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10 Questions with ... Tim Rainey
February 5, 2008
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POSITION:PD/on-air personalitySTATION:WNOU-FM RadioNOW 100.9MARKET:IndianapolisOWNER:Radio On, Inc.HOMETOWN:Minden, NV (Cowpie Capital of the Sierras - 3rd year running!)
Please outline your radio career so far:
1996-99: KGVM/Gardnerville, NV (AC); weekends/board op (age 13).
1999-2000: KDOT/Reno (Active Rock); weekends.
2000-01: KWNZ/Reno (Rhythmic); weekends/imaging.
KLCA/Reno (Hot AC); weekends/imaging.
2001: KTCC/Colby, KS (Top 40) Program Director (Colby Community College).
2002: KNEV/Reno (Top 40) afternoons/imaging.
2002-05: KLUC/Las Vegas (Rhythm) weekends/promotions whore.
2005-06: KHTT/Tulsa (Top 40) APD/MD/nights/imaging.
Present: WNOU/Indianapolis (Top 40) APD/MD/nights then PD/afternoons.
2004: Bachelor of Arts; Communication Studies in Broadcast Journalism, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Tappa Tappa Kegga.
1) 2007 was pretty eventful for you... you moved up the dial. How's 100.9 FM treating you?
After all the changes we had in 2007, I'm surprised I'm not taking life advice from Britney Spears (I even shaved my head in 2007!). Long-time WNOU PD Chris Edge left for KLBJ-F/Austin. New PD Chris Pickett came in from KVUU/Colorado Springs, then we all got blown out, the station signs back on the air and I get rehired as PD. I will say that 2007 had more ups and downs than a roller coaster, but looking back at it all, I wouldn't change a thing.
2) How's the PD gig going?
What's great about this position is that I worked under a lot of guys who got me ready for the spot. Chris Edge, Chris Pickett, David Edgar, Tod Tucker, Cat Thomas, JB King ... all these guys saw that I was going to make it someday, so they kept teaching me -- and I kept listening. I just shut my mouth and took it all in. I've been in the chair since October, and nothing has surprised me yet. It is a little sad that I don't get to focus more on my show, but I realized that would be the case when I took over the spot. This is the dream I have had since I was 10 years old. After all those years of wishing and hoping, it's here and I love every minute of it.
3) What are the significant differences between the new Radio Now and the old Radio Now -- or should we call it Radio Then?
Minus the airstaff, absolutely nothing. The music is the same; same voice people, same clocks, same specialty shows.... I decided that whatever we were doing must have worked because if it was a failure, Radio One wouldn't have bought the intellectual property from Emmis and there would be no more "RadioNOW." Because we are now in the same building as our direct competitor, Top 40/Rhythmic WHHH, most people think we have to shift "more pop" to counter-balance them. Not even close. They are still my only competitor. I love those guys down the hall, but we will win.
4) How would you describe your first radio gig?
A pretend radio station I set up in my parent's spare bedroom in Minden, NV. I called it "KMAN" and I was Tim "the Raineyman" Rainey. Jeff France, who used to be on KNEV in Reno, was the big morning guy in town and his moniker was "The Franceman." So I kinda ripped that off. Sorry, Jeff. Check's in the mail.
I just sat in my room and listened to Reno radio every single day. KODS was the Oldies station that I was attached to, so I had my parents buy me every single Oldies Rock 'n' Roll compilation cassette known to man. Chuck Berry, Beach Boys, Martha and the Vandellas, Smokey and the Miracles ... that's all I knew.
I even went as far as cutting the light off my desk lamp and attaching a karaoke microphone to the arm so I could have a "boom mic." My parents weren't too happy about that.
5) What makes your station unique? How would you compare it to other stations you've worked at?
RadioNow 100.9 is a "non-radio" radio station. It is as well known to Indianapolis as Coke, the Colts or McDonald's. It's all about the brand. I used to walk into Chris Pickett's office and say, "What rules of radio can we break today?"
Starting the break with the calls? Gone. Throw away breaks for liners? Never. Pukey announcer radio "dee-jays"? Long gone.
Our midday girl McKinzie won our "Wanna Be A DJ" contest in 2006. Not one drop of radio experience in her and that was EXACTLY what we wanted. We can train anyone to read a liner or press buttons, but if the PERSONALITY is gone, there's no way to survive.
I'd rather spend a day training a newbie how to be a great radio personality then spend 15 minutes training a "dee-jay" who's been on the air forever. Times have changed. It's all about how real and how personable you can get -- not how 'awesome' it was to 'hit the post.'
Radio rule #1: HAVE FUN!
6) Could you give us a little insight into your on air staff?
Coming February 18th ... "Scotty Davis in the Morning!" You really can't talk about current Top 40 radio without mentioning the name Scotty Davis. The best of the best, and now he is a morning guy. Perfect.
McKinzie: What a great girl to make the day go by. She's real, she's fun and she's a smart-ass. Kinda like me. Maybe that's why I like her.
Rayne: Douchebag.
Austin: I think I was the first person to reach out to Austin after he got blown out from 95.5 The Beat in Atlanta last year. I had heard so many great things about the guy even before I reached out, I figured I'd ask. What's great is that Austin has the same vision for radio I do. Plus, he's a better night jock than me. Frankly, my whole airstaff is better than me. That's why I hired them.
7) What was your favorite station to listen to when you were a kid?
Ooh, toughy. As a product of the Silver State, I grew up listening to KODS "Oldies 104" out of Reno. When you're a kid, you just get starstruck on how big radio is. The jocks were great, funny and witty. Everything I wanted to be on the radio. Lee Warner, Joel Muller, Bob Garrison ... all legends to me.
KWNZ in Reno goes without saying. PD "Wild" Bill Shakespeare had that thing hummin.' Matt Million, Johnny B, Jeff and Jenny, Dangerboy... what an airstaff! "87,000 watts of hit music power," and Mitch Craig as the voice guy? I need to change my pants just thinking about it.
8) Looking back, which years hold the best musical memories for you and who were your favorite acts at that time?
Actually, if you go through my iPod, 90% of what's in there is late '90s rock. The Flys, New Radicals, The Verve, Better Than Ezra, Dave Matthews, Blues Traveler, Sister Hazel, Everclear, Fastball. I loved all that stuff in high school. A lot of these Alternative guys overthink their Rock stations. I'm 25 now. I'm sick of Nirvana, Metallica, Alice in Chains and STP. Find some of that other Rock stuff that was big that no one plays anymore that were hits. Forget the album cuts - radio-friendly stuff. Find me a Rock station that is my iPod, and I'll probably listen to that more than my own station.
9) What is it about our industry that keeps you wanting to do it for a living?
Knowing that what I say or do on the air can affect someone either positively or negatively. Obviously, you'd like to be more positive, but we have the power to evoke emotion. That's a lot of power to have. I've pretty much said it all to get people up or bring them down. Immigration issues among young adults, single mothers and parenthood, September 11th, deadbeat dads ... these are real things people think about. You can't walk into the studio every day pretending the world is happy. It's not. Talk about it on the air, and give people the forum. Let young adults talk about who they are supporting for President. Hearing peeps talk about issues might encourage others to register. You can only ramp up intros in your career for so long.
10) What would you like to do to save radio from its "dying-industry" image?
I get why the big radio companies cut back on their jocks from being personalities, but now they are giving their audience more and more of a reason to turn on their iPods. Without personality or creativity, we are an iPod. And with their iPods, they pick the songs instead of hearing the same songs. Removing those elements means you're giving in. I tell my jocks: Give yourself a "reasonable" amount of time for a bit or break. That doesn't mean three minutes, but it means saying what you need to say without rambling. Plus, it takes a great leader to teach your talent what the difference is between compelling and boring. Is it the jocks who need to be punished because of their content, or is it the coach who isn't properly training their jocks on how to deliver content?
You never really know if someone cares about you or your station until it's gone. Think about your station this way: If your station was to sign off the air today, never to be heard ever again, would your listeners cry?
On October 8th, 2007 ... mine did. That was when RadioNOW signed off 93.1. They cried because their favorite radio station was gone. They might not get a diary or call in to say that, but they are there; because of the music, the personalities, the promotions, the content, and most importantly, the fun.
Radio is meant to be fun. Never forget that.
Bonus Questions
What's the best sweeper/liner you've ever heard?
HA! Props to Angela Hatem at Emmis for this one: "We play All the Hits ... because the hits aren't going to play themselves."
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