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10 Questions with ... MurphDawg
February 11, 2014
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Facebook: Facebook.com/MurphDigga / Twitter: @MurphDawgRadio
1. How did you get the name Murph Dawg?
Well, I have always had the nickname "Murph." It was my hockey nickname. The "DAWG" was added when I first started in radio back in '98 by my current boss "Vic Latino." I was Vic's co-host/producer back then, and every time he saw me in the hallways, he would say "What's up Dog" or "Hey dog." The first night he put me on the air he said, "We need to come up with a name for you". Hence, the name MurphDawg, which originally used to be Dogg (lke Snoop), but I was afraid he would take it as a disrespect, so I changed it to Dawg. He was gangsta back then. LOL.
2. You do the morning show on Party 105, what's it like having to get up at 4a and prepare for your show?
Fortunately, I'm not new to this whole waking up at 4a deal. I have worked AM drive since 2006, when I was morning show host in Atlanta, at WBTS. It definitely is a beast in its own element, and always difficult to stay up and watch prime-time shows (Idol, The Voice, etc.), but you have to stay relevant with your audience. Also, thank god for DVR.
3. On the weekends you do a number of club appearances, how hard is it to go from getting up at 4a Monday-Friday to going to sleep at 4a on Friday and Saturday?
Sundays are always the hardest for me, especially when football was on, because I wanted to watch the Sunday Night Football game, especially if I have some Fantasy players going in one of my four leagues I'm in. But Fridays are easy, because I could take a nap before my gig and I will be refreshed and ready to go.
4. Do you ever hear a song in a club and say, "I have to play this on the station when I get back there?" Can you remember the last one?
I love watching the reaction of people in the clubs to the songs the DJ is playing. When you see a reaction to a record from your P1s, it's a great thing to see. The last record I heard in the club and threw on the air was Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike - "G.I.P.S.Y." I made an edit, threw it on, and it's getting requests.
5. You programmed a Rhythm station for many years, what's the big difference between programming a Rhythm-leaning station and a Dance-leaning stations?
I was APD/MD in Greenville, S.C. at WHZT from 2001-2006 while Fisher was the PD. I learned a lot from him and the Cox Media Group family. There are differences and similarities I see. Back then, Top 40 was playing more of the "Hip-Hop genre" ie: Ja Rule, Fat Joe, 50 Cent, T.I., etc. Now, I am seeing the transition of Top 40 playing more Dance songs, and it all starts from this EDM format. I also see some Country songs taking the spots away from Hip-Hop music on Top 40 stations as well. Dance used to be a regional genre and never worked in Greenville S.C., or the South for that matter. However, as the format evolved, so did the audience, and this format is beginning to thrive.
One of the differences I see in programming an EDM format as opposed to a Rhythmic Top 40 format is, the fact that EDM is still in its infantile stage in my opinion. Although there are more EDM stations popping up, it's still the "Red-Headed Stepchild" of formats. Therefore, I work feverishly to come up with promotions, and educate my sales staff with any literature they may need to understand the format audience, so they can go out there and sell it, because let's be honest ... It all comes down to dollars and cents. The EDM market has money to spend, in my opinion. When they can afford to shell out $300+ for a ticket to a festival, and they are driving Lexus and Mercedes, etc. and wear the latest fashion to stand out in the clubs. All it takes for a salesperson is to find that right niche with their clients, and I believe EDM has that audience that can spend money.
6. Do you find the listeners of Dance music more passionate about the genre?
The passion behind Dance music, and the EDM format is above and beyond anything I have ever seen. These festivals like EDC, TomorrowWorld, Electric Zoo, etc. are drawing hundreds of thousands of people. The format is heavily driven by social media, and the DJs are finally getting the respect here in the States that they receive in Europe. It reminds me of the old huge rock festivals back in the day, where you see the Rose Bowl packed out, etc. EDM is the new "Rock stars." The only question is, how long will it last, and what will it evolve into?
7. How do you utilize the mix shows to break music on the station?
My Mix Show DJs are my soldiers on the front lines. They have an ear to the ground on the clubs for all the new music that's hitting and working. They'll tell me about a new song that I should be on the lookout for, because they see it working in the clubs, and it will help keep it on radar for me.
8. With today's listeners being so technologically savvy how do you use social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Instragram to interact with your listeners?
This is a brand new age that we live in, from when I first started in radio. The audience is an A.D.D. audience. If we don't grab your attention from "Jump Street," we will lose you. Even on social media. Outside of the normal "contesting" that stations are now doing on social media, we have a feature on Friday nights called the "The Friday Night Spotlight" where we play a one-hour mix from one of the big EDM DJs (Armin Van Buuren, Avicii, Afrojack, Steve Aoki, etc.) I then get with the labels to have the DJ tweet it out on their personal Twitter handle. It gives credibility and automatically connects with our audience.
9. You've mentioned that you look at Shazam in your market to see how a song is doing. How often do you find yourself Shazam-ing something, and how do you use it as a research tool?
I feel like Shazam is a great tool. What I find interesting is when I play a song that I know the Top 40 stations aren't touching yet, and I see it on Shazam when I explore, it opens my eyes to that particular song. It reminds me of local Soundscan back in the day, when labels used to call and let you know how many units were pushed in your market. With that being said, I do not "live and die" by Shazam. I merely believe it is a good tool, and one of many used when looking at music.
10. If you could go and visit any club in the world and hear any DJ in the world spin, what club would you visit and who would be the DJ?
I would love to go to Ibiza. Pacha, or Space, and the DJ would probably be any of the Swedish House guys, Ingrosso, Angello, or Axwell ... or all of them back together again...
Bonus Questions
Growing up you played baseball and hockey, if you were a professional athlete today what would be the song that you would want to be introduced to the fans with?
There would be two songs. My baseball entrance song would be "Danza Kuduro" by Don Omar. It's amazing how that song has crossed over to the mainstream, plus I know the words to the chorus, and it's a great party record. My pre-game warmup skate in hockey song would be Imagine Dragons "Radioactive."
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