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10 Questions with ... Tony Thomas
April 20, 2009
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NAME:Tony ThomasTITLE:MD/afternoonsSTATION:KMPSMARKET:SeattleCOMPANY:CBSBORN:San Francisco, CARAISED:San Francisco, CA
Please outline your career so far:
1980-83 - KFTM/Fort Morgan, CO (First on-air job)
1983-87 - KOLO-AM/Reno, NV (PD/afternoons)
1987-89 - KIIQ-FM Reno, NV (PD/mornings)
1989-present - KMPS-FM Seattle - 20 years this month! (MD/afternoons, was PD for a year or two in the early-mid '90s.)
1993 - won the Billboard Large Market Country Music Director of the Year award
1994 - won the Billboard magazine Large Market Country Program Director of the Year award1) How did you get into radio? Did you always know this was something you wanted to do?
I was lucky enough to grow up in San Francisco in the 60's & 70's, hitting the prime of the mighty KFRC-AM when I was in Jr. High and High School. The big 610 and Jim Gabbert's K-101 reeled me in and got me fascinated with radio. I remember cold-calling K-101 asking if I could visit when I was about 13, and I was blown away. The control room looked like NASA to me, and ha - that was with carts!
2) After over two decades in this business, do you think that radio is evolving and changing for the better? If you had known then what you know now, would you have chosen a different career path?
I'd sure have stuck with radio anyway - I've had so many incredible opportunities come my way because of it. There are two paths when it comes to change: the one the listener is on, and the one the industry is on. Listeners clearly still love radio but they also live in a technological world of choice now. Radio done right is still a big part of their lives, but listeners are more aware than ever of when they're being served or ignored. As for the industry's path, few - if any - can defend that cost cutting has been a benefit to the listener.
3) We hear you have a pretty musical background- you even attended Berklee College of Music. Were you in any bands growing up? What all instruments can you play?
I was a trumpet player all through Jr. High and High School. I played in a dance band during my High School years called Silk & Soul (that sounded a lot cooler in the late 70's). We had a big 9-person group, and we were a multi-racial bunch: black. white, Asian - all in about equal numbers. We had a blast playing Tower Of Power and Earth, Wind & Fire songs. Berklee in Boston was great because it was there that I realized I didn't love music enough to do it for a living, but still loved radio. I got to be a request-line answerer for the mighty WBCN-FM for several months and knew then that radio was what I had to do. And at Berklee I got to be around some amazing musicians and music.
4) This is your 20th year at KMPS. Congrats! What is your secret to longevity at one station in this ever-changing business? I'm sure you have a loyal listener fan base, too. Do you get invited to a lot of weddings and birthday parties?
I've been around at KMPS for a few years because I've been fortunate to have worked with - and continue to work with - some amazing people. And listeners here have been great from day one, always so welcoming. Yes, invites to listener events come along from time to time. It really doesn't seem like 2 decades to me. I'm aware if it when a 20-something woman calls with a request and adds "I've been listening to you since I was a little girl," and I always think, "How is that possible?"
5) Living in Seattle, you must know of some great coffee shops. Are you a big coffee drinker yourself?! If we were to come visit for a day, where would you recommend we go for a good cup of joe?
Oh, I come to work quite caffeinated, yes! Some folks in the Seattle area are quite picky about coffee, but I'm pretty easy to please. I'd first take you to the Starbucks across the street from the station so we could get something fast. Then, there are a ton, and I mean they are everywhere, of small shops and carts with great coffee and baristas who are proud of their work. I really like the local chain Caffe Ladro. They make a mocha with fresh orange peel that's really amazing. But you really can't screw up when it comes to finding great coffee in Seattle.
6) Name three songs or albums that have influenced your life and tell us about them.
Hmm, so many - but when I was a kid Jerry Reed turned me on to country soul when I didn't know he was country. I just thought "Amos Moses" was totally awesome. "Knocked him in the head with a stone, bomp." I regret that I never had the chance to meet Jerry. I was 13 when Elvis's "Aloha From Hawaii" TV special and double-album came out. "American Trilogy" blew me AWAY then and still does now. And I wish I'd seen Elvis in concert. So many Top 40 songs I loved as a kid were country - I just didn't know it at the time: A Boy Named Sue, Folsom Prison Blues, Spiders & Snakes, Burnin' Love, Polk Salad Annie. They sure set the stage.
7) Having been in radio for a while, I am sure you have had a few of those "wow, I have the coolest job ever" moments. Tell us about one of those that really sticks out in your memory.
One of the most moving things I've ever been involved with was being able to connect a local vet who fought at the battle of the 8th of November in Vietnam with Big & Rich. When the song "8th Of November" was just coming out, I was able to take our listener Mike's wife Debbie back to meet with John Rich on his bus at a local show. Mike didn't go out to big events much at that time, the horrors of that battle were still affecting his daily life. John Rich played Debbie the not-yet-released video for the song, talked with Mike via cell phone and we all got pretty choked up. That night led to Mike getting reacquainted with some of his comrades he hadn't talked with in a while, and even led to him reaching out to other vets. The glorious part of the story was when Big & Rich came back the next summer and played a stadium show in Seattle with Kenny Chesney - and our vet Mike was a member of the color guard who came out on stage when Kenny and John said the Pledge of Allegiance in front of 40 thousand-plus people. I was able to play a role in that coming to be, and it's a career highlight for me. Big & Rich gave Mike and his brothers a place of honor with that song.
8) Of all the new music out there - and there's lots - what are some of the things that you are high on right now?
The newest thing I'm high on is "Til Summer Comes Around" from Keith Urban's new album. I could listen to that 4 or 5 times in a row. And have. Sugarland just kills me. Dierks Bentley just keeps getting better and better. Does "Sideways" jump out of the speakers, or what!? I love Gloriana's enthusiasm. Caitlin and Will have something special. How can you not be dazzled by Taylor Swift? I sure am. And I'm hoping this year will be the one it all lines up for Sarah Buxton, I sure liked what I heard live from her at CRS time.
9) Seattle is one of the premiere music towns in America- what does that mean for a station like KMPS? How are you different from other stations and what makes you unique to your market?
The Seattle music scene hasn't intersected too much with what we've done at KMPS. The live music scene here is healthy, and I think that helps bring people out to live shows when country artists tour here. KMPS has a jock lineup that's been around this area for quite a while, listeners know us and know that we know the communities they live and work in.
10) What is the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
I never met Bill Drake, but he had the best jock advice I've ever heard: "when you have nothing to say, say it in as few words as possible."
Bonus Questions
1) Can you remember the first concert you ever went to?
Hmmm, Carole King's "Fantasy" tour. Crazy good songs and unbelievable musicians.
2) How about the first album you ever bought?
I'm thinking that was a CCR album, but I mooched off my older sister's vinyl collection for the longest time, so I'm not sure.
3) What are you currently listening to on your iPod or CD player?
Keith Whitley's Greatest Hits.
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