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10 Questions with ... Elvis Duran
August 12, 2008
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NAME:Elvis DuranPOSITION:Morning HostWEBSITE:www.ElvisDuran.com
Please outline your radio career so far:
Elvis Duran's high school radio career began in various tiny, suburban Dallas radio stations with no listeners. Those tapes have been destroyed. Then, somehow, after years of bouncing between KITY/San Antonio, KRBE/Houston and WZGC/Atlanta, he ended up in a Philadelphia bar with Mark Driscoll, mapping out the strategy for "The New Q-102/WIOQ" on a cocktail napkin. The launch proved to be a major success with Duran being fired after a year of what he calls "a year of booze, parties and Tone Loc."
Luckily, the only person interested in hiring Elvis was Steve Kingston at WHTZ (Z100)/New York. This was 1989. (Elvis had been contacted by Z's Kingston and Scott Shannon in the past, then again later by Shannon and Randy Kabrich at Pirate Radio/L.A., but chose to stay in Philly, prompting a "you don't know who you're messing with ... you'll never amount to anything in this business" from Kabrich.) At Z100, Elvis became a "flame throwin'" high-energy afternoon-drive Z-Jay, screaming up the intros while being supported by Z100's famously loud and booming audio processing (rumor has it Steve Kingston kicked the studio door off its hinges when Elvis, rather than reading the liner card as "The music sounds best on Z100," belted out "The music sounds distorted on Z100!").
Duran fell in love with New York and Z100, leaving only for a year to "find himself" in Austin and New Orleans. He "found himself" unemployed and saved, again, by Steve Kingston at Z100, where he has been ever since. Duran moved to the morning show in 1996 under the direction of Tom Poleman. Since then, Z100 has returned to the top of the ratings mountain, with Duran's morning show hitting #1's 18-34, 25-54, etc.
Syndication began with suburban station Max 106.3, then moved on to Y100/Miami and now, back to the station that fired Elvis 20 years ago, Q102/Philadelphia. With the formation of The Elvis Duran Group, Elvis, with partners David Katz and Tom Poleman, is planning a future of more stations and additional multi-platform content delivery projects. Duran still makes notes on cocktail napkins.
1) You've come a long way from the "Incredible Edible Elvis Duran" to a partner in the Elvis Duran Group. Give us an overview of the organization and its goals.
"Elvis Duran Group," as a title, is a little misleading. We wanted to call it "A bunch of friends with ideas and connections," but it looked funny with a ".com" at the end. Group partner and long-time agent David Katz and I teamed up with Clear Channel VP/Programming Tom Poleman to build a syndication alliance with radio stations, in and out of Clear Channel. From there we want to explore and execute new ways to market to our audience through event production, vacations, etc. We're ready to offer our listeners new ways to interact with us, our content and our advertising partners.
2) Are there any TV or new media initiatives in the plans that you can talk about?
Obviously, broadband and mobile delivery is where it's at. We're already converting our morning show cume into loyal web consumers. ELVISDURAN.COM is pulling in massive numbers of unique visitors because our listeners want more than what the radio show can give them. The radio/Internet relationship is a beautiful thing! Television is also in the cards (thanks to David's past and present TV dealings). Not only have we been contacted by the networks and production companies interested in merging with our morning show, we've also met with others about producing and funding their projects. Not enough hours in the day!
3) The supporting cast of your show outnumbers the population of some small towns ... and has for a long time. In this age of downsizing, how have you been able to keep such a large "posse" in place?
We do have a huge family, don't we? John Bell, Danielle Monaro, Carolina Bermudez, Greg T., Froggy, Skeery Jones, Dave Brody, TJ, Garrett, Lauren, Scotty ... they all do their jobs so well the show wouldn't work without each and every one of them. So, everyone stays!
4) What changes have you made to make the show more syndication-friendly?
Not many. Even when we were exclusively on Z100, our show was always very topical and people-focused. Still is.
5) Elvis Duran, Kidd Kraddick, Ryan Seacrest, Big Boy ... some folks would argue that syndicated talent is hurting radio's localism, costing local jocks their jobs, and contributing to the downfall of the biz. Your response?
Bottom line: Listeners want to be entertained. Just because you're broadcasting to the locals doesn't make you entertaining. As far as being local, it's up to the PDs to make sure their stations are plugged in locally. It's our job to be fun and motivating. I don't buy into the "downfall of the biz" accusations. People use radio differently than in the past. It's because of these changes that radio is still alive and relevant. The radio model of 10 years ago would not survive today.
6) What's your prep routine? Any pre-show habits that you can share?
In the door at 4:15-ish, read a few papers, a dozen websites and into the control room. Not very exciting.
7) Diego has been a fixture of Q102 mornings for many years, through multiple hosts. How to you plan to utilize his skillz?
Diego was my intern at Q102 20 years ago (before they fired me) and HE'S STILL THERE! He's Q102's only constant and the market loves him. We share some local breaks with Diego every morning. He serves as the Q102 local host and, as always, will continue to be a huge asset on the streets. I also plan on weaving him into the show from time to time. He's a super-sweet guy. It's no wonder he's loved by all.
8) What led you to a career in radio in the first place?
As a kid, growing up in Dallas, I was attracted to radio's "theater of the mind" aspect. Thank God we couldn't see the DJs. They were all ugly and nasty looking. But I was intrigued with their masterful way of painting pictures with words. Plus, you can be the host of the party, play fun music, give away prizes ... what a way to make friends and be Mr. Popular! I'm convinced we're doing this for that reason alone: acceptance.
9) Who would be a "dream guest" to have on your show?
Today? Heath Ledger.
10) Despite your success in mornings, some of us still miss you in afternoons. Ever have the urge to blow the 5 o'clock whistle?
I do miss sleeping late, staying up late ... ahhh, the afternoon shift.
Bonus Questions
For someone vacationing in your market, what one thing would you say they "must see?"
In New York: anything BUT Times Square and Midtown.
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