David Johnson
Title: Business Analyst
Company: KRLD-AM (1080)
Details: Native of Pampa, Texas; married to Debbie and the father of two sons, Ben and Sam; works as a stockbroker in his off-air hours
Why You Need To Know Him:
Because David Johnson provides a forum for telling North Texas, the Lone Star State, and the world about your company, in good times and bad. As KRLD’s business analyst since 1980, 58-year-old Johnson broadcasts nearly 90 business reports each week on the news/talk station, including a daily CEO interview during “The Nightly Business News” hour. He’s also heard twice-weekly statewide on the Texas State Network, and has been a regular since 1989 on public radio’s “Marketplace” business program, which has 9 million listeners worldwide.
Johnson sees himself as a “translator” who makes business news understandable to everyday people. It’s a mission that has evolved since he started his career in the 1970s, when the press “never used to cover” business, and chief executives saw little upside to being interviewed. Johnson promises his guests that they “won’t be edited or taken out of context,” and CEOs have responded. The long list of those who’ve done interviews with him over the years include the biggest names in local business, such as Herb Kelleher, Harding Lawrence, Tom Hicks, Jim Ling, Stanley Marcus, Mary Kay Ash, T. Boone Pickens, Ray Nasher, and Ross Perot Sr.
So, how does a CEO get on the broadcaster’s radar screen? “Do something interesting,” Johnson says. “Be interesting.”
