How did Carson Daly get his start on TV?
—Clair St. John, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Daly, 39, began his career in radio in the early 1990s. He changed jobs five times in the first five years of his career, moving up the ladder to a bigger market each time. He finally ended up at KROQ-FM in Los Angeles. It was there that the executives at MTV discovered him, and shortly after, he moved to New York and became the host and producer of 'Total Request Live (TRL).'
The show quickly became a must-stop for musicians looking to promote their albums.
Daly’s reputation as pop-culture tastemaker was built during his tenure with the music network. This led to his relationship with NBC. In 2002, he launched 'Last Call With Carson Daly.'
Today, he has added the job as host of the NBC network’s top-rated series, 'The Voice.' “I want it to look easy,” says the California native, who attended Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. “It really stems from my background in live radio. I was at MTV for a long time and created 'Total Request Live.' As a result, 'The Voice' is literally the perfect show for me. If I could have created a show, this would be it. It enables me to use all my broadcasting skills.”
In addition, since 2004, Daly has produced the annual NBC’s 'New Year’s Eve With Carson Daly' from Times Square. In January 2010, Daly returned to his radio roots and currently hosts a morning drive show on KAMP-FM in Southern California.
