Carla Rea is Co-Host of The Mike & Carla Morning Show on Beasley Media Group’s 96.3 KKLZ in Las Vegas.
If you’re wondering why I often cover personalities from Vegas, yes I do live here, but also, it’s one of the few markets where companies still believe in live and local morning shows (mostly).
Most of them have been in the market for years and Mike (O’Brian) and Carla are no different. The two have been on KKLZ for about thirteen years and together as a show for about twenty. I should also note that the show has consistently been top three for as long as I can remember, and I have lived here (on and off) for a long time.
Carla started in the business doing voiceover work in college at University of Nevada Reno. She was a journalism major while delving into comedy on the side. “I was on the road a lot as a comedian, but when I moved to Las Vegas in 1989, I would also sit in with Mike O’Brian and the Breakfast Flakes at KLUC as a comedian,” Carla explains. “In 1997, Dane Wilt, a radio sales manager/PD, suggested I do talk radio, along with another talk show host, Jim Villanucci. I started co-hosting a talk radio show in Las Vegas, at Hot Talk 105.1 – when talk radio was topical, fun, and took chances. It was the first FM talk station in Vegas. Things just took off from there.”
Carla has also been a professional comedian for 40 years. “It’s my first love. I started my first year of college,” she says. “While going to school I was on the road working clubs all over the country. I moved to San Fransisco, Los Angeles, appeared on the Conan O’Brien show, Jenny Jones show (look her up, kids), a Showtime special, Evening at the Improv – all the great shows for comedians early on. Right now I am in the process of producing a comedy special for ‘Hey Vegas’ TV, and other streaming services. A podcast is also in the works.”
“I got into radio because I love the live element of it. The ‘this is happening right now, so it better work, and be good!’ side,” says Carla. “Radio made me a stronger comedian, and comedy made me a stronger radio personality. To this day, that’s a fact. A lot of comics tried radio, and it just wasn’t comfortable or didn’t work for them. I’m so lucky, and so grateful it worked for me, and I do it well. And I’m thankful to my on-air partner, Mike O’Brian, for continuing to make me even better on air.”
By the way, it was it was Mike who nominated Carla for a Gracie Award, which she won in 2020. Sadly, there was no public celebration because of the Pandemic. But needless to say, she’s got a great partner and support from Mike.
“Mike and I have been in Las Vegas for a LONG time,” says Carla. “We have relationships that allow us to reach out directly to people, businesses, and other media talent to really make an impact within the community. We do sometimes smaller, but specific events: A big water drive for the Salvation Army that no one was doing ten years ago, DJs for PJs, PurpleStride (The Pancreatic Cancer Walk), and the NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Walk – brand new in 2024. We help a lot of organizations that others don’t. We are very local!”
“I’ve had amazing experiences in radio over the years, getting to interview musicians, and talent I find interesting. Not celebrities – I work with celebrities through comedy. But interviewing Duran Duran’s, Simon LeBon, hanging with Phil Collen and Rick Allen of Def Leppard, those were fun times.”
“But one of my biggest highlights over the years was talking to Michelle Obama during her husband’s second term and inviting her and Jill Biden (second lady at the time) to come visit, and we’d go see Thunder From Down Under – because if she called them, she could probably get comps. She got quite a kick out of it. I still say we would have had a blast!”
“One of my biggest challenges over the years, I’ll be very honest, yes, I’m saying it, I don’t look like other females in radio,” says Carla. “First impressions, especially in a social-media-driven world, are seemingly most important. But when I started in comedy and radio, talent was most important. I always wanted to be me because I’M the best version you’re going to get. It’s got to be exhausting trying to be something you’re not. What you see, and hear, is the real deal with me. It might not always be pretty, but it’s authentic, and it has served me well.”
Which brings us to our next topic: Gender equality in radio. “I think women have made some strides in the business. I worked with the legendary, and late, Dusty Street when Mike and I were at The Point (97.1 KXPT, Las Vegas). She was amazing and as real and authentic as they come. Along with Eve Arden, and Eleanor Roosevelt – yes, she did radio. And thankfully, there are also many females at the top of the organizational charts now, including my own CEO, Caroline Beasley. But let’s get rid of the pay disparity that I truly believe still exists.”
Carla’s thoughts on what is missing in the industry right now (besides equal pay), “Sadly, I think radio is missing people, and personality,” she says. “We have to start taking chances again. Any music you want is at your fingertips with the availability of streaming. But unique, and live voices are not. The industry has changed so much in the last few years. But I believe there is still a uniqueness to radio, and a WANT to listen to it if it’s giving the listeners something personable, unique, and organic.”
“And there’s something special and unique about living and working in the Vegas market. I don’t think people realize how small Las Vegas really is. Especially those moving from other radio markets. It’s a big city but a small town when it comes to relationships with advertisers and listeners. You can’t just come in and plug in a formula. Las Vegas radio is about locals, not tourists. Locals are the ones who listen.”
Follow Carla Rea @kklz963 and @funnyinvegas and on Facebook: Carla Rea
“And as an added bonus: if you are planning to visit Vegas, here are a few tips from a long-time local: If you’re outdoorsy, Go to Mt. Charleston, Red Rock, and definitely do the railroad tunnels trail out by Lake Mead – really cool! Las Vegas Brewing Company, HUDL, and Able Baker for a flight of beer. Roma Deli 2 on W. Sahara – the best! Italian food like MY grandmother made. Babystacks, and Snooze for breakfast. And definitely spend a couple days at Lake Las Vegas. Feels like you’re in the Mediterranean.”
