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10 Questions with ... Don Jantzen
September 16, 2008
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NAME:Don JantzenTITLE:PDSTATION:KTBZMARKET:HoustonCOMPANY:Clear ChannelBORN:February 25thRAISED:Michigan
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
KSCB/Liberal, KS '91-'92 (My AQH on my show now is twice as big as this town's population); KWKR/Garden City, KS '92-'96; KILO/ Colorado Springs '96-'2000; 2000-'04 KQRC/Kansas City; and KTBZ/Houston '04- present.
LAST NON-INDUSTRY JOB:
I stocked shelves and ate a lot of ice cream and cheese (not together) in the dairy cooler of a grocery store.
FIRST RECORD EVER PURCHASED:
KISS - Alive II
FIRST CONCERT:
Conway Twitty. The first one I paid to go to... KISS on the Animalize tour.
FAVORITE BAND OF ALL-TIME:
Metallica.
1. How did you become interested in radio?
A guy named Bob Henning worked for my dad in the grocery business. He got a part time job at WRBR in South Bend, Indiana. He invited us all down there. I was 7 or 8 at the time... from then on that's all I wanted to do.
2. What was your favorite station to listen to when you were a kid?
WAOR/ Niles-South Bend.
3. What has been your biggest challenge as PD?
Trying to find the time to get everything done and organized. I'm considering Adderall. Seriously, I am.
4. What part of your job do you like best? Least?
I think I like seeing an idea going from bouncing around as a concept, to execution, then to success.
The least: I'm not gonna lie... sales people.
5. What are the early results on the PPM for The Buzz?
For us, the PPM has been very good. We're a few years into it, so we're a little ahead of the curve. I still don't think it's totally accurate, but it comes with a smaller dart board than the diary.
6. What would an outsider find most surprising about the Houston market?
That this is an actual city with buildings and everything. It's great living here. Not everyone has a dinner plate-sized belt buckle and a gun rack. I don't mind the heat... I've got Palm trees in my back yard. The nightlife (when I actually get to enjoy it) is great.
7. What makes The Buzz unique?
We are a Houston station. I don't think the station would work well outside of this market and it makes me proud to say that. We don't care about trends, or other markets, just about what our audience wants. Here's a secret. Find out what they want and give them lots of it... and then give them some more. You might not be the coolest kid in class, but when you're station is winning who cares?
8. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _________?
Coffee. I get so stupid about coffee, I look at different beans just the same way I geek out about wine.
9. What's one thing that would surprise many people to learn about you?
I think when people sit and look through the collection of music I actually listen to, they would be surprised at how wide the spectrum of music actually is. If its music that moves me, I don't care what genre it comes from.
10. What career path would you be following had it not been for this industry?
To be honest with you, I've thought about this... and I haven't a clue. I'm pretty sure whatever it was would suck on a daily basis. The only thing that's good about working at a job you hate is it's easy to leave the B.S. at the door when you leave. I, on the other hand, have been doing something I love for 17 years so this job is always on the brain.
Bonus Questions
What are your hobbies?
I've recently discovered I love camping. I don't mean I like it, I LOVE IT. It's one of the few times I actually get to unplug and relax. No computers, no phone (ok, being a PD, I do check messages twice a day), just camping. In a tent, pop ups and RV's are for pu**ies!
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