01-28-2010
Curtis Kitchen covers K-State, writes columns for the 810whb.com Web site, co-hosts 810 WHB Sports Center on occasion and produces KAOS (Kenny and Ozone show) on Hot Talk 1510 KCTE during the week. (Link to station profile.)
PROFILE: CURTIS KITCHEN
WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?
I grew up in Oskaloosa, Kan., which I heard recently has boomed in the past few years from the little town of 1,000 I knew to something around 1,200. Left there for a one-year NAIA basketball career in Enid, Okla. at Phillips University. The school went bankrupt after my freshman season, I came back to Kansas and never picked up my career after that.
I got a degree, eventually, from Washburn U. in Topeka where I was a basketball color analyst as a student. Then, I spent three years as a PR manager for SCCA in T-Town while moonlighting as a sideline TV reporter for Friday night football games and then left to make the leap to Kansas City in 2006.
SOME PEOPLE ARE IN THIS BUSINESS BECAUSE OF FAMILY OR IT’S JUST ALWAYS WHAT THEY WANTED TO DO. IS THAT THE CASE FOR YOU TOO?
Nope. Most everyone in my family, especially my dad and brothers, talks sports 24/7, but nobody did it for a living. I didn’t even know I was going to until one day at Washburn I walked past a poster that mentioned sports journalism.
It caught my eye, and my brain finally made the connection that I might be able to stay around sports and get paid to do something I loved doing anyways. Sounded like a decent deal to me, so I just sort of went with it.
ABOUT JOURNALISM, YOU TOLD US IN A PRIOR CONVERSATION THAT YOU WEREN’T ALWAYS A FAN OF WRITING…
That’s true. I fought it for a long time because I felt it wasn’t nearly exciting enough compared to other mediums. Radio and television were much faster…and “cooler.” By that, I mean what I found was I didn’t like a lot of the perceived culture surrounding print. In my mind, a lot of the print folks were people who looked like they never played anything and covered it the same way. I wanted no part of that.
I’ve changed in the sense I know what some people are, in all mediums, and what I am, and I feel like I have an advantage in my work because of my perspective – especially when it comes to basketball. The “faster” thing has changed too, obviously. Print, online anyways, is just as fast as other mediums if you’re fast enough to get it out there, which I think I am. I take joy in competing along that line anyways.
SO YOU HAVE A BLOG ON A RADIO STATION WEB SITE, ISN’T THAT KIND OF STRANGE?
Yeah, I guess it is or was when I started but not so much anymore thanks to things like ESPN.com, where they’ve proven convergence is the way to do things. I got started by writing about sports on my own time and emailing my work to a compiled list of media around the region – looking for feedback to see if I really could write. I figured peers were the best way to judge.
I heard back from several folks at 810 and Jeffrey Flanagan (at the KC Star then), saying they liked what I had. That was a huge boost. So, I kept doing it, sending one or two a week for about a year before Kevin Kietzman asked if they could use something on their site. I asked him if I could make it a regular thing, which they were glad to do. It’s taken some time to take hold, but it seems to be something people enjoy now, which is good.
AND NOW YOU COVER KANSAS STATE FOR 810?
My blog has semi-morphed into that, and that’s what I’m known best for right now. I don’t have a problem with that because finding a niche is one of the hardest things to do in this business, especially when you’re trying to break into a market on your own. It’s damn near impossible actually.
I try to cover Kansas City sports, the Big 12 and Kansas State, but it’s mostly KSU because as my schedule stands now, KSU is the only place I can get to games on a regular basis, which I think is vitally important and the only way to do things the right way.
If and when my schedule allows for more time to get to Lawrence, Columbia, the Chiefs or the Royals, I’ll be there.
SO YOU TRAVEL TO MANHATTAN ON A REGULAR BASIS?
Absolutely. It’s almost to the point I could give you a scenic tour by mile marker. But, I wouldn’t change it because I know being there is the only way I can see a guy working out two hours before a game, or maybe talk to a coach, or get a feel for the town’s energy before things get started.
It’s about experiencing the whole scene, which I don’t have to tell you makes for infinitely better reporting, or as I do from time to time, story-telling.
I’LL BET ALL THAT TIME ON THE ROAD MAKES THE GIRLFRIEND HAPPY.
(laugh) Oh man, that’s probably the biggest downfall to all of this. My 60 and 70-hour weeks don’t leave much time for a social life. I might get to grab dinner or a movie once in a while, but the sometimes weeks-long gap in-between has proven able to scare off most women. Hopefully, that will change someday.
WE’VE HEARD AND SEEN YOUR USAGE OF TWITTER. THAT MEANS YOU’RE A FAN OF SOCIAL MEDIA RIGHT?
Yes. I wrote a column last November expressing my love of Twitter. Some people in media circles don’t think it’s a valuable tool, but I think that’s just because they don’t understand how to use it. It is by far the closest thing to instantaneous information sharing we have thus far.
It’ll get replaced by something better someday, but for now, it’s like sitting down to a conversation with 800 or 1000 or 10,000 people at once. Really amazing when you think about it. The 140 characters just makes you get to the point, which is why I think a lot of people like.
Twitter has helped me launch my career a bit recently in that when I post something, you never know what key word you’ve used, or where your tweet goes after you submit it. It’s viral, and it’s awesome. I’ve even had some folks like Dana O’Neil from ESPN.com and the Denver Post start following. How can I argue with that?
IF THAT’S TRUE, CAN WE EXPECT MORE FROM YOU MOVING FORWARD?
That’s my plan, anyways. I just keep plugging away, try to grow readers and listeners, and see what happens. In this field, growing is the name of the game.
WOULD YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF PART OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF SPORTS MEDIA IN KANSAS CITY?
Yes, I do. Much has been made over the last year with some of KC’s longest-tenured sports folks retiring – guys like Frank Boal and Len Dawson. I’ve had the chance to work with Frank on several occasions at 810, I’ve learned a lot from him and I’m hoping I have the opportunity to take what he’s shown me and apply it.
I also think, for a host of reasons, the door may be open right now for a true sports columnist in this town. It’s a door I like to think I’ve already begun walking through. All that said, media jobs tell you where you’re going to work, not the other way around, so we’ll see.
IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW THIS WAS GOING TO BE YOUR CAREER, DO YOU HAVE GOALS FOR IT NOW?
When I look back someday, I will want to know I did everything I could to keep folks informed. I feel like this career path chose me in some ways, and it would be a complete disservice to it and the general public if I didn’t squeeze out everything I was supposed to.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE SPORTS MOMENT? BOTH AS A KID AND PROFESSIONALLY?
Wow. Well, in person, I’d say the coolest as a kid was having front-row, center-court seats to Kansas/Indiana in December of 1994 at Allen Fieldhouse. Damon Bailey goes for a career-high, and Jacque Vaughn hits a three before the buzzer in overtime to win.
Professionally, I’d say witnessing the Beasley/Walker K-State/KU game in Manhattan was pretty extraordinary. There were something like seven or eight future NBA guys on that floor. Made me think it was what folks talk about when they remember going to the Duke/North Carolina games in the mid and late 90s.
EVERYBODY HAS SOMEONE THEY LOOK OR LOOKED UP TO AS A ROLE MODEL. WHO IS YOURS IN TERMS OF CAREER?
As a kid, I idolized Lou Gehrig, through books of course, because he never missed a day of work over his streak. It taught me to play with pain.
In media, I admired Howard Cosell because he was able to transcend the normal lines separating sports and life. He mixed them together as only he could. I learned it’s possible to do so, and that’s why I like Bill Simmons now. He reminds me of that.
Locally, I talked about Frank Boal earlier. He’s shown me you can be a bulldog in terms of getting your info, but you don’t have to be a jerk to do it. People forget that a lot, I think.
And, with Soren Petro, he’s taught me the value of statistical analysis and applying it to what you see on the field or court. He’s also been willing to listen and provide feedback when I’ve asked for it, which isn’t the case for all folks in our line of work.
I’m grateful for everything I’ve learned from those folks and countless others.
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