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10 Questions with ... Kevin Mays
October 6, 2015
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
I disavow any knowledge of the country station I worked at in high school, was the MD at my college station at VA Commonwealth U WVCW, but really started my career by spinning Lyle Lovett and Bonnie Raitt records at AAA WVGO/Richmond. But always tried to sneak in alt bands that I loved like Echo & The Bunnymen, NIN, and Rancid. My next stop was WFNX in Boston in 1996, then I segued to The Buzz in 2004 and I've been here ever since.
1. You've spent more than a dozen years at The Buzz. What do you love most about your job?
It's still the music after all these years. I love discovering new bands and emerging sounds and I really get excited to share them with our Buzz listeners. The vibe here is great too, working every day with OM/PD Matt Grasso, morning guy Pete Powers, and our newest little baby Buzz DJ Devon is a blast. Those guys are all very talented, hilarious and a little bit dangerous it's helped make the years fly by...
2. What is it like working for Hall Communications?
It's been great. Dan Dubonnet our market VP/GM gives us a lot of room to do our thing on The Buzz and our ratings since 2004 have been consistently great so he really doesn't mess with us.
3. How would you describe The Buzz and what makes the station unique?
We aim to make The Buzz jump out of the speakers every day, there are too many other options to be the background station, so the music, jocks, promotions, and the imaging all get run through the Buzz filter which is fun loving, offbeat, authentic, don't take yourself too seriously and always let the listeners in on the joke.
4. How do you stay connected with your audience?
It's in Devon's job description to date them all...he's about 1/4 the way through them. The Buzz is a mirror of our listeners, we have to stay in tune with what they want and we always ask them what they think about what's up on the station via the socials and out on the streets
5. Tell us about your Fresh Meat New Music Discovery each day.
Fresh Meat is at 3:45 every day or as close as I can get. That's the launching pad for all of our new songs and a great way to get a feel for how a song is going to sound on The Buzz.
6. How would you describe yourself as a music director?
Jeez, I dunno...passionate and opinionated but fair?
7. What are music meetings like at The Buzz?
It can be a tough room...we look for songs that appeal to a large audience and fit The Buzz brand. We use a good mix of data and gut and it usually works out pretty well.
8. What do you like best about living in Burlington?
For me, the lifestyle up here is unmatched, fresh mountain air, huge lake, awesome restaurants, craft beer and ciders, it is easy to get outside and be active all year long plus we are about 90 minutes from Montreal which is truly world class city.
9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _________?
My IPad, definitely the IPad, my wife says it is my third child.
10. What would surprise people most about you?
I am the reigning champion in our sister classic rock station WIZN's cornhole tournament and I have a trophy to prove it.
Bonus Questions
What are your hobbies?
Cooking/grilling, snowboarding and fantasy football.
What do you enjoying doing away for work with your family?
My wife and two little girls are a blast to hang out with; we have a great time together. The girls are 3 and 4 years old so every day is unpredictable. We could be going to milk a cow at a farm, having a dance party or they could be giving me a tutorial on all the "My Little Ponies" you never know.
First record ever purchased?
The Cars "Panorama" 8 track was the first album I spent my money on.
First concert?
Duran Duran at Hampton Coliseum
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