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For my money, Randy Kerdoon is one of the more unique persons you’ll ever meet. He’s got a great sense of humor, which can be misleading.
He’s so light-hearted at times – he doesn’t appear to take life too seriously – you’d be pleasantly surprised to learn that he’s a deep thinker with terrific analytical skills.
He has a rich background in broadcasting. As an award-winner many times over, Mr. Kerdoon formerly delivered the weekday sports twice an hour from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the CBS-owned KNX 1070 Newsradio in Los Angeles starting 2004.
Living in the Los Angeles area and with cars as his hobby, he also covers cars and has won multiple awards for his reports.
Before KNX, he did weekend sports on the Fox TV station in Los Angeles.
Randy Kerdoon
He grew up in southern California and graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
He was the play-by-play voice of the Salt Lake Golden Eagle Hockey squad and the Salt Lake Trappers baseball team. He’s in the team picture at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown after the Trappers won a record 29 consecutive games in 1987.
He was also the football announcer for Weber State on television, and did pre-game shows for the Utah Jazz basketball team.
He returned to California and worked at a small valley radio station before getting a sports gig at KFWB radio.
Before he got into sportscasting, I worked with him on-air at two Salt Lake City radio stations, KSL and KDYL, in the 1980s. That was before I became a business-performance consultant and Biz Coach. (Disclosure: I was also once a freelance contributor to KNX.)
Years later, I was delighted when he found me on Facebook. Not is he most-talented, he’s one of the nicest persons you’d ever hope to meet.
To my interview questions about his career advice, here’s an excerpt of his answers:
Q: Why did broadcasting appeal to you?
A: It looked like fun, and challenging, something that combined things I was interested in….storytelling, action and creativity.
Q: What are your favorite experiences in broadcasting?
A: Play-by-play of several minor league teams including Salt Lake Trappers and their 29 game win streak in 1987; doing TV in LA.
Q: How did you make the transition from radio to TV and back to radio?
A: I did some TV work in Salt Lake City, and local cable in LA, and noticed the weekend guy at Fox was working 14 straight days, prompting me to talk to their news director and got a tryout for anchor, which led to me getting the weekend job. Eight+ years later when my contract was not renewed…family matters led me back to radio where the hours were more family friendly.
Q: How do you evaluate risk taking for your career? (I recall you weren’t afraid to take a risk at KSL.)
A: You always have to go past your comfort zone, and be true to who you are….when going for jobs or just challenging yourself, and learn to play softball and start a team….I believe that background landed me the morning job at KFWB, altho’ I never did play for their team.
Q: What advice would you give a young person hoping for a broadcasting career?
A: It’s a different beast now than when I was just starting, but the bottom line remains the same. If you want it enough and are willing to work hard enough (sometimes for little or no pay) at the beginning….and are willing to relocate….then you will likely have a good shot at this!!
Q: In hindsight, what, if anything, would you do differently?
A: I’ve often thought of getting an agent, but heard so much from my LA brethren about them not being trustworthy, I balked. Got my LA TV job without one…
Q: What else would you like to add?
A: Love what you do….and network…a lot. Contrary to what you hear…it IS a who-you-know business….
From the Coach’s Corner, from another friend and co-worker of mine in my broadcasting days, you might enjoy helpful business and career tips from former UCLA play-by-play announcer Chris Roberts.
“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
–Michael Jordan
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