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10 Questions with ... Chris Payne
June 11, 2013
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
From the age of 8, I wanted to be - in KISS, a professional soccer player, or on the radio. The rest is meant for an ABC mini-series.
1. What excited you the most about returning to KRZQ?
Playing legit, Alternative music for the fans in this city who had been missing it. The last year the radio station was on the air, wasn't fun. The station had been stripped over everything it was built upon: passion, fun, creativity. We were just a shell of what we once were.
2. You know Reno as well as anyone, how would you describe the Reno radio market?
There are very few on the air in this city who sound like they love what they do. I've seen many personalities come and go. Like television, those who have their eyes set on a bigger prize, i.e. larger market, are the ones who will go above and beyond the call of duty to garner the attention of PDs in other cities looking for the next face of their station. Sadly, and in my opinion, personality is a trait lacking in many on-air jocks these days. This may also be due to PPM destroying what was once a fun way to deter the mind from the everyday mundane thought process.
3. What is different about KRZQ from its previous incarnation?
We're delivering actual Alternative music, instead of lying to the listeners with bands like Godsmack, Disturbed, Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold, Buckcherry, and other Active Rock bands that had no place being on Alternative airwaves. No disrespect to the labels who house those bands, but even those who were working them to us, knew that our hands were tied, at the time.
4. How would you describe the music and imaging on the station?
The music is Alternative. Yes, we have some pop/CHR moments, but other than that, when I look at an hour that has incredible groups like The Neighbourhood, The White Stripes, Silversun Pickups, Muse, The Bronx, Bloc Party, Frank Turner, and Cold War Kids. I feel on top of the world, knowing we're delivering the brand the way it was intended.
Imagery, we keep simple and to the point. The one thing we're refraining from, is allowing the station to be the "bells and whistles" station. Sure there's a place for some of that, but if the crux of your imagery stands alone on hijinks, how are you to be taken serious?
5. What makes KRZQ unique?
We're not owned by a major corporation. We're family owned, operated. After having worked with some of the top corporations - Entercom, Lotus - it's safe to say that Shamrock is just as great as the big dogs, just on a smaller scale.
6. What is most important to you when championing new music for the station?
Making sure we're passionate about what we're considering for airplay. If we add songs for the sake of getting a washing machine, we're doing an injustice for everyone involved: the listeners, the station. We carefully weigh everyone's argument, and like in the past, the ones with the best case, wins .....Unless the add is a no brainer.
7. Tell us about the New Music Show and how you put that together each week?
This is a tougher question to answer. I do my best to comb through everything that's delivered on a weekly basis. I have some favorites, and those are reflected upon in the show. The rest, I try to showcase on an every other week basis, that way everything still sounds new, without being super unfamiliar.
8. What do you love most about your job?
This is always a fun question. The way I see it, I don't have a job. I have a career. What I love most about it: discovering new music that continues to further the youth in my soul.
9. How would you describe your afternoon show?
Music intensive, with just enough personality to keep the listeners engaged with what we're doing.
10. What may surprise people about Chris Payne (a.k.a. Supergenius)?
He's a lot more humble than some may think. He holds himself accountable for his actions, while trying to do the best he can on a day-to-day basis.
Bonus Questions
What's the story behind your Jimmie's Chicken Shack greeting when your answer your phone?
Gary Meskill (Pro-Pain/Crumbsuckers) once answered the phone in a hotel room, during the '92 Foundations Forum convention, "Taco Bell." His candor on the phone tickled me that I hung onto it, to use at a later date. Turns out in '97, when Jimmie's Chicken Shack released 'Pushing The Salmonella Envelope," I laughed and said, "that's how I'm going to answer calls when I don't have caller ID at my desk." Sixteen years later, the gag still makes me laugh.
What do you remember most from your first stint at KRZQ?
My first time on the air at KRZQ was when the station was (AOR) All Over the Road. The PD at the time, Daniel Cook, took a chance on a kid who was dying to pursue his dream to be on the air. When Daniel called on me in a pinch, then hired me five hours later, I shook his hand vigorously and said, "NO WAY! Thank you so much! You'll never regret this day!!"
Daniel's response, with a smile on his face, as he's shaking my hand, "I hope not. Now get back in the studio, you have :13 left in your song."
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