love it. And that's why and I have to say to Sam Alex is one of our Outstanding Young Alumni recipients from the Alumni Association. We got to honor you with that a few years ago. And it makes me laugh, though, because I think you can correct me if I'm wrong. I think you accepted that award. And then it was like three days later, you had to go to the Academy Awards and do the red carpet.

Sam Alex 22:19
Two award -- two red carpets in one week.

Rachel Kobus 22:21
So you have to say ISU's was better, right? I mean, we talked about

Sam Alex 22:26
that's an actual red carpet. Redbird red.

Rachel Kobus 22:29
Yes, it is. And it was honoring you. I mean, as much as I know you love to honor our fellow celebrities and award recipients. It was very fun to to honor you and all the work you've done and obviously all the work you continue to do.

Sam Alex 22:42
Thank you. So that was very nice of the ISU President for allowing me to borrow the private jet to fly from--

Rachel Kobus 22:48
Oh, yes, yes. Yes. That private jet. We have an extra private boat. Well, Sam, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us and talk to our listeners. You have anything to add?

Sam Alex 22:59
Yeah, that does remind me being in Hollywood that there's so many ISU alums that live in LA. Yes. The film, TV movie business is it i i was in production for maybe the West sophomore year. For whatever reason. All of my roommates are theater majors. So I lived on Franklin and Oh, yes. So a bunch of times they would take me to their theater of Ted, which was Oh, yes. Uh huh. Very popular and open mic night. But yes, they have a big slogan, where they just talk about: make mistakes. Like just go for it. Who cares? I don't think professors were allowed in this space. So it was an ultimate stage. But yeah, that's definitely like the theme of great school like ISU where you're given opportunities to just do things and just reach for the sky. Yeah, I did want to mention too, I did at the Oscars I saw a bunch of folks who went to ISU with so that is just it's amazing. Coast to coast worldwide.

Rachel Kobus 23:53
No, Redbirds are literally everywhere. And that is so fun. Again, from the relationships you build at ISU to seeing them on the red carpet. We love to hear those kinds of stories. And Sam, we thank you again for everything and for your time and we look forward to seeing what you do in the future.

Sam Alex 24:08
Thank you so much, Rachel. And feel free to follow me to @CampBroadcast or a broadcast master class and then connected we can I love connecting with fellow records @SamAlexRadio, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, for some reason there's blue checkmarks on those, I don't know why. I love to keep in touch.

Rachel Kobus 24:27
All right. Thanks, Sam.

Sam Alex 24:29
Thanks, Rachel.

Rachel Kobus 24:48
That was 2007 alum Sam Alex and we thank him for sharing his story today with us. Tune in next time to Redbird Buzz. For more stories from beyond the quad

Transcribed by https://otter.ai