By Rebecca Heath
Features Editor
Since starting her career at New Jersey’s largest radio station nearly a decade ago, Kylie Moore ‘14 has been steadily moving up the ranks.
She began as an events coordinator for New Jersey 101.5 and later landed a gig as a multimedia producer and DJ.
Now, Moore is co-hosting the station’s afternoon talk show alongside radio veteran Jeff Deminski. The broadcast, titled “Deminski & Moore,” is structured like a conversation between two people at a bar, Moore joked in an interview with The Signal.
“It's mostly just like two friends ribbing each other, and if you want to call in and rib us back, or we can rib you, you are welcome,” Moore said. “But on days where it gets political…we don't hide our opinions, and we hope that the callers don't as well.”
Moore, who debuted as co-host in June, said that as a woman and as someone younger than the rest of the station’s hosts, she was initially intimidated to take on the permanent post — despite having on-air experience as an occasional fill-in during her producing stint. Though she has already had to combat sexism and face stigma in her new role, Moore has leveraged these experiences to empower fellow women in radio, a historically male-dominated industry.
“Get a load of this: people don't love hearing women's opinions. But, all I can do is just be myself and hope that people are along for the ride,” she said. “I couldn't ask to be doing it with a better person. My co-host Jeff is so great at what he does and so welcoming to let me try to be a part of it.”
Moore said she discovered that she would be stepping into the role right before jetting off for a vacation in May.
“I was stunned, but I was so, so excited,” Moore said. “We hit the ground running, literally the day after I got back, so I was jet-lagged into oblivion. But since then, I think I've found my footing. I hope the audience thinks so as well.”
The show strikes a balance between serious and light-hearted segments, and while some recent topics, such as suicide, have been difficult to talk about on air, Moore credits her involvement in the College’s Leadership Development Program with teaching her how to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. “Some hours are gonna be scary, but we're going through it together,” she said.
Though many segments draw inspiration from current events, others stem from Moore’s and Deminski’s own experiences and “weird neuroses,” she said.
“[Radio] can be both news and ridiculous bits where we're eating cicadas live on air,” Moore said. “You get to be unapologetically yourself in real time, like there's no edits. It's kind of nice to see people for who they really are as opposed to the edited version.”
Though combating misogyny can be “exhausting,” one of Moore’s favorite parts of the job is getting to be “unabashedly feminist” on air, she said, recalling a time she confronted a caller after he told her she would regret not wanting to have children.
“Any of those segments that we've done where I get to unapologetically be a woman have been very fun,” Moore said. “It's worth it to me when women call in and say something like, ‘I’m so glad you said this’ or ‘I know exactly what you mean’ when it’s related to a woman’s perspective. You can hear a different energy in the call.”
“I hope that there are young girls or women listening who then want their voices to be heard,” Moore added. “Or, they realize that talk radio doesn’t just have to be two guys talking, we can give our perspective as well.”
From a young age, Moore had set her sights on pursuing a career in the entertainment industry.
She majored in communication studies at the College and served as an executive board member of the College Union Board, where she planned large-scale events like Funival.
After starting her career at NJ 101.5 in 2015, Moore dabbled in several sectors of radio production, from front desk administration to promotions. In her current role, Moore said she frequently writes articles and meets with clients, in addition to ideating topics and hosting the show from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays.
While she doesn’t have a clear image of her long-term plans in the entertainment industry, Moore said she may one day venture into podcasting, and has ambitions of hosting a late night television show if radio phases out.
“If I could be partners with Seth Meyers, oh my God!” she joked.
But for now, Moore is ”riding the wave,” and is hopeful the radio field has longevity. Since starting her new gig, Moore said she has already attracted a younger audience.
“People have been saying that radio's been dying since ‘Video Killed the Radio Star,’ so who really knows? I'm just gonna keep riding the wave, see where it takes me,” Moore said. “I had no clue ten years [ago] that I'd be doing this, but I'm loving it.”
