Katelyn Maida is taking over the microphone for the retiring Kevin Kline on KKBQ's The New 93Q Q Morning Zoo joining Tim Tuttle and Erica Rico.
UPDATE FEBRUARY 2024
Tuttle and Kline reunite on new podcast
It's a homecoming for Maida, who is from Houston, and started her radio career at KKBQ as a social media producer.
“I am beyond excited to come back home to the city where I grew up and join Tim and Erica in waking up Houston,” states Maida. “I’m not just coming back to a previous employer, I’m coming back to my radio family and the family-like atmosphere at CMG (Cox Media Group) Houston is part of what makes this team so successful.”
Maida started interning with KKBQ in 2012 as a University of Houston broadcasting program student. According to her website, Maida helped develop Cox Media Group Houston's social media presence creating her role as "Connected K."
After almost three years working for The New 93Q, Maida moved to Dallas in 2015 to work with Mark “Hawkeye” Louis on The ‘Hawkeye in the Morning’ on the New Country 96.3 KSCS after longtime host Terry Dorsey retired.
While in DFW, Maida also worked for KTVT's CBS 11 News This Morning as an entertainment reporter.
Maida left Dallas - Fort Worth radio and television in early November. She was replaced by Michelle Rodriguez on New Country 96.3 KSCS's “Hawkeye in the Morning.”
“Katelyn Maida was hands down the most talented person we auditioned," Tuttle said in a press release. "It was an obvious choice and we are so excited for the future of The Q Morning Zoo.”
“We are all really looking forward to having another strong female on the team," Rico added. "Katelyn was a perfect fit as she was already a part of our CMG family.”
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Kline announced his retirement back in early December 2020 while I was on a blogging break. His last show was Friday, February 5, 2021.
Here is the video and transcript of his retirement announcement.
“After 30 years in the radio industry, over half of them spent in Houston on the legendary 93Q, I have decided to retire and start a new, as of now, untitled chapter in life with Trish, Beans and The Mayor of Sconeyville. From my first on air shift in 1990, I set goals for myself, the pinnacle of which was to have a morning show in a top 10 market by age 40. When I signed my contract on April 1, 2005, I not only met, but exceeded my goal, reaching a TOP 5 market at age 35.
Through 93Q, Trish and I were able to find a calling that we never knew we even had, helping children with cancer. Because of that passion, I adopted endurance running as a hobby and fundraising platform, traveling across the country and around the globe for races, we’ve seen much more of the world than we ever dreamed we’d see.
Trish and I plan to live abroad, country to be determined, and that decision doesn’t happen without 93Q putting us in a position where we could afford to travel and experience different cultures.
My mom asked me the other day, “What are you running away from?”. I simply told her, “the alarm clock”. And while that is certainly at the forefront of the decision, Covid also allowed me to quietly reflect and that reflection led to important lessons about myself... I found out that the amount of pressure I put on myself to succeed in everything I ever try prevents me from enjoying the endeavor and prohibits me from celebrating the outcome, I realized that the exhaustion I always feel after 5 hours on the radio isn’t because of the job, it’s because my depression and mental health issues force me to overuse my energy to be “up and happy”, I learned that my need to always please everyone and be liked by everyone is an impossible ideal to live up to, And Covid, quarantine and lockdown, confirmed what I’d suspected all along…my happiness and my calm is Trish and my dogs.
Life became easier when I detached from social media. Life became relaxing with a smaller circle and with fewer people to possibly disappoint. I’ll start my Howard Hughes life now, except I’ll still shower and trim my nails, and I’ll be grateful for all that I’ve experienced in yours and the public eye.
This 30-year ride has been a blast. It has been personally meaningful and gratifying. And the ride has changed our lives in ways we never imagined it would. Trish and I know how lucky and blessed we are to have had this long, incredible career. Many, who are lucky enough to even get into this highly competitive radio industry don’t last 30 months, so to have had an audience to entertain for 30 YEARS, that is something I have never taken for granted.
Normally I don’t make lists of people to recognize because inevitably someone gets left off the list. I’m going to attempt this here though because, while there are many involved in my career, these are the people who got me where I am today…
Long-time St. Louis radio legend, my broadcasting idol and my friend, JC Corcoran. Thank you for being on KSHE my 1st day of freshman year of high school. You and your show ignited my love of radio. JC and the KSHE Morning Zoo introduced me to the career I wanted to pursue.
My dad and the late news director at KMOX, John Angelides. My dad met John at a baseball game and after a short conversation, that led to an invitation for me to intern at The Mighty KMOX. I spent 11 months there working for free but getting rich with experience learning from iconic St. Louis broadcasters, Bob Hamilton and Mike O’ Connor.
Thank you to then Morning Hosts at The Point, D-Day and Mary Ellen, afternoon host, Sarah Clark, PD Jim McGuinn and GM, Dick Stein who let me loiter long enough to parlay my radio passion into producing and on-air roles.
To Joe and John, The Nocturnal Emissions, for letting me jump in on Saturday nights and giving me an outlet for my creativity.
To John Lenac, my friend, mentor, 2x boss, and former agent. You not only brought me on after I tracked mud into your brand-new studio, you hired me AGAIN years later, and THEN, helped me land 2 OTHER gigs. You always saw something in me I didn’t even see in myself.
To SuperFrank who owned Channel Z in Springfield, MO. I learned the business, the game and what it means to be a professional during those days. There were 2 radio stations I dreamed of working at. KSHE in St. Louis. KNAC in Long Beach/Los Angeles was the other. When that station went Spanish in 1995, that dream ended. Or so I thought.
To Susan Greenwood of MCA Records for introducing me to the Program Director of KNAC who was starting up a new station in Denver, Bryan Schock who hired me for nights on 92X. I was the first and only night personality on 92X because after 11 months, we were sold to a Spanish radio company...To this day, I’m still friends with those teammates from 92X, the Sheesh Family…Brysheesh, Zachsheesh, Stumpsheesh, Hilsheesh, Malsheesh and Rockfish.
Amazingly creative and fascinating people. To Michelle Matthews, Paul Maloney, Robert Cox and Cameo Carlson at The Buzz in Columbia, MO. It was a hard lesson to learn but it was a lesson I needed to learn. I wasn’t strong enough to be the lead on a morning show.
To Donna and Mitch Baker in Springfield, MO. I remember when I sat down with Donna to interview for Program Director and afternoon personality at US97. She said to me, “I hear you have boundless energy.” I did, but that was all I brought to the table for that job. Had it not been for the late Mark McClain and Paul Horton, I wouldn’t have lasted a week there as “The Boss.”
To Scott Pettibone at X101.5. When a Program Director brings you and your morning show partner into his office after only 3 days on the air, that’s normally not a good sign. What Pettibone told Tim and me though had us questioning ourselves. “The music is in the way. Tomorrow, no music on your show. You guys are going all talk.” What a compliment.
To WRAX Birmingham, AL, Dave Rossi. Dave is infamous for breaking Hootie and the Blowfish. I remember him fondly, I truly do, for telling Tim and me, “You’re not funny.” And Susan Groves, who inherited us as her morning show when she took over the station and didn’t try to change us.
Without our producer, Doc Adams, it’s highly unlikely we ever get the call from 93Q. 93Q was looking to break the mold of country morning shows and when Doc Adams suggested us to Johnny Chiang, that started a whirlwind courtship and clandestine meetings in hotel lobbies. It was the foresight of Johnny Chiang, Gerry McCracken, the late Rusty Walker and then GM, Caroline Devine who stepped out of the country music comfort zone to put 2 brash rockers on a female friendly, family catering country music station. 16 years later, I’d say that experiment worked.
Each of those stations are ripe with outlandish stories, but to hear them, well, you’ll have to wait for the book, which I’ll now have plenty of time to write.
Finally, I know the past 25 years would not have been as eventful, successful, or as fun without my radio partner, Timmy T. From the day we met in Nashville, we clicked. You can’t manufacture the immediate chemistry we had and do still to this day. Early on, we both wanted to be the lead singer. I realized, after a short hiatus from each other, that I was better suited to bassist or at best, drums, and for our partnership to last, I couldn’t compete for that spotlight. It had to be Tim’s. And I’m glad it was. We started out as friends and we’ll end our run together as friends. And in between that first day we met and the last day together, we’ll have created some incredible shows. Daring shows that made me cringe at times. Powerful shows that made me appreciate our impact. And all the while, shows that made me pinch myself that we had done that on the radio. Whenever we’re asked to explain our method, we always say, we walk into the studio with a blank slate. We throw words at it like paint and when the show is over, we look at what we created. Sometimes we created Picasso’s. Sometimes we created Pollock’s. And, whether you liked us or hated us, we almost always provided A Scream. Thank you for being a part of my life for 30 years and for letting me be a part of yours. I’ll leave you with words I’ve learned from traveling the world with Trish… Adios. Adieu. Auf Weidersehen. Ciao. Dosvedanya. Sayonara. Goodbye."
