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10 Questions with ... David Moore
November 25, 2013
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
In 1983, I started as an intern for Fred Jacobs at WRIF in Detroit, and while still in college worked on the air at a couple of other stations in Detroit and Toledo. My first full-time job was at what is generally considered to be the first Classic Rock station, WMMQ/Lansing. My first real PD job was at KBFX in Anchorage, where with the help of Rick Rydell, Camille Conte, Mike Stern and Bill Jacobs, we were able to garner record ratings. Starting in 1996 I programmed heritage rock station WFYV/Jacksonville for nearly 10 years, at that time it was the flagship of the Lex and Terry Show. Bill Pasha recruited me for the OM job here in Madison in 2006 and I have been here ever since. I have been the day-to-day PD for Classic Hits WOLX, and Hot AC WMHX, since day one. I added programming duties for WMMM this past August.
We have been able to build a tremendous team here on all three stations. Jonathan and Kitty in the Morning on WMMM were just voted Madison's favorite morning show by the readers of Madison Magazine, they have been on WMMM for nearly 15 years. We were lucky enough to snag Dan Kennedy as Production Dir. and afternoon host on WMMM, Gabby Parsons is one of America's great AAA MDs and we just hired Stevi (aka Sloan Rox) from 93X in Minneapolis to handle middays. I get a lot of support from our Market Manager, Michael Keck, and with guidance from Pat Paxton, Michael Doyle and Weezie Kramer, I could not ask for a better situation. 2014 should be a great year for Entercom/Madison.
1. How did you become interested in radio?
Detroit is all about cars and music, therefore radio is an important part of the culture. Between listening to Ernie Harwell doing play-by-play for the Tigers, the legendary CKLW, and all the great rock and pop stations that followed, I could not get enough of it. The day after I graduated from high school I drove around to various radio stations filling out job applications. I got into radio because I loved listening, but the competitive nature of it all hooked me on doing it for a living. I love that you get regular report cards with tangible numbers. I never seriously thought about doing anything else.
2. Triple M has been through a lot of iterations, how would you describe the music mix on the current station?
It is the right library material with a strong dose of current music. I am pretty happy with the music that has been released in the last year to 18 months for Triple M.
3. How do you decide the new music to add to the station?
It helps to have someone like Gabby Parsons on the team. We look at what is happening nationally, locally, what concerts are selling, and then make a judgment call.
4. What new bands are you most excited about?
Jake Bugg has the potential to be huge, so does Frank Turner. I like Bastille, Unlikely Candidates, Saints of Valory, Dawes, Haim and Broken Bells.
5. What are some of the key benchmark promotions the station owns in the market?
Our big annual promotion is Project M, a reality-show styled artist competition.
6. What is your biggest challenge at the station?
It's always prioritizing and time management.
7. As kind of the ambassador for Triple A within Entercom, do find a corporate interest in taking the format to other stations?
I cannot speak for Entercom outside of Madison, but there are lots of smart programmers and strategists in this company, and if it made sense I see no reason why it could not happen.
8. What do you view as the most important issue facing radio today?
We need to stop the pity party and focus on the incredible assets we have. Having said that, the connected car means that we have to consistently be entertaining and consumer-focused.
9. What is your typical day like?
In addition to hosting middays on Mix, my wife Heather works on the WOLX morning show, so I am in charge of making sure our 11-year-old Sam gets to school on time. Then I get to the station and schedule a lot of music, write a lot of imaging production, meet with a lot of people way more talented than me, host afternoons on WOLX, voice-track nights on Mix, eat all of Ed Schulz's M & Ms, and try my best to make sure my radio stations are consistently entertaining. I wake up every morning thinking about how great it is to be able to do this for a living.
10. If you wanted to completely change careers today, what would you do?
I would be a haberdasher.
Bonus Questions
Last Non-Industry Job:
I worked at Sam's Jams in fashionable Ferndale, MI. It was a gigantic record store and I spent all my paychecks on music. It was not so good financially, but I was able to procure Van Morrison's entire catalog in nearly new condition on vinyl for about $20.
First record ever puurchased:
I think it was Three Dog Night, Naturally. Wow, that is pretty lame.
First concert:
Kiss at Cobo Hall in 1976.
Favorite band of all-time:
I can narrow it down to five in no particular order: Led Zeppelin, the Ramones, the Rolling Stones, the Drive-By Truckers and the Who. Honorable mention goes to the Hold Steady, the Replacements, the J. Geils Band, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Earth, Wind and Fire, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and Booker T and the MGs. I really need to edit and focus here.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time away from work?
Other than spend time with my family, I read a lot of non-fiction, listen to a ton of music, watch any show about cars, and obsess about what is on the radio.
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