Fans take Chris and Nina from KMLE to heart
KMLE-FM (107.9) personalities Chris Matthews and Nina Espero were sitting down for an interview with Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Archie Bradley a few weeks ago. Before the conversation even began, Bradley leaned over to Espero.
“Congratulations on your wedding!” he said.
It turns out that the D-Backs listen to KMLE in the locker room, and they’ve heard Espero gush about her upcoming nuptials. That was a moment when the Phoenix radio team knew they had arrived, so to speak.
Another moment? Well, there are the ratings, which have been on a steady upward trek since last summer. Then there’s the constant feedback from listeners, who love to hear the pair banter with their producer, a friendly guy known as Badger Gabe. But perhaps biggest of all? The duo is up for the prestigious Major Market Personality of the Year at the Academy of Country Music Awards. (Spoiler alert: They don’t win; the ACM announced some trophies early). Past winners include such Valley country-music heritage names as Tim and Willy and Ben and Matt.
“We were extremely surprised and humbled to even get that nomination,” Gabe says. Making it even more unusual? It’s still a new show. Chris and Nina D, as she’s known on air, teamed up in late 2015; Gabe came on board last October.
“Basically, to even get the nomination is absolutely amazing,” Gabe says. “It just makes us want to work even harder.”
Friends away from the studio
Of course, the thing about hard work is you have to make it look easy. That’s what happens on the morning show. Matthews has been with KMLE for three years; Espero for five (she was part of a previous KMLE morning team with Steve Kramer). The two bonded when Matthews was teaching Espero about programming and she had just gone through a breakup.
“That was the first opportunity for us to be vulnerable with each other,” Matthews says. “That’s one reason why this partnership works so well. We’ve been through some big, heavy life experiences together, and it’s only tightened and strengthened the bond.”
Espero agrees. “Going through the breakup really sparked our friendship,” she says. “Chris was a good mentor, then a good friend, and that’s just kind of carried over to the show.”
When Gabe came along, he fit naturally in the team.
“We’re actually friends,” Gabe says. “We all get along amazingly well. We’re best friends on the air and best friends off the air.”
It’s reflected on the show, which is unforced, comfortable and playfully unfiltered. Espero talks about her significant other. Matthews, who is married and has two kids, will talk about his family; thanks to winning an on-air wager, he didn’t have to undergo a vasectomy. Gabe is single and ready to change that, especially with Nina managing his Tinder account.
“There are times when Nina or I will look at each other and say, ‘Did I just say that on the radio?’” Matthews says.
“It’s like you used your inside voice,” Espero continues. “It’s like your internal monologue came out over the air.”
Feels like family
Regular features on the show include Beat Nina, in which members of the KMLE Nation — i.e. listeners — compete with Espero on trivia questions. It’s not exactly “Jeopardy” tough; “Who starred opposite Olivia Newton-John in “Grease?” was one recent question. If a celebrity competes, the game tilts a bit. When singer Jake Owen played, one of the questions was “What is Jake’s favorite bird?”
The mix of music and fun personalities obviously appeals to listeners, who have been particularly kind. Matthews once talked on-air about how his daughter loves toy trains. A woman gifted him with her son’s old set.
“These are the best listeners I have ever experienced,” Matthews says. “They are so passionate. I’ll get stopped places and people will ask me if we’re trying to have another baby . It’s like I’m meeting people and they’re following along and so engaged and so warm.”
“It’s hard to explain, but you can be out and someone will offer to buy you a beer,” Espero says. “You think, ‘Wait a minute: I should be buying you a beer!’ Country listeners are just warm.”
The numbers game
The affection listeners have for them shows up in the ratings book.
In February, KMLE ranked No. 3 in the Valley, only behind KESZ and KSLX. Although they are too polite to say, the rise of Chris, Nina and Badger Gabe also coincides with turbulence at rival country station KNIX-FM (102.5), which let morning guy Matt McAllister go in December. KNIX dropped down to No. 13 in February, perhaps confirming that fans really do want to believe the people they listen to are friends on and off the air.
Still, Matthews says, don’t take the ratings too seriously.
“There’s a saying in the business that you live by the ratings, you die by the ratings,” he says. “We are aware of where we stand, but honestly, we get on the air every day and try to be authentic and listener-focused, and include the KMLE Nation and make them a part of our lives. We know that whether the rating gods choose to favor us or not, we know how we work well, and we listen to the feedback from our listeners.” As for the future? “This is home,” Matthews says. “This is something we want to be doing for a long time.”