DJ Profiles
Rob Mullen
KUSP
KUSP
Rob Mullen - Music Director and host of Land of 1,000 Dances. Local host to Democracy Now, All Things Considered and Fresh Air
One cold October day in 1950, Rob Mullen was born in a little pea patch just east of West Orange, Massachusetts. "Sometime in 1961 I became aware of pop / rock music, first listening to the records my brother brought home, then buying my own 45s and LPs. When I realized that the DJs on the radio actually played records for a living, I set about figuring how to become a DJ." In the 1970s, Rob married and started his own family. After his graduation from Greenfield Community College, they lit out for California, driving into Santa Cruz on August 1st, 1980. A stint at KOMY in Watsonville was the first of a succession of radio jobs.
In 1987 he was working for KHIP in Hollister when the station changed format and he headed straight for KUSP. By this point he'd transformed into Mr. Earl - he will not divulge the reason why, under advice from his mother. "My first airshift for KUSP was midnight - 6 am Sundays. Then came various blues and popular music programs, until I ended up on Saturday night playing oldies from the 50's and 60's on Land of 1,000 Dances." Tune in 6 - 8 pm, and you'll find yourself dancing along. Rob has been associated with the music department for many years, becoming the KUSP Music Director in 1999. You can often see him around town in his Music Director hat and his Land of 1,000 Dances shoes.
One cold October day in 1950, Rob Mullen was born in a little pea patch just east of West Orange, Massachusetts. "Sometime in 1961 I became aware of pop / rock music, first listening to the records my brother brought home, then buying my own 45s and LPs. When I realized that the DJs on the radio actually played records for a living, I set about figuring how to become a DJ." In the 1970s, Rob married and started his own family. After his graduation from Greenfield Community College, they lit out for California, driving into Santa Cruz on August 1st, 1980. A stint at KOMY in Watsonville was the first of a succession of radio jobs.
In 1987 he was working for KHIP in Hollister when the station changed format and he headed straight for KUSP. By this point he'd transformed into Mr. Earl - he will not divulge the reason why, under advice from his mother. "My first airshift for KUSP was midnight - 6 am Sundays. Then came various blues and popular music programs, until I ended up on Saturday night playing oldies from the 50's and 60's on Land of 1,000 Dances." Tune in 6 - 8 pm, and you'll find yourself dancing along. Rob has been associated with the music department for many years, becoming the KUSP Music Director in 1999. You can often see him around town in his Music Director hat and his Land of 1,000 Dances shoes.