DJ Scotty Cameron Connects Community via Radio Waves for 2 Decades
Story and photos by Dianna Troyer
DJ Scotty Cameron says an unforgettable encounter motivates him to think of his job as a public service.
“You never know how a program impacts listeners,” he says. “To be a positive influence for someone is priceless.”
Scotty, 48, hosts the “Scotty in the Morning” program on Kat Kountry 106.1 FM in Rupert, where he has been working since 2004.
He recalls when he and his co-host were broadcasting live at the Jerome County Fair, and a listener introduced herself. She was an EMT who told him she felt overwhelmed after responding to a call and finding children had died in a home.
“She said it was too much to deal with,” Scotty says. “She was planning to end her life but happened to be listening to our show. Something we said made her laugh. She told herself, ‘If I can still laugh, maybe there’s hope and a way to be happy again.’ She said hearing that particular show made her seek professional help.”
Scotty says working at independent, locally owned radio stations enables him to be part of an extended on-air family throughout southeastern Idaho.
“To me, locally owned radio is about helping people take care of each other,” he says. “Community radio is like a stool with 3 legs that are all equally important: the listeners, the businesses they support, and the station employees who keep it all going.”
He says working for Lee Family Broadcasting Inc., owner of stations in Rupert, Burley, and Jerome, is like having an extended family. He is grateful that Charlie Michaels, who became his mentor, gave him the chance to be a DJ.
“I’d been working as a plumber’s apprentice, in fast food, and at Radio Shack, when I heard there was an opening at the station,” Scotty says. “It sounded fun, so I dropped in and introduced myself as ‘the station’s next DJ.’ Charlie was taken aback, but my enthusiasm won him over, and he offered me an internship.”
Scotty compares working for Charlie to working for Gordon Ramsay, the renowned British chef.
“He was tough and talented and drove you to be the best you could be,” Scotty says.
Throughout his 20 years with Lee Family Broadcasting, Scotty has become not only a DJ at Kat Kountry but also the music director, program director, and production manager there and at KBAR 1230 AM in Burley.
Many Hats
“You wear a lot of hats at small stations,” Scotty says.
Along with those figurative hats, he wears a literal hat—his trademark Baker Boy news cap.
“I’m obviously follically challenged,” he says, laughing and pointing to his bald head. “I wear it whenever I’m outside the station.”
Scotty says he never takes for granted listeners’ friendliness wherever he goes.
“I’ve traveled a lot of places in the nation, and the Magic Valley always feels like home,” he says. “At stores, people say ‘hi’ and tell me they hope I’m having a good day.”
As if on cue, friends, and listeners stop by while he and Dina Diamond, Kat Kountry's sales representative and DJ, collect food at Walmart in Burley. The annual event in cooperation with TitleOne, a title and escrow company, provides canned goods to local nonprofits.
Rosalinda Burns of Burley not only donated cans for the food drive but also cookies just for the radio station crew and TitleOne employees.
“They have fun programs and drawings,” Rosalinda says. With the Nosh@Noon call-in program, she won 2 $50 gift certificates to Morey’s Steakhouse through a drawing.
A longtime friend of Scotty’s, Carrie Everlen of Heyburn, stops to chat.
"I start my day with Scotty’s show,” she says. “I like his humor, wishing people happy birthday and playing songs on request.”
Scotty promotes local community events and independent country musicians. He won the Grass Roots Promotion’s 2023 Steve Ferguson Country Radio Seminar Scholarship and was awarded a paid registration to attend the seminar in Nashville in March.
"It was a great experience to meet the musicians and others in the business,” he says.
Behind the Scenes
Scotty says listeners probably think DJs come in the studio and sit down and start talking, but there’s so much behind the scenes to set up and keep broadcasts going.
To protect his voice, he boils a mixture of honey, lemon juice, and ginger root and drinks it warm.
To prepare for his “Scotty in the Morning” show, he goes to bed at 8 p.m. so he can get up at 3:30 a.m. An hour later, he’s at the station typing notes for his 4-hour show that starts at 6 a.m.
He writes notes specific to the day: names of people celebrating birthdays, historical highlights, a word-of-the-day definition, and a brief national sports update.
“I don’t write a script because I want to sound spontaneous like I’m just visiting with people,” he says. “About 15 minutes before airtime, I sit and relax and get in the right frame of mind. I keep the show upbeat.”
Scotty says he looks forward to a lifelong career in radio.
“Every day is different,” he says. “To me, community is everything, and I’m grateful to provide a service to all our listeners.”