Kelly Higdon (LA’96), known to followers by her show name, “Kelly K,” is always up before you. She sets her alarm for before the sun rises and uses her irrepressible personality as a lifeline for thousands of WDJX listeners in the Louisville, Kentucky, area. 

“I went to school with the intention of concentrating on TV news,” says Higdon, who pursued an internship at WAZY, 96.5 FM, while at Purdue. She voiced commercials, ran the weekend countdown show, and handled overnight shifts on the weekends. A year later, she was offered a morning show when a former host took a position in another market. “They threw me into the fire,” she recalls. “I was reading news in the morning while I was taking a class on how to write broadcast news. I did really well in that class!” 

Higdon says the life of a radio host suits her. Television news doesn’t always leave room for the kind of banter that she enjoys. From talking about the day’s events to last night’s reality programs, she works to create a show that is entertaining and lively without being mean-spirited. 

“You have to create a party, especially in the morning, that people want to come to. But you also have to be authentic. People can tell if you’re trying to create a personality.” 

—Kelly Higdon

“You have to create a party, especially in the morning, that people want to come to. But you also have to be authentic. People can tell if you’re trying to create a personality.” 

Rick Mummey, a Lafayette, Indiana, podcaster who mentored Higdon as her first co-host in the mid-1990s, says he still hears his old friend on the radio when he visits family in Evansville, Indiana. He’s not surprised that her success continues to bring her awards in the Louisville market and esteem from the community. “What you’re hearing on the radio is her. She came across that way at 19. The things that make her laugh make you laugh. It’s infectious.” 

Peter Bucalo, who worked with Higdon for nine years at WDJX in Louisville before leaving for seminary school, says he’s heard her voice as far away as Florida, where some of her national voice work in commercials airs. “I was down near Tampa and there was Kelly on the radio, for Genesis Diamonds. I thought it was amazing that I was 1,000 miles away and Kelly was still a part of my life. She just has a natural wit and charm.”

Social media now means that Higdon and her co-host interact with listeners beyond call-ins. It’s a switch she enjoys. “I don’t just watch TV anymore. We’re live tweeting the shows. It’s another way for your audience to connect with you.”

She’s happy to roll with the changes. “I have no other skills,” Higdon jokes. “My personality was always the biggest thing I had going for me.”