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10 Questions with ... Melony McKaye
December 8, 2008
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NAME:Melony McKayeTITLE:Midday hostSTATION:WPOZMARKET:OrlandoCOMPANY:Central Florida Educational FoundationBORN:Fargo, NDRAISED:Fargo, ND
Brief Career Synopsis:
NPR Morning Edition local host in college. After college, I took my first full-time radio job as a Promotions Director and midday announcer. I've since been an MD, Promotions Director and PD in all types of formats including Lite Rock, Country, Oldies, News/Talk and her personal favorite, Christian.
1) What was your first job in the industry? Did you have any mentors?
I was the NPR Morning Edition local host for a 100,000-watt college station. I was finished everyday by 8 a.m. and then would head off to class. My first commercial station PD made it very clear to me that he didn't believe women held a significant role in radio, but that he had to hire me to satisfy the GM. Thankfully, he wasn't around long and his replacement, Pete Miller, became the first person to really teach me about the industry and take the time to work with me through air checks. He was the first one that made me believe that radio could be a career for me.
2) How do you prep for the show each day? What kind of challenges do you face?
Listening and observing are my most useful tools. Show prep is constant. I carry a small notebook with me always. You can't share life if you're not living it. It's about what happened at the grocery store, what women around me are talking about, hoping for, struggling with, celebrating and worrying over. Being on the air as someone who directly represents our demographic, I am challenged daily to remember it's about HER life.
3) What has been your favorite feature/promotion with the station in the past year?
Wow, it's difficult to pick one, but I'd have to say I look forward to our "Make 'Em Smile" annual event with Nathaniel's Hope. Not only is it about loving and serving families with special needs children but it's about getting our listeners and their families to develop ongoing relationships with that part of our community.
4) Who is your favorite on-air personality NOT at your station?
I'm still challenged to be better every time I listen to K-LOVE's Lisa Williams and Scott Smith on Air 1.
5) What does Christian radio need to do to break through to a mass audience on a more consistent basis?
I think first and foremost, we must stop thinking of them as a mass audience. The days of sounding like the party host/DJ are long over. She's not listening to you in a club surrounded by hundreds. Your audience is sitting in her car waiting in the car pool lane, at the kitchen table filling out bills, folding laundry, cooking dinner, working in her cubicle at the office, caring for an ill child in the middle of the night. To her you are a very intimate friend invited into areas of her life many others don't go. Relate, communicate, serve and share with HER, not the masses.
6) What are the greatest challenges in your position/job?
Not industry challenges, but job challenges? I'd say they are the same as any other working mom: the juggling of all my roles and learning to accept the fact that it is mathematically impossible for me to give 100 percent to every one of those roles. As a perfectionist, that's a major struggle.
7) And what are the greatest rewards in your position/job?
How awesome is it to watch God move! To know, despite us, he's working. We're in the communications field so our listeners communicate with us. We hear how he played the perfect song as they drove to their father's memorial service or welcomed their new child or lost their job or just needed encouragement to make it through the next hour. We couldn't orchestrate these stories. How humbling and awe inspiring t to see God work.
8) If you could have any other job outside radio, what would it be?
Definitely, a full-time mom and wife. I think my husband wouldn't mind cleaning a few less toilets.
9) Any favorite or funny artist run-ins? Highlights from a promotion or interview?
This one goes WAAAAY back. I didn't turn my life over to Jesus until my junior year of college. I was wrestling with continuing my radio career when a friend asked me to help sell pizza at a CCM concert. After we finished cleaning up, the band was loading out. I noticed bumper stickers on the artist's gear for CCM radio stations. Nearly an hour after the show wrapped up, Geoff Moore took the time to sit down with me for another hour or so and fill me in on the industry and pray with me about my decision. That was the night I knew what the desire of my heart was. It took another eight years before God brought me to Christian radio but remembering that conversation and prayer is what helped me persevere.
10) And let's brag on your kids for a second. Tell us about your small brood.
Abigail, our household's second mommy, is 5; Michaela, the charmer, is 4; and
Christian, who keeps us all on our toes, is 2. Oh, and I can't forget the carpet eating beagle, Josie, and the best toilet cleaning, husband, David.
Bonus Questions
1) Cat or dog person?
Well, actually, exotic birds, but with kids, we stick to the dog.
2) Describe your favorite meal:
Anything planned, prepped and cleaned up by someone else!
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