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10 Questions with ... Tommy Castor
November 15, 2016
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
I started working in radio in 2004 while I was in college, both at my college station full-time and at a few 'real radio stations' part-time. Once out of college, I got a real job, while I finished my Master's Degree. The radio bug never left and I eventually joined iHeartMedia on a full-time basis in 2010. I've been with Channel963 since 2011 and I've been the PD since 2013. On the air, I do mid-mornings on Channel963, early afternoons on our sister AC station (B98) and I voicetrack the night show on our sister Hot AC station in Colorado Springs, My 99.9.
1) What led you to a career in radio?
I just knew I wanted to entertain. Growing up, I loved acting and music, and then in high school, my ultimate goal was to be on either Saturday Night Live or Whose Line Is It Anyway. I originally went to college on a theatre scholarship and I was a theatre major, but it turned out that I enjoyed acting as a hobby more than a career. I wasn't sure what I was going to do until a buddy of mine told me about the college radio station. I figured I'd give it a shot, and I LOVED being on the air and entertaining that way. I was hooked.
2) How would you describe the radio landscape in your market?
A LOT of Country music. But really, we have a lot of good stations and good people here in Wichita, and I would say that we all get along pretty well. I've always heard about these old school 'radio wars' and while we are all trying to win, we get along at the same time.
3) What is the most challenging part of the job?
Always feeling like there is something more I can do. I can write just one more sweeper, I can plan just one more promotion, I can add just one more song, I can make just one more clock change, etc. It's important to know your limitations, whether because of a lack of time, manpower or even creativity. When I know my limitations, I get to work smarter and more efficiently.
4) What's the coolest promotion you've been involved with recently?
We always do our yearly Cheerleader Challenge during each football season. We ask high school cheer squads to put together their best Channel963 cheer on video and then the community votes for their favorite and the squad with the most votes wins $1,000. Then, we do a pep rally for the winning school with a check presentation. It's cool to see the creativity of these kids with the cheers they are putting together. It's also cool to see how excited they get for the money that could go toward new uniforms, attending cheer camp, etc.
5) What artist would we be surprised to find on your personal playlist?
I've got a pretty diverse playlist on my phone. I've got everything from Jack Johnson to Skrillex to Garth Brooks. I'm not sure one artist sticks out, but you might be surprised if we put my playlist on shuffle to see what pops up.
6) What's one thing that would surprise many people to learn about you?
On the side, I'm actually a part-time college professor at my alma mater. I teach two radio courses at the college where I got my Bachelor's and Master's degrees, Southwestern College. It's pretty fun, but I don't let my students call me Professor Castor. That makes me feel old.
Fun fact: the students and athletes at Southwestern College are known as the "Moundbuilders." Moundbuilders has been picked as one of the weirdest college mascots in the country, but I think it's charming.
7) If you could add one full-time position to your budget right now, what would it be?
I would love to have one person who spends 50% of their time working with imaging (not just producing, but writing, planning an imaging strategy, etc), and 50% of their time dedicated to maximizing social media (not just posting on Facebook, Twitter, etc, but finding new ways to connect on social media and really helping our station be relevant on multiple platforms)..
8) What was your favorite station to listen to when you were a kid?
There were actually two stations. I'm from Wichita, so I grew up listening to KKRD, which was the huge Top 40 station in town when I was a kid. I remember being really sad when it went away. Also, my mom always listened to a locally owned Christian music station called Light 99 and so I always heard that one in the car. It's pretty neat to be co-workers with former jocks on both of those stations today!
9) Looking back, which years hold the best musical memories for you and who were your favorite acts at that time?
Probably late high school to early college. I was really into Christian Rock music, and at that time; I loved bands like Relient K and Switchfoot. From the ages of 17-22, I traveled hundreds of miles and to different states to see both of those bands with my friends. I had the band T-shirts and every CD from them. I felt like as the bands got older, their sound matured, in the same way that as I got older, I matured. It's like we grew up together.
10) What is it about our industry that keeps you wanting to do it for a living?
Because we really can make a difference in the lives of our listeners. Not just huge differences by giving them awesome prizes or by helping out people in need (although those times are incredible too), but even just simple differences. For instance, someone is having a bad day and because of a song I scheduled to play at a particular time or because of something funny I say on the air, that person forgets about their bad day, even for a second. We can make many small differences every day in the lives of our listeners. That's special to me.
Bonus Questions
What artist/act (living or dead) would you love to meet and why?
My favorite artist for the last decade of my life is Jack Johnson. I've gotten to see him twice in concert, and the last time, I drove seven hours to Red Rocks Amphitheatre to see him. I've never had the chance to meet him though. So, Jack, if you're reading this ... hit me up. Let's grab coffee.
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