Draft:Kevin Cole (radio personality)

Uncle Sam’s and First Avenue

In 1978, Cole was hired by Steve McClellan as a club DJ at Uncle Sam's in downtown Minneapolis, during the venue's transition from disco to punk and new wave. As Uncle Sam's became First Avenue, Cole became a fixture in the Minneapolis club scene, creating dance nights such as Danceteria, Club Degenerate, House Nation Under a Groove, and Depth Probe.^[2]

Cole's dance nights at First Avenue attracted an eclectic, multiracial audience, rare for Minneapolis in the 70s and 80s. The audience included an up-and-coming Prince, who would bring vinyl acetates of his unreleased recordings to the club for Cole to test out with unsuspecting dancers in the club^[3] including material that would later appear on Purple Rain.

Cole's relationship with Prince continued outside of First Avenue as Cole was hired by Prince to DJ a number of his private parties and events, including Prince's birthday parties^[4] Cole's role in the Minneapolis scene earned him a commemorative star on the First Avenue facade^[5], near Prince's own.

REV 105

In 1994, Cole helped launch REV 105 (“Revolution Radio”) in Minneapolis, an eclectic modern rock and alternative radio station owned by Cargill Communications. After three years of acclaimed programming, the station was abruptly pulled off the air, a victim of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Under Cole's direction, REV 105 was instrumental in breaking artists that were new at the time, including Soul Coughing, Portishead, Oasis, and Fugees. The station is often remembered for its eclectic, non-commercial playlists, which featured indie, modern rock, and other alternative genres, “an adventurous station that flowed effortlessly from Beck to James Brown, emphasizing emerging artists like Soul Coughing, Ani DiFranco and Portishead, and seasoning the mix with older heroes such as Husker Du and Prince.”^[6]

Noted DJs who started their careers at REV 105 hired by Cole include Mary Lucia,^[7] Shawn Stewart, Brian Oake, NPR's Steve Nelson, and WYEP's Kyle Smith.^[8]

Amazon.com

In 1998, Cole moved to Seattle to help build Amazon Music, contributing to the company's early efforts to expand into digital media. After more than five years at Amazon^[9], he left to join KCMU (which became KEXP), where he has worked for more than 25 years.

KEXP

At KEXP, Cole served as Senior Director of Programming and later as Chief Content Officer, overseeing KEXP's programming on-air, online, and in-person, shifting focus from a traditional terrestrial broadcast model to a multi-platform, globally recognized hub for music discovery.

During this time, KEXP committed to hosting hundreds of live in-studio performances a year, launched podcasts, and a YouTube channel that has over 3.8 million subscribers and over 2 billion views. Under Cole's leadership, in addition to live performances recorded at the station, KEXP began an international outreach program, broadcasting live from Iceland Airwaves, London, and Mexico City, and capturing and creating content at music-centric festivals like Rencontres Trans Musicales and Eurosonic Noorderslag (ESNS).

From 2004 to 2024, he was the daily host of KEXP's Afternoon Show / Drive Time.^[10] His mixes were known for their spontaneity—Cole avoided pre-planned playlists, instead curated on the fly, weaving songs together instinctively.

In July 2024, Cole stepped down from his daily Drive Time role, marking the end of his full-time DJ career. He continues to host a weekly show on Sundays and contributes to special programming projects.^[11]