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10 Questions with ... Jason Ulanet
January 15, 2008
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NAME:Jason UlanetTITLE:APD/MD/middaysSTATION:KRBZMARKET:Kansas CityCOMPANY:EntercomBORN:Long Branch, NJRAISED:Still being raised
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Parttime/swing at WHTG Monmouth-Ocean, NJ in '98-99; News anchor/reporter for WKXW (NJ 101.5) in '99; APD/MD for WJSE/Atlantic City, NJ 2000-2003. I came to KRBZ in late '03.
LAST NON-INDUSTRY JOB:
Writing papers for frat boys (and girls) in college. Their B minuses became my Guinness's.
FIRST RECORD EVER PURCHASED:
The Police - Synchronicity
FIRST CONCERT:
I tagged along with my big sister and her friends to see Howard Jones at Madison Square Garden in '87. A few months later I saw Rush there. Depending on your requirements for a concert, one of them is the first.
FAVORITE BAND OF ALL-TIME:
Radiohead.
1. What was your favorite station to listen to when you were a kid?
WFAN in NYC. The original all-sports station. A few of their personalities (NOT Imus) had a very big influence on me, and really captured my imagination and got me passionate about the medium. I almost never got that connection from any other personalities, because those personalities were too defined by their formats. So I'd know the wacky good-natured Top 40 morning team, I'd know the angry political talk host, and the whiskey-soaked AOR badass, but I felt like I knew their air talent templates better than I knew THEM. WFAN was different for me.
2. What's one thing that would surprise many people to learn about you?
That I'm an expert marksman. Many other untrue things would also come off as surprising.
3. What part of your job do you like best? Least?
Best: Connecting with listeners, collaborating with them, communicating with them, getting excited about music with them. Still very gratifying.
Least: I suppose we all get used to it, especially when we have a good book. But every once in awhile I really think on the diary system, and I feel ill. And PPM's at least a few years away here. 'Nuff said. Plus, a significant chunk of our audience does not have a landline. For all intents and purposes, they therefore don't exist in Arbitron's eyes.
4. How would you describe the music and imaging on The Buzz?
With our currents we lean away from most Active-based material and towards what some might call the "indie" sound. I call it Alternative. We've had a lot of records from Interpol, Muse, Arctic Monkeys, Spoon et al work very well for us, while virtually every release from The White Stripes has been a smash here. We balance it out with plenty of Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Green Day, Nirvana, Tool and Rage. Our imaging is aggressive but not aggro, smartass but not smarmy, and pushes the envelope without being shawking.
5. What would an outsider find most surprising about the Kansas City radio market?
That depends on where the outsider comes from, and what their conceptions of Kansas City are. A lot of people I know back in Jersey were very surprised to learn that much of the Kansas City radio market is actually in Missouri, in addition to Kansas! Some of these same people thought I was lying when I told them Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen aren't big-testing library artists for Classic Rock in KC, but Billy Squier and REO Speedwagon are.
6. What makes The Buzz unique?
The way we've embraced so many of the non-Active artists makes us a bit of an anomaly in the region. Our airstaff is also routinely outspoken on any number of things that are relevant to our audience, and that edgy openness has been a big part of our brand.
7. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _________?
Coffee.
8. Best concert you saw in '07 and what made it so great?
Arcade Fire. One of a handful of shows I've been to in my life where the energy was so intense I thought the earth might split open. They play with more urgency, joy and intent than just about everyone I've seen the last few years. Like a less preachy, less hammy U2.
9. What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?
If communicated in a sincere, down-to-earth and compelling way, enthusiasm and passion (and sometimes obsession) for the music (still) matters.
10. What career path would you be following had it not been for this industry?
Either psychology or music.
Bonus Questions
What are your hobbies?
First and foremost, playing in my band The Belated (www.myspace.com/thebelated). I also make time to be a baseball geek, a would-be writer, a sci-fi dork, and a big fan of dogs.
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