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10 Questions with ... Rodney Miller
September 23, 2019
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1. What are the integral parts of your career journey that have brought you to where you are at The Fish LA?
I've always LOVED all types of music, but I wasn't born with the gift to play an instrument. When I was 15, I landed a primo part-time job at Burger King in Fremont, CA. Hey, this was a move up from the local Dairy Queen to a major national brand!
Haha. My manger Sharron Bond's husband, Jeff, ran a mobile DJ business that provided music for school dances. She said if I ever wanted to help him, she would introduce me and see how it goes. Well, it took me about five minutes to decide and I jumped at the opportunity. I went over to their house to practice setting up and tearing down the mobile DJ gear. I would also practice my 12-inch vinyl turntable-mixing skills. After two years of tearing up the musical dance floor, Jeff suggested that I should take some Intro to Radio classes at a local community college. Fortunately for me, my dad worked for Ohlone Community College in Fremont, CA. He knew Tom, the radio broadcasting class instructor, who gave me a personal tour of the college radio station, One month after graduating from Irvington High School in 1989, I started interning at the college station. Later that fall, I started taking Radio 101 classes.
Fast forward a year later, Jeff was the PD at Hot 103.5 in Chico, CA. He called me up to ask if I'd be interested in moving up there to become his LIVE overnight jock. It took me thirty seconds to say "yes", then three months later I left college and moved to my first studio apartment in Chico. I was living the dream! Sharon and Jeff were the catalysts for my entire 25 year radio career. Sharron and I are still in touch today. In fact, she is currently the Group Promotions Director at Stevens Media Group in Spokane, WA. Now, we talk about how amazing it would be if a door opened to allow us to work together again.
2. What's the part of your job you tell yourself, "I can't believe I get to do this for a living!"?
I always find a few minutes at one of our station concerts or events to step out into the audience and watch our listeners living in the moment of that event. It's in these few minutes I always find myself saying, "Thank you, Lord, for using my gifts and talents to bring these people closer to You."
Conversely, what's the most taxing and/or unsung part of your daily work?
Being on the clock 24/7/365. No joke. My main responsibility is to supervise the 22 full- time and part-time on-air board-op team and phone screeners for our four Salem-LA radio stations. I have a great team that works all hours of the day, night and on weekends. If equipment breaks during their shift, they're not feeling well or some other issue comes up, they know to call me for help.
3. Was there a particular moment when it became particularly clear that you were purposed for radio?
Definitely! I was pulling an overnight shift at KWIN/KWNN in Stockton, CA. It was the typical 12a-6a on-air shift: pull the CDs, stack up the commercial carts, and write up a little show prep. Yep, these were the good ol' days before automated control rooms. I clearly remember saying, "What you say or play on the air tonight could change the direction of a person's life on the other side of the radio." This simple statement was my first, real hit of radio juice that still flows through my veins today. Breaking news, hitting the post on a song or having a big-name artist in the studio is just as exciting today as it was all those years ago.
4. How was radio a factor in your upbringing? What and who did you grow up listening to?
I spent the first 12 years of my radio career inside mainstream radio stations throughout Central California. In 1997, I was hired as the Production Director for Bonneville Broadcasting's Z95.7 in San Francisco. I hit the BIG time! I wasn't only moving into a big radio market, but I was going back into the Bay Area to work for a start-up radio station that was ready to compete against KMEL, Wild 107 and all of the other radio stations I grew up listening to.
5. Who are the people that have been most instrumental to your growth, both personally and professionally?
Well, as I mentioned before Sharon & Jeff Bonds were a major factor in my radio career. I've been blessed to work with some amazing radio programmers and on-air talent over the years. Casey Keating (my PD at Z95.7), Mark Medina (former roommate and current PD at Z100/NY), Lara Scott (currently at K-Earth 101/LA), Morris Knight (at KWIN, now at iHeart80's SF), Fernando Ventura (at Z95.7, now at Now997 SF) Mark Grauer (at Z95.7/San Francisco), Jon Rivers, JD Chandler & Larry Wayne (K-LOVE).
6. Was there a season throughout your career where you questioned whether or not you were on the right path?
Yes! During the economic downturn in 2009. I, along with between 50-75 other employees ,were laid off from K-LOVE and Air 1.
7. So, that was certainly a low-light. What did you learn about yourself through that process? What did you learn about the people who walked with you through it?
When January 2011 rolled around, I was still out of radio. That's when I really started wondering if my radio career had finally come a close. I vividly remember driving up I-80 towards Reno, NV and saying out loud, "I will go wherever the radio road takes me, but if this is the end of the road, it's been a great career."
Four months later, I got an unexpected call from Chuck Tyler, the Program Director at Salem Media Group in LA, asking if I would be interested in joining them as the Fish Morning Show producer. My former Z95.7 co-worker Lara Scott recommended me for the gig. Chuck went on to tell me that he was moving Lara into the morning show co- host position.
In April 2011, I was hired; but then I spent the next 14 months commuting between LA and Sacramento every week. I would leave my house in Sacramento on Sunday afternoons and drive to LA for the work week. I'd either spend the night at a hotel, or crash on a friend of a friend's couch or sleep in the backseat of my Hyndai Accent hatchback in the gated garage next to the radio station.
Once again, I was living the radio dream. My wife Celeste and I didn't want to move our three daughters (at the time 12,10 and 5) away from all of their family and friends in Sacramento for a job that may or may not work out in Los Angeles. Looking back now, it was the hardest decision to make at that time. But today, my wife Celeste runs a successful skincare business, our oldest daughter, Isabella, is a junior at Azusa Pacific University, our daughter Grace just graduated from high school and Victoria started seventh grade this year.
8. What would you say has been the career highlight at this point then?
Honestly, there have been some amazing career highlights. Z95.7 in San Francisco was incredible because I got to work with some real radio pros. K-LOVE/Air1 was an incredible place because of the lives we touched through the music or stories we shared every day. Also, here now at Salem Media Group in LA, where I've spent the last three years leading 22 people towards radio excellence every day. There are not too many radio professionals that have major market experience in SF and LA and at network radio, but I'm grateful for every opportunity I have been given so far.
9. As MD at The Fish, what are some singles you took a shot on that weren't "no- brainers," but actually proved to be as impactful as you anticipated?
Newworldson's "Learning To Be The Light" had a great hook, but no one thought the unique production would work at Christian AC radio, I did. Unspoken's "Who You Are"'s lyrics moved me closer to the speakers. However, as a new band at the time, no one was willing to take a shot on them at first, so I did. I think a lot of people played Hawk Nelson's "Words" because Bart Millard was featured in it; but my exposure to Hawk Nelson's music at Air1 made this a simple add for me, because the production was exactly what Christian AC radio needed at that time. I was a HUGE fan of Needtobreathe's music from my mainstream listening habits, so "Multiplied" was also a no brainer for us.
10. What have you resolved about the Los Angeles/Orange County Christian radio listener and how have you and your team resolved its uniqueness to other markets across the country?
A few years ago, we brought Mark Ramsey in to help us really understand what a SoCal radio listener (who considered themselves a Christian) really wanted to hear from a local Christian radio station. Without giving away to many secrets, one of the most glaring things that Mark showed us was that worship music was, by far, the most important music they wanted to hear. Then, last Summer we worked with Coleman Research to find out what 400 CCM songs SoCal Christians wanted to hear on their local Christian radio station. And once again, most of our top 25 songs were worship singles. But, if you believe that you can label your radio station "Worship Music" and play lots of unfamiliar worship songs in order to build your audience, you're missing the mark. Radio 101 programming still exists. You must always play the listener's favorite worship songs more than any other songs. Not your personal favorites.
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