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10 Questions with ... Jay Lashley
November 30, 2021
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
I started at 106.9 K-Hits in 2013 doing overnight weekend board watching. I then went on to voice overnights on the weekdays. I tried to get the night show position in Tulsa, but they decided they needed someone with more experience. The PD at K-Hits made a call and got me an interview in Springfield. I got that gig and started nights in 2014. In 2016 I moved to afternoons and also started hosting the Old School Lunch Hour. And finally, I became Program Director in 2018 and have been loving it since!
1. How would you describe your first radio gig?
It was an overnight gig where I had my first on-air shift from 11p – 5a. I restacked stop sets and added fill songs when needed. I loved it immediately! The first week of working there, Ed Sheeran came by the station to play a little acoustic show in the building and he complimented my sneakers. In my mind at that moment I had made it.
2. What led you to a career in radio?
Top 40 music has been a passion my whole life. As a kid I would buy albums and try and pick the hit songs. I LOVE Top 40 and always have. I heard there was a part time job available at my favorite station in Tulsa K-Hits (KHTT). I called up the one person I knew in the radio business and she explained I would need an aircheck. I then made one in my studio, sent it in at 10a and was hired by noon.
3. How does the Fotsch & Friends morning show set the table for the rest of your broadcast day?
Fotsch is such an integral part of Power 96.5 and the Friends concept has been great! We have a fantastic everyday co-host named Chelsea. This allows us to have several characters that have been extensively branded switch in and out as ‘friends.’ We can even use the other jocks as ‘friends’ which is just a win-win as a station!
4. You’re still on the air every day, hosting afternoons. What is it that you love the most about be able to crack the mic?
I love standing in a room alone and saying something I think is funny or interesting and getting no feedback in the moment. It forces you to have confidence and really trust your instincts. It was a thrill, it is a thrill and it will always be a thrill.
5. Who would be a “dream guest” that you’d love to have plug in across from you in the studio?
John Mayer. He’s has so much to say and is so funny that I’d just have to turn on the mics and let him talk. It would be such an easy day of work
6. “Local local local” has always been radio’s mantra. How do you keep your station visible and involved in the community? How’s that all going as we try and return to ‘normal?’
We have a factor that is great for us. All of our jocks have been a part of this community for many years. I’ve been here 7 years and that’s the least of all of us! We are out and about in our city. Fotsch is the on camera host of the Springfield Cardinals, and I DJ multiple nights a month in the 417 area code. In Springfield, things have really come back to life within the last 3 or 4 months.
7. What is the most challenging part of the job these days?
Finding the razor thin line between offensive and edgy. On morning shows specifically I think this has always been a battle, but it feels now more than ever. With social media people have much more of an outlet to share their opinions. While we can’t listen to just one person, one person’s opinion can have a great impact on a station
8. What advice would you give people new to the business?
If you really want to be in radio, get a part time job doing anything in the building. Then just keep your head down and work hard and you will get an opportunity. Things change quickly
9. What was your favorite station to listen to when you were a kid?
KJYO (KJ103)/Oklahoma City…When I was younger I would listen all day for my favorite songs then record them onto cassettes. The beginning would usually be missing as I had to start the recorder. I hope no one sues me for the confessed thievery.
10. Who were your mentors? Who would you say has influenced your career the most?
Jet Black from K-Hits in Tulsa was the first to hire me and showed me my first radio fundamentals.
Natalie Randall taught me about being on air and gave me my name, The Ginge, which I hated at the beginning and then grew to love!
Bill Tanner. He taught me so much about selecting music and how to look at a station as whole and to not just focus in on one part, and he gave me so much confidence that I was the right man for this job. He will be missed very much.Bonus Questions
If you had an unlimited budget, which 3-5 acts would you pull together for a station holiday show?
Post Malone, Justin Bieber, Lil Nas X, The Weeknd, and Doja Cat
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