-
10 Questions with ... Rich Davis
January 15, 2013
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
- WHVR-A/Hanover, PA: on-air
- WYCR/York, PA: on-air
- WBSB-WVRT/ Baltimore: on-air
- WAEB/Allentown: MD/nights
- WYXR/Philadelphia: APD/MD/nights
- KDWB/Minneapolis: APD/MD/middays
- WZEE/Madison: PD/middays
- WZEE/WMLI Madison: Director of Programming
- WRVW/Nashville: PD/CC Brand Manager/middays
- CC Nashville OM
- KDWB/Minneapolis: PD
1) Congrats on the multiple #1 PPMs ... no small achievement in such a competitive market. What have been the keys to success?
KDWB is a great brand with a great team. It's a testament to each individual member of the team and their contributions. We win in the hallways, have fun, play the hits and do some killer promotions.
2) You have a heritage station with a heritage morning show. What are the challenges in keeping things fresh?
You have to always keep your target in mind and test everything you do against that person. It's a collaborative effort by the morning show team and doesn't happen by accident ... everyone works at it. Dave Ryan is one of the best in the business and I can't tell you how cool it is to be working with him again.
3) You were the APD/MD at KDWB in the late-'90s. What have been the significant changes in the market since then?
It's wild to see the growth in the market all over, but especially in the northwest suburbs. Target Field where the Twins play is amazing, the Xcel Energy Center is a great concert venue for us in St. Paul that wasn't here when I was here last. The vibe of the market is the same, a great place to raise a family with an amazing quality of life. After over 11 years in Nashville, there were few places I would have left there for and obviously this was one.
4) Run down your air staff for us. What are each player's key strengths?
Dave Ryan, Steve-O and Falen hold down mornings and like I said, they -- along with Derek our web guy, and Katie who works with the show -- are constantly creating content that KDWB listeners love. While they are always on top of topic A, most often they are creating it. I can't say enough about the effort they put into the show. You don't put together a highly rated consistent show year after year without working hard at it. In middays it's Ryan Seacrest. Afternoons are held down by Lucas, who is also my APD/MD. His personality shines on the air and people just love him. Wazz is my night guy who has killer numbers and also helps out in promotions. Big D is the best overnight/weekend/swing guy you could ask for. A good talent and good guy; he can hold down any shift on the station and sound great. I've also got Dan Foss, who rocks out a weekend shift for me. I can't leave out Barb Neren and Chelsie Palbicki in Promotions, and Diego my imaging guy, either -- all huge parts of making the radio station feel and sound as good as it does.
5) What's your take on the current state of pop music?
My job is to play the best of the best from whatever genre the music comes from. That's what Top 40 is and has always been. One of the things I loved about the late great Steve Rivers was that he always said, "Play the Hits," and that's what I do.
6) What were some of your best performing titles in 2012?
Some of my biggest records were "Some Nights" by Fun., "Starships" by Nicki Minaj and "One More Night" by Maroon Five.
7) What's the coolest promotion you've done this year?
Standing on stage in front of over 13,000 at Jingle Ball was pretty cool, but the coolest had to be changing the name of the station to KJABS last January in honor of Jack Jablonski, a teenage hockey player who was paralyzed during a game. In doing so we raised over $11,000 for Jack.
8) What was the lineup for your Jingle Ball this year?
Psy, Train, Onerepublic, Cher Lloyd, Ed Sheeran, Ellie Goulding, Owl City, Conor Maynard and Bridgit Mendler ... and my Nashville girls Megan and Liz did the Pre-Party.
9) You're a veteran of several Twin Cities winters. Does it really get as cold as everyone says?
It's cold, but it's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be. I actually think it's warmer than it was in the late '90s though. I distinctly remember a -22 degree day in January of 1998 ... hasn't been that cold in the year since I've been back. Quite the difference from all those years in Nashville, though!
10) What artists/songs are we likely to find on your iPod?
With over 13,000 songs on my iPod, you never know what you're gonna hear, from any genre you can imagine, too. Ratt to Rihanna, Bingo Players to Barry Manilow. You'll also find every '80s 12" extended mix ever made.
Bonus Questions
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I wanted to be in radio when I was 12 years old, so I'm living the dream!
-
-