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10 Questions with ... Bill Post
November 21, 2006
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NAME:Bill PostLAST WITH:KYKN & KCCS/Salem, ORPHONE:503-931-3310EMAIL:bill@dodgerbillp.com
Please begin by giving us a brief career history ...
I began pestering a local PD when I was 15 (that was back in 1975), begging him to let me be a "DJ." He finally gave up when I was 16, and from there I have mostly been in Oregon, but I also spent a couple years in Hawaii. My good friend Don Anti told me when I left for Hawaii, "You'll never get a job on the mainland again, so don't go," and I should have listened to him, as it has been really tough getting back in. My greatest satisfaction is seeing that many of the young people I hired over the years are very successful in the radio business.
1) What do you do to maintain a positive mental attitude and stay motivated?
I play 18 holes of really lousy golf everyday, so that keeps me sharp, I think.
2) What is the best way to get your foot in the door?
Back in my day, you bugged the PD until he relented. Now I guess you just have to network better -- and read ALLACCESS daily!
3) So far, what has been your best resource for finding out about job openings?
Well, back in the old days it was those trade mags, but now we have ALLACCESS!
4) What is the next job you'd like to obtain?
I am a PD, but I really just miss that one-on-one communication with my listeners, so I would love to be on the air, not reading liners but relating, which is what good radio is all about.
5) How are you finding the "courtesy level" at places you've applied? (Callbacks, emails, rejection letters, etc.)
I never received them in 30 years, so I don't expect them. As a former PD, I know how difficult it is to respond as much as one might want to. So I am not disappointed in the lack of response.
6) With consolidation there are definitely fewer jobs. How do you separate yourself from the pack?
Age, maturation, knowledge. The kids in radio today are just clueless. They have a bad case of the "Howard" syndrome. I guarantee I can hold an audience in the palm of my hand without being dirty. That takes talent. Boob jokes? You're kidding, right?
7) Are you spending as much time listening to radio as you used to?
All the time. I listen to every frequency I can pick up, no matter the format. I love radio, and when I find someone who entertains me, I stick with them for a while. The music is secondary. I have an iPod for that.
8) What has been your biggest career accomplishment?
Being nominated for Small Market Station of the Year by the old Gavin Report, considering it was a Roseburg, OR station and the other nominations were cities over 100,000 with mine being less then 25,000.
9) What do you miss the most about music/radio? The least?
I miss the absolutely crazy morning shows we used to do in the late '80s and early '90s. We could do a very funny bit in under two minutes and get right back to the music. We didn't have to drone on and on like today's morning shows. I also miss the fun of talking all day to record promoters and to my reporting editors at the trades (like the absolute genius JOEL DENVER OF ALLACCESS!). I don't miss the back-stabbing nature that was prevalent at one time.
10) Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?
My 14-year-old is a football stud, so I expect to see myself watching him at a major college program and then starring at defensive end for the St. Louis Rams and living comfortably on his $10 million signing bonus.
Bonus Questions
1) Name your three most recent purchases since leaving the biz.
1. A dog leash.
2. Suppositories (the stress you know).
3. A pack of Pro V-1s. -
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