Norm Kelly, afternoon DJ on The RIVER, WRVV, 97.3fm

Personality Profiles
Norm Kelly... The Soothing Sound of Summer

An interview with Norm Kelly, afternoon DJ on The RIVER, WRVV, 97.3fm
by Andrea Stape

Harrisburg, Pa. – With the heat index, it is about 110 degrees. You’re sitting in your car on I-83 south at 4:50p.m. in bumper to bumper traffic. No, sneaking out of the office didn’t help you miss the five o’clock traffic; you just got stuck with all the other office rats that tried to do the same thing. Panic sets in as the gauge in your car inches closer and closer to the red of overheat. Didn’t your dad tell you some crazy story when you got your driver’s license about a guy who ignored the overheat light and died in a fiery explosion? Suddenly, a soothing voice comes over the radio. It’s the WRVV’s afternoon guy, Norm Kelly. His deep voice assures you of another long set of rock, without the hard edge, and your ears become happy as a classic favorite floats across the airwaves. With such a pleasant distraction it becomes easier to ignore the smell of burning rubber.

Norm Kelly has been taking mid-staters through their afternoon routines for almost a year now. For the South Bend, Indiana native, his arrival in Harrisburg was a step up on the extremely steep radio ladder of fame and fortune. You wouldn’t think that the well-built, blond, radio celebrity with his easy-going personality and infectious laugh would lead anything but a charmed life. Yet, every dream has humble beginnings, and Kelly’s all started with a basement in the land of the Fighting Irish.

"Back when you are a pre-teen, the local D.J. is the coolest guy you know," said Kelly. "It started for me in eighth grade when I played D.J. in my basement with a turntable from Radio Shack."

Kelly left his basement in South Bend to attend Ball State, Muncie, IN. He lasted only a year at Ball State before transferring to Iowa State. Kelly went to both schools in order to play baseball, and his radio dream became a little cloudy when all his attention became focused on the sport. School and radio dropped on the priority list, as baseball became all consuming. "Midway through my junior year I looked at my grades and realized I needed to focus more," said Kelly. "I wasn’t planning on the major leagues so I had to push it to the side."

Radio again re-emerged as number one, when Kelly began to work at the campus radio station. Broadcasting from the basement of the Student Union, Kelly learned his first radio lesson: take care of your listeners. "There used to be this janitor that I could see through the studio glass. He would be out in the hallway mopping and jammin’ to the tunes," said Kelly. "All he wanted was to be on the radio. So, I let him come on the air. I bet that was about the best hour of his life."

Moving on, Kelly switched from the campus’ student station to the University’s public jazz and classical station. Here, he slammed directly into another radio lesson; never leave the studio unless you are sure you can get back in. Following his hunger pangs one night, Kelly left the studio in search of a candy bar. As his chocolate radar kicked in, his memory went dormant and he forgot that all the doors automatically locked when they closed behind him. With no key, he was reduced to standing outside throwing pebbles at the window of an adjacent studio. The heckling that followed from the other over-night guy quickly reinforced his new lesson.

Graduating from Iowa State in 1991, Kelly attempted to move into real-world radio. That is, a radio station not nestled in a college campus. Kelly scored a part-time position at a top-40 station in Waterloo, IA, but soon discovered that it was not enough to pay the bills. Despite the seeming glamour that surrounds radio personalities, Kelly spent his off-air time cleaning carpets and working at Wal-Mart.

Kelly’s next big break came when a placement agency he was working with convinced him to take a position at a "young country" station in Waynesboro. After four years in the land of hip country, the gig ended abruptly one Monday when Kelly was let go due to restructuring. However, it was a relief for the young D.J. who had always disliked the station’s lack of organization, outdated equipment and shoddy treatment of their employees.

"When I got called into the Station Manager’s office, I knew something was up," said Kelly. "It was a Monday, they always fired people on Mondays, and the station manager was in the building after 5 o’clock. Actually, the whole incident was a blessing because I had wanted out of there for years."

During his last year in cowboy land, Kelly had been discreetly applying for positions. He sent a resume tape to apply for a position at the WRVV, but still had not heard anything three months later when he was let go. Anxious to continue working, Kelly took a position in Winchester, VA at an adult contemporary station. According to Kelly, the position was a step down to smaller market, but a step up on the pay scale. However, his time in the world of John Tesh didn’t last long, as he received a call from the WRVV shortly after he started in Virginia. Kelly immediately jumped at the chance to further his career and quickly moved to the mid-state.

"If you want to move-up in radio, you need to be mobile," he said. "You’re never sure when a full-time radio position is going to open up. But, you always need to find that larger market."

Content for the time being, Kelly is enjoying his time with Dame Media. Although he’s in no rush to leave Central Pennsylvania, Norm is never one to let go of his dreams. He has his sights set on one day broadcasting from Chicago.

"My goal is to make on the air in Chicago," he said. "Even if it’s only for one day. I have this fascination with Chicago."

So, enjoy your afternoon distraction while you can. Who knows when fate will whisk away this cool-voiced savior of the never-ending traffic jam.