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10 Questions with ... Angie Good
July 20, 2021
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
My first programming gig was a country station in Redding, CA. I was 22-years-old and not a Country fan, but the PD had one foot out the door and I started taking care of the things that weren’t getting done, so the GM offered me the job and put me on mornings with former Bay Area sportscaster Bud Foster, who must’ve been close to 80. Hilarious.
I went home to Seattle for 3-4 years and worked at KUBE and then jumped over to Bobby Rich’s Hot AC, KMGI, followed by a gig in Grand Cayman where I started doing mornings with Tammy Cruise. (Coincidentally, she also started her career at KNVR/Chico.) Tammy and I worked mornings together as Cruise N Good at ALT, KDJK/ Modesto, Classic Rock, KJFX (The Fox)/Fresno and again in Modesto at Hot AC KOSO. Along the way, I also programmed at KJFX and KOSO. I didn’t necessarily have mornings in mind for my career, but they were some of the most gratifying years and I think Tammy and I broke some barriers, as not many programmers would consider a female morning team. It was a successful show because we were real, a little salty and we could say things about women that men couldn’t get away with and it resonated with that female audience. Credit to Max Miller who gave us a long leash
1. How would you describe your first radio gig?
My first gig was CHR KNVR/Paradise-Chico, CA, and I can’t tell you how incredibly thrilled I was to work in radio at a poverty level income. I was in love with everything about radio and would have paid them to do that job. Back then, jocks (at your station and within the market) would call you on the request lines when you had a stellar break, made an incredible segue, or we would call to bust each other’s chops over a flubbed break.
As my first PD, Tom Kelly was leaving his position, he left a note on the studio door that said “strive to be the very best you can be, every single day, especially when you don’t feel like it, that’s how legends are made.” Basically, if you’re sick or having a bad day, nobody cares, set it aside and dig in, don’t phone it in. I still have that memo.
2. What led you to a career in radio?
I started "keeping logs" figuring out Top 40 music rotations when I was eleven years old. I did that for a few years and then moved on to Rock radio when I was fifteen and monitored KZOK and KISW, keeping an alphabetized list of every single song in the library - which was no small project, the library was pretty extensive in AOR radio at that time. So, I was pretty certain about my career choice early on. I went to college, with the sole purpose being to get an aircheck and get a job in radio.
3. Are things back to “normal” as far as staff being back in the building and studios these days?
Not yet. We’ll be back in studio in September.
4. What did you learn about yourself as a programmer navigating the pandemic?
Not sure what I learned about myself, but a fringe benefit was the need to over-communicate was beneficial and is something I hope to keep post-pandemic.
5. You’re still on the air—doing afternoons. Why is it important for you to continue to crack the mic on a daily basis?
I think you have a better feel for how the car is running if you take it for a spin now and again.
6. How does the Madden & Riley morning show get the station’s broadcast day started in the right direction?
Madden & Riley have been together long enough that they have a solid chemistry, they’re both funny and for better or worse, you truly do not know what they may say on the air. Their super-power is the willingness to unflinchingly bare themselves and share their lives, good, bad and ugly. They're real and sometimes raw - at times to the point that it's uncomfortable but you just can't turn away. People relate.
7. “Local local local” has always been radio’s mantra. How do you keep your station visible and involved in the community? Have you been getting back out there yet?
We hope to get back out there soon. Ian Riley is chomping at the bit to start a new feature "Riley, up in your business". Highlighting local business and jumping in the trenches with them.
8. Have we heard The Song Of Summer 2021 yet? If so, what is it?
Pretty sure it starts with Oliva and ends with Rodrigo. “Good 4 U” will be right up there.
9. What were your favorite stations growing up as a kid? Jock(s)?
Seattle radio was so much fun in the 80s. Langan & West, Steve Slaton, Crow & Hovanes, if you grew up in the Seattle area, you would be talking to your friends at school about what happened that morning on the serial bits “Mr. Bruce’s Neighborhood and Leave it to Beaver.” I was a huge fan of Steve Randall at KNBQ - he was just so loose and fun, and uniquely his own. He ran tons of phones, mostly just jacking with the listeners - it was like listening to improv. If a new song came out that he liked, he might play it three times back-to-back-to-back. Steve and I became friends much later, and he told me that he wanted a stage to stand on and a riser for the board in the studio at KNBQ and convinced management to put it in. I may not have that exactly right, but I think he wanted to feel like he was behind a pulpit. Behind all of that was Gary Bryan, a PD that gave talent the room they needed to be stars and battle Seattle stations with much bigger budgets. They came with attitude, right down to the legal ID. They identified with a dual market recorded legal that said TACOMA, Seattle. It sounded like a taunt. The station had swagger.
10. Who were your mentors? Who would you say has influenced your career the most?
I would say it's an on-going mosaic of people. You should always be learning and even re-learning. I am a big fan of how Gary Bryan programmed and I was lucky enough to go back home to Seattle when I was 24 years old and work for him at KUBE. I used to monitor KSFM - Sacramento when Rick Gillette was programming in the 80's. I loved the overall package of what he did there at FM 1-0................2. Rick once said the key to programming is being consistent without being predictable. That's always stuck with me, and Gary Bryan was a programmer that gave you the freedom to be a little unpredictable. We had a whole rack of (at that time) carts that were just for sunny days. You could break format and throw in a 'sunshine' sweep and a song that wasn’t in the library.
I worked at KWOD/Sacramento for a brief time when it was Power Hits KWOD 106. That station just sounded HUGE. The mic processing made you feel like a star, the promotions sounded massive, imaging, talent, all done without a big budget. Tom Chase was a great example of a programmer making nickels look like manhole covers.
One of the most valuable pieces of knowledge came from Market Manager, Rich Hawkins, who encouraged me to think outside of radio paradigms. Just because we’ve always done it that way, doesn’t mean it’s the ONLY way or the best way.
Finally, I love the leadership style of Cat Thomas – He’s very much a coach and I got a lot out of his meetings at Cumulus, which always wrapped up with some great motivational quotes. One particular meeting, he seemed frustrated and blurted out, listen guys if you don’t think you’re the best jock on your team, then you suck. I laughed so hard, but the message got through. It’s hard to manage everything AND be your best on air, but it’s not an excuse.
Bonus Questions
With the Stockton Arena at your disposal and an unlimited budget, which 3-5 acts would you pull together for a KHOP welcome back concert?
Olivia Rodrigo, Dua Lipa, Post Malone. That should do the trick...I'll spend the rest on merch and a new tent
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