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10 Questions with ... Big D
January 17, 2012
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
I started as an intern for JJ Kincaid here at KDWB, then landed a job as a board op for Clear Channel. I got my first on-air job with Leighton Broadcasting in St. Cloud, MN, where I was part-time for five months before landing the night jock opening. Four years later I stopped in LaCrosse, WI to do mornings for a short while, before I landed here at the world-famous KDWB!
1) How would you describe your first radio gig?
I really enjoyed my first gig. I loved it, the city, the station and the company. They were so good to me! I worked hard and moved from PT into the night-show position within five months. I also got MD stripes right away, and shortly after that I was given APD stripes. I miss it sometimes, but had I not moved on I wouldn't be at KDWB!
2) How would you describe the radio landscape in your market?
WEIRD! We've had TWO full-format flips in the last two weeks and there is a rumor of another one coming. We went from two Top 40 stations and one Country. to now there are two Country stations and us, the lone Top 40 ... for now!
3) What are you doing social media-wise?
Everything I can. I really believe that social media is one of the few things that can set you apart from other jocks/stations in your market! I'm constantly tweeting (@BigDradio), updating Facebook (facebook.com/bigdkdwb), my station blog page and I do my best to create content for Youtube! You gotta check out "Celebrity Tweetin!" It's a feature Intern John and I created. Here is a link to one of the videos, www.youtube.com/celebtweetin, you gotta check them out!!
4) What's the coolest promotion you've EVER been involved with?
Every year, we do the KDWB "Christmas Wish!" It's set up for listeners to nominate a family who is down on their luck and at random we pick as many families as we can to deliver these Christmas Wishes! It spans over a weeks. Our Promotions Director, Barb, and her staff work their asses off shopping and wrapping presents for the jocks to deliver. It is incorporated with the Dave Ryan and the Morning show. The wishes are done live on-air as we bring household items, presents for the kids in the family, grocery gift cards and more! It is an amazing feeling!
5) What artist would we be surprised to find on your iPod?
I'm not a huge Country guy, but for some awful reason I love Toby Keith!
6) Who is your favorite air personality not on your staff and why do you like them?
I've always looked up to JJ Kincaid at Z100 in New York! He gave me my first break as his intern. He is so creative and can turn any caller into great show content!
7) What was your favorite station to listen to when you were a kid?
That's what is so sweet for me every day ... I listened to KDWB! Day and night, I would listen and sing in the car to my mom. She was too sweet to tell me I sounded horrible!
8) Do you have a favorite hobby outside of radio?
I am a HUGE video game dork! Not talking like World Of Warcraft or Final Fantasy. Just like Madden2012, Gears Of War, Halo! I'm always on Xbox Live. Add me: Wayne D1047!!
9) What music do you listen to when you're not working?
I actually have really taken a liking to Sports Talk radio so I have my radio on KFAN, our sister sports station. Music wise, I listen to everything outside of a lot of Country.
10) What is it about our industry that keeps you wanting to do it for a living?
The interaction, it is like a drug. I love the interaction from clients, to the artists and for sure the listeners. It's fun to make so many connections!
Bonus Questions
Which character on a current TV series most reflects your personality?
Kenny Powers from Eastbound & Down on HBO, simply because I think I am way cooler than I really am. That, and I am trying to recapture my glory days as an MLB pitcher.
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