Brief

Kim "Kid" Curry follows his passion and makes a name for himself during radio's heyday. But after 33 years in broadcasting, a startling MS diagnosis forces him into retirement. With a new wife and a baby on the way, Kim faces the challenges of his post-career world with the same vigor and determination that made him successful in the first place.

What We Liked

There's an air of nostalgia that acts as a through line for the first half of the story. Readers are quickly captured with a longing for a simpler time, when radio was in its prime. With a singular POV, it feels like an inside scoop on the recent past and provides an array of interesting anecdotes (like the time Kim Curry ditched a meeting with a not-yet-famous John Legend) for audiences to latch onto. That said, there is also an emotional sense of loss when we move into the second half and find ourselves rooted in Kim's post-career world. Although the tone shifts a bit, the characters don't which provides a nice commentary on the effects of time in a post-digital world.

A story like this is well-suited to the feature format because of its definitive start and end points. It has a nice ending and is rich with anecdotes that make it nostalgic, relatable and approachable. It also possess a rich lead character and singular POV, which streamlines the access point enough to make the characters feel humanized.

Key points:
Nostalgic.
Autobiographical.
Inspirational.
Approachable.
On-trend.

Synopsis

KIM “KID” CURRY (20s) prepares for a career-defining radio concert in Miami. As preparations ensue backstage, he begins feeling pain in his gut. After treating it with antacid, the show goes off without a hitch. Kim travels home to visit his parents in Colorado, where the pain intensifies. He eventually goes to the hospital and is diagnosed with appendicitis.

After recalling his early love of music and performing, Kim is asked to babysit a local radio broadcast. He becomes obsessed with the idea of being a broadcaster and enrolls himself in broadcasting classes. During his junior year of college, he sends out audition tapes in hopes of landing a full-time job.

Kim receives an offer from Knoxville, TN. He quits college and moves to Tennessee. He is rebranded as ‘Kid Curry’ and begins hosting the late show. Kim receives a call from JERRY CLIFTON (30s-40s) and is instructed to board a prepaid flight to Miami. There, Jerry tells him about 96X. Kim is hired as DJ, but before long the station is embattled in a court case because rigged contests and unethical practices. While testifying in court, Kim notices BILL TANNER and BUZZ BENNETT in the courtroom.

Kim meets with Bill Tanner and is offered a job at Y100. Bill hires the infamous DON COX as a DJ and soon enough, Kim hears Don conducting a drug deal over the phone. Don is arrested for selling cocaine out of the office. Kim’s voice was overheard during a phone conversation and Kim’s reputation is put in jeopardy.

Y100’s ratings begin dropping, and Kim transfers to I-95, where he lacks freedom. Jerry resurfaces and hires him as an afternoon DJ/interim Program Director at a station in San Antonio. Kim settles into life in Texas and hires longtime friend FRANK WALSH as a music director. Kim is eventually fired, only to be hired at a competing station and he takes Frank with him. He is sued for breach of conflict, but his new station countersues. Soon, the matter is settled, and Kim begins his new job. The station doesn’t turn out to be what Kim imagined, so when Bill calls with a DJ offer from a new station in D.C., Kim readily agrees.

Kim revives an old comedy bit and starts receiving calls from FRANK THE FRAMER, who frames portraits at the White House. Kim’s grandmother comes to visit, and Frank the Framer is able to arrange a tour of the White House. Kim steps out of the car and becomes lightheaded after being surrounded by secret service with drawn guns. While the tour is successful, the radio station is not, and soon enough Kim takes a job at a station in Baltimore. He is stifled a bit at first, but ultimately helps increase ratings. But, fed up with the Northeast winters, Kim returns to Y100.

Kim spends two days atop a Miami billboard to help raise money for twins with a rare genetic disease. After getting fired from Y100, Kim reconnects with Bill at his new radio station, Power 96. He learns that one of their famed radio personalities has passed away, and Bill somberly arranges for Kim to take the afternoon show. Bill is replaced as program director with Kim’s friend, Frank, and it dismays Kim. Leading up to the holidays, Kim focuses on developing a morning show with BO GRIFFIN. Just as they begin to click on -air, they receive a call from a listener informing them that Don Cox has been arrested for a DUI. Press descends on the station, but the ratings prevail.

When Hurricane Andrew hits, Kim is the first one to the station. He and his colleagues organize relief efforts to help out the community. Things are going well, until Kim learns that his father must have both legs amputated. He resigns and returns home to Colorado for a year. But eventually, his father encourages him to go back to work. Conveniently, Kim receives a call from Frank, and returns to work in Miami. He begins lobbying for the Program Director job and throws himself into the work. After a trip to LA for the Grammys, Kim brings Latin music to the radio station. When the ratings go up, he is given the job and begins focusing on the station’s mega show.

In an attempt to keep things fresh, Kim himself off the air and focuses on sales. He accompanies the sales team on a trip to London, where he learns of The Spice Girls. He begins playing their music on the radio and lands their first American show. The largely Latin audience is not impressed with the soon-to-be infamous group.

Kim meets ELIZABETH at a club, and they begin dating. Despite two failed marriages and a newborn on the way, he pursues a relationship with her. They eventually marry and when they return from their honeymoon, Kim arranges a boy-band contest. He forms a group called Point 5 and travels to New York to meet with record executives. He begins experiencing leg cramps and vision changes while walking around the city. He makes it home and lays in bed for nearly a week before brushing it off as a bad case of the flu.

Kim is in his office when the planes crash into the Twin Towers. When Bo Griffin realizes she can’t make it through her segment, Kim takes over and gives his listeners a rundown of the attacks. In the months that follow, Kim organizes a concert and recalls the solemnity in the crowd.

Kim and Elizabeth invest in a house on a golf course. Soon after, Kim receives word that his father has passed away. Kim is surprised to feel relieved that his father no longer has to suffer. On the first anniversary of 9/11, Kim arranges a day-long tribute and is moved by the community coming together. Kim’s children begin begging for a dog, and he gifts them a puppy on Christmas morning. Elizabeth soon becomes pregnant, and Kim prepares for his fourth child. He gets into a minor accident because he didn’t see another car’s brake lights. And while playing golf at a high school reunion, he loses vision in his right eye.

Elizabeth convinces Kim to get a checkup, but he forgets to tell the doctor about his episodes. Soon, he begins experiencing more symptoms. His mother expresses concern, but Kim brushes her off. When he struggles to play a round of golf, Kim finally decides to visit a doctor. After a round of tests, Kim is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. As he struggles with the news, the overnight DJ calls out sick. Kim goes back on air as he tries to adapt to his new situation.

Word gets around the radio station, and Kim is sent home for several days. He convinces himself that he’s being fired but is offered the Operations Manager role instead. He declines, and he and Elizabeth prepare to retire in Colorado. When Elizabeth becomes concerned about their income, the pair begins buying and flipping houses in the area. It doesn’t go well, and Elizabeth decides to apply for her real estate license. Meanwhile, Kim struggles to find an adequate physical therapist with less-than-adequate insurance. He files for security disability and testifies in front of a judge. Once approved, they find a Colorado doctor and the testing begins anew.

Kim tries to play golf but loses his balance and rolls down a hill. He gives up the game, and then accidentally dislocates his shoulder after a shower. Elizabeth finds him on the floor and calls for an ambulance. While his symptoms worsen, Kim learns to rearrange his life. He begins using a wheelchair.

Elizabeth forms a real estate partnership, and Kim learns that Bo Griffin passed from an undisclosed illness. Kim tries to move from the couch to his wheelchair and crashes to the floor, breaking a rib. Still, he refuses to pity himself and his doctors encourage him to keep using his legs. Soon, he is approved to add hand controls to his car and relearns how to drive.

Elizabeth’s real estate business takes off, and Kim begins looking into dental implants. When their daughter is teased for not knowing who One Direction is, Kim arranges a surprise trip to one of their shows, much to the chagrin of the bullies. Kim and Elizabeth begin home renovations as Kim’s high school reunion approaches. Kim is encouraged to call a former classmate with MS and convince her to attend. Kim begins the cherish the bond he has with those who suffer from MS.

Kim tutors the local high school band, and his son decides to join the Coast Guard. Kim gets an invitation to a radio party in NYC, and Kim and Elizabeth move mountains to get him there. He reunites with some of his radio friends and is presented with a Radio Achievement Award. The next morning, he learns that his friend, VINCE PELLEGRINO, has been battling a terminal illness. It is the last time they’ll see each other.

Elizabeth’s real estate team reaches new heights, until her partner moves to Hawaii. Elizabeth figures out how to forge ahead in her career and as their son adjusts to life in the Coast Guard, Elizabeth and Kim consider moving to Denver. They settle in Loveland, Colorado as Elizabeth gets promoted at the real estate firm. The family dog becomes ill, and Kim is forced to make a tough decision. Kim begins therapy in a saltwater pool, where he’s able to use his legs beneath the water. In an Epilogue, we learn that Kim is still battling MS. He pleas for Americans to come together to fix our healthcare system, to make life livable for those in his situation. He reflects on his radio career, his illness and the love he has for his wife as he continues to fight day after day.

About The Author

Kim "Kid" Curry spent 33 years in radio broadcasting, as both a DJ and a Program Director. He was forced into early retirement after being diagnosed with MS, and uses his writing as a form of therapy.