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10 Questions with ... Tommy Chuck
April 18, 2006
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NAME:Tommy ChuckTITLE:Program DirectorSTATION:WXXLMARKET:Orlando, FLOWNER:Clear Channel Radio
Please outline your radio career so far:
Part-Time WXIS Johnson City, TN
APD/Afternoons WTXM Knoxville, TN
PD/Afternoons WVSR Charleston, WV
PD/Afternoons WKXJ Chattanooga, TN
PD/Afternoons WQEN Birmingham, AL
PD WXXL Orlando, FL1 Besides the abundance of hats with little mouse ears attached, please describe the differences between Birmingham and Orlando.
There is definitely more competition for the entertainment dollar in Orlando than there was in Birmingham. More concerts, more parties, more celebs, etc. The weather was good in Birmingham, but Florida is certainly better! Sunshine and 90 almost every day!
2 What do you miss most since leaving Birmingham?
WQEN has a great team and I miss all of them very much. My wife and I were also very settled into the community and I miss all of our friends we made outside of work.
3 How would you describe the sound of XL106?
Real. Upbeat. Fun. And, getting better every day!
4 How would you describe your air staff?
After only four weeks, I'm still getting to know them. So far, I'm very impressed! All of them are hard working and care a lot about the radio station and its listeners. I have a feeling they are going to make me look very good.
5 Tourism plays a huge part in the Orlando economy. How does it come into play in terms of music programming or on-air promotions?
We have to remember that tourists don't get Arbitron diaries. However, the tourist events do create a major buzz around town and we involve ourselves in the ones that make sense for the locals. Every couple of weeks, we find ourselves doing a show live from one of the studios at a theme park where they have a major event going on. Promotionally, there is so much going on that we never lack for ticket giveaways!
6 What is your favorite part of the job?
There are so many things about radio that I love. Executing a great topical promotion, crafting a music log, pouring through a research project, working with talent, these are all really fun. I always say, it sure beats real work.
7 What was your favorite station to listen to when you were a kid?
Z100 New York City!
8 How can we use the ever-increasing digital technologies to give radio listeners their entertainment fix?
We've got to embrace them and use them to build our brand. We need to concentrate on making the content we put on them as interactive and instantaneous as possible. Just like we are footing the bill for the technology itself, we should foot the bill for putting compelling content on them.
9 What fact about Tommy Chuck would it surprise most people to know?
I ride a Harley to work on Fridays.
10 What advice you would give people new to the business?
Network with people smarter than you and lose the ego. Be smart enough to know that you don't know everything.
Bonus Questions
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
Until I got bitten by the radio bug, I always thought I would be a high school history teacher and head basketball coach.
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