(October 17, 2014) Kenny Roda is back on the air in Ohio. An STAA client, Roda will be hosting his sports show in Afternoon Drive for News-Talk 1480 WHBC in Canton starting October 27th. The move comes 14 months after Roda’s departure from WKNR in Cleveland when the station decided to eliminate local programming in the evenings. Roda had been with WKNR for 21 years.
“It’s a great fit because of the shift, the fact that it’s local, and that I know all the teams that I need to talk about,” says Roda. “The station is an affiliate with the Cavs, Browns, Indians, and Buckeyes. Plus, the driving distance isn’t bad and the salary is not bad with the potential to grow.”
Staying relevant in the sports broadcasting industry was a critical part of Roda’s game plan as he sought his next opportunity.
“I stayed relevant through social media on Twitter and Facebook, and I started up my own website KennyRoda.com which was HUGE. It gave me a platform to still do interviews podcasts and blogs. And then I used to Twitter and Facebook to share all of that with my followers and fans out there. I also took any freelance work I could get, while also doing as many unpaid guest spots on radio or TV, just to be seen and heard.
“Word was out that I was doing a lot of freelance work and hosting some guest spots, so [WHBC] actually contacted me via Facebook to do some fill in work and the opportunity grew from there.
Two months after leaving WKNR, Roda sought assistance from STAA.
“STAA was extremely helpful because I had never been through this process before. [STAA CEO] Jon Chelesnik was able to take my phone calls whenever I needed to reach him and offer great advice and suggestions, along with information on how to approach certain things from resumes, to cover letters, interviews and demo tapes. Also, the online directory of all the sports radio stations around the country and their contact numbers (part of STAA membership) was awesome to have as well as all the job postings.
“STAA was a great help in a time of need and uncertainty for me.”
(Visit Kenny’s website).