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10 Questions with ... Miles Montgomery
February 23, 2016
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1) What was your first job in radio and early influences?
My first job was working for West Virginia Radio Co in Morgantown, doing odd jobs and part-time stuff at WAJR/WVAQ. My friends' dad, Dale Miller, was the GM at the station. He was the guy I looked up to and inspired me. The late Garry Bowers at WCLG gave me my first real job on-air. I wouldn't be doing what I love if it wasn't for those two.
2) Was there a defining moment which led to your radio career when you realized this is what I want to do for a living?
Funny question. As a kid I would do radio parody's into a tape recorder at night, but then I attempted to play football in college as a sixth-string punter for WVU. We were at the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville and Clemson's punter Chris Gardocki basically kicked a ball so far it never came down. I knew then I was wasting my time with football. So I figured I'd finish my Broadcast Journalism degree and follow my passion.
3) What were the origins of the Men's Room Show? How did you all meet and form the show?
Bill Pasha put us together. We were in Baltimore at the time. I was doing mornings and Steve Hill worked with Ted Smith at a different station. Pasha told me he had the perfect guy for me to team up with on a show. Bill was right. When Steve and I met for the first time, we both had the same question for each other, "Do you smoke weed?" Did I mention we live in Seattle now?
The Men's Room L to R: Steve "The Thrill" Hill, Miles Montgomery, Ben "The Psycho" Muppet, Thee Ted Smith4) How long have you been on KISW and give us some of the ratings highlights during your time there?
We've been on for over 10 years at KISW. Steve and I decided from the start that everyone was invited to the party. We hated the idea of going for one demo. That's not a party. A party needs all kinds of people. No one wants to go somewhere and it's a sausage party. We've stuck to that philosophy. Being #2 has never been an option for us. Ironically we now have a sausage on the market.
5) Describe a typical show for you guys. a) What is the process? b) How much show prep do you do and what are some of the key benchmarks of your show?
We do a ton of prep. I would say each of us do four hours a day minimal to get everything ready. When you are going for the creative, your brain really never stops working. We do love a good benchmark. Bad Joke Friday, The Shot of the Day, Ted vs The FCC, Big Dummy, No-S-Sherlock, Men's Room Rules, TV Time with Ted, etc. When it comes to the process, I asked Uli, who makes our sausage at Pike Place Market, about how he crafts his world-famous sausage. He said, "Knowledge is power," then said nothing more. Best answer to a question ever.
6) Last year The Men's Room and the KISW Morning Show (BJ & Migs) did a radio show completely LIVE. Tell us how that all went down?
That was the brainchild of our boss Dave Richards. He put a team together (Ryan Castle, Jason Dildine, Taz) who worked behind the scenes for well over a year to put it all together. We are always live but this was different. The bands played all the music, bumpers, jingles, commercials. Our voice guy Malcolm did his stuff live, all the reads, bits, foley artists doing sound effects, a barbershop quartet, it was essentially a live stage show and was a blast to perform.
7) What are some of the other best and most memorable moments to date on The Men's Room?
We've had so many and a few I can mention here but more than anything else it's WHERE we work. KISW has the best staff in the country, period. We've had the misfortune of working with the absolute worst in the industry and now the fortune of working with the absolute best. It means everything for us to work with a creative team on a daily basis that wants us to succeed at the highest level.
8) Has the idea of syndicating The Men's Room been discussed and is that something you guys would be interested in doing?
Very interested! WCMF in Rochester carries our show at night and so far, so good. All good things in time...
9) You guys are VERY active with social media like Facebook and Twitter. How has that benefited your show?
The Men's Room is as much of a brand as it is show. We are a multi-media entertainment platform. Daily podcasts, specialty podcasts, videos and products. "Men's Room Original Red" was just recently acquired by In-Bev, festivals, parties and now sausage. Sales of our beer have provided over a half-million dollars to our local Fisher House. If you are thinking that you are just a radio station, then you're probably already screwed. More people check Facebook than your website, but always link them back when you post. I say go fishing where the fish are.
10) Finally, who is funniest person on The Men's Room and why?
I think that would be a tie between Steve and Ted. They average 4.7 jokes per segment. Ben "The Psycho Muppett" and I only average about 2.9
Bonus Questions
What do you like to do for fun and excitement when you're not in radio mode?
I enjoy running, which makes me certifiably insane. I imagine that I'm being chased by the beer and chicken wings that I ate the night before. I love spending time with my family on adventures and travel as well.
One last thing Ken, I'm not very good at staying in touch with people and I really want to say thank you to few people who inspired and helped me along the way. So thank you: Tim Satterfield, David W Miller, Jake Einstien, Bill Pasha, Gregg Cassidy, Scott Lindy, Jim Dolan, Josh Medlock, Ryan Castle, Steve Dreppard, Steve Dreppard and Dave Richards. I will drink a beer for each of you...
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