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10 Questions with ... Jericho
November 11, 2008
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NAME:JerichoTITLE:MD/Promotions Director/AfternoonsSTATION:WXEGMARKET:DaytonCOMPANY:Clear ChannelBORN:Fort Wayne, INRAISED:Fort Wayne, IN
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
'98-'05 - various jobs at WEJE-WXTW/Fort Wayne including, weekends, nights, middays, AMD, APD, Promotions, Webmaster, etc.
LAST NON-INDUSTRY JOB:
Sales, Whatzup Newspaper, Columbia City, IN.
FIRST RECORD EVER PURCHASED:
They Might Be Giants - Flood (the first one I ever spent my own money on).
FIRST CONCERT:
They Might Be Giants - Allen County War Memorial Coliseum 10/24/96.
FAVORITE BAND OF ALL-TIME:
I can never pick just one... The Pixies, Soul Coughing or Green Day (at least this week those are my favorites).
1. What was your favorite station to listen to when you were a kid?
WDJB (B106) in Fort Wayne. We didn't have an Alternative station in Fort Wayne until I was in high school, but the station was a Top 40 that was imaged like an Alternative station. It was so much fun to listen to. There was always so many things going on at the station and it had such connectiveness about it. I can remember going to school and having whatever happened on the station the night before be a staple of conversation for most of the day.
2. What are you most passionate about?
Anyone who talks to me for more than five minutes would say sports. I'm a season ticket holder for the Dayton Bombers (ECHL Hockey) and the Columbus Crew (Major League Soccer). Tony Tilford, our OM, asked me earlier this week if I own any shirts that aren't jerseys. I'd like to think I bring that same passion in to what I do at the station as well. I'm constantly thinking about things that could be done better and how I can improve both on the air and in the office.
3. What were the highlights of the Summer '08 Book for WXEG and what do you feel led to the station's ratings increase?
We were #2 Persons 18-34 with solid growth in all dayparts. The AM-X beat Bob and Tom in Persons 18-34. Overall it was a very good book for us.
Most of the credit needs to go to Kramer on this one. He's got a great programming strategy and executes it well. Our morning show has been getting even stronger and sounds better than ever. We've also streamlined our promotions a bit lately and made sure that everything we do on the air matters to our listener, and I think that's important.
4. What would an outsider find most surprising about the Dayton radio market?
It's fiercely loyal. The one thing that surprised me so much when I came here is just how much a part of our listener's lives this station is.
5. How would you describe the music and imaging on The X?
We've toned down the amount of imaging we do lately. There are more straight segs instead of smacking our listeners over the head with our name every single song. The imaging we do use is kept fresh. Malcom, our voice guy, produces some great imaging for us and helps us sound great. As far as the music, we're kind of a heavier leaning alternative. Dayton likes to rock and we like to help them with that.
6. What has been the biggest change on The X in the past year?
Our new morning show would be one thing. Vinnie switching from nights to mornings has changed some of the dynamic of the station. I think he and Dent are sounding great in the mornings and are continuing to build audience there.
7. What features and specialty shows do you have on The X?
We do quite a few show. X365 is every weeknight, the premise is nothing is older than 365 days and it runs from 11-Mid. That is followed by X Albums You Should Own which is our album feature. We play a full album from one of our artists from Midnight-1am every weekday. On the weekends we run Skratch and Sniff, a syndicated mashup show, Out of Order, the Spin Cycle (our new music testing show), and I host the Local X.
8. Of all the skills you have gained through the years, is there an area you'd like to improve?
Honestly I'd like to improve everywhere. I think you can always improve in any aspect whether it's in your career or personal life. If I had to pick one area I'd say organization. I'm not nearly as sloppy as I was when I started at WEJE 10 years ago, but I still could stand to pick up a bit more than I do now.
9. What's the best concert you've been to so far this year and why?
Usually I would answer X-Fest to this, no questions asked. There's nothing like having a party and 25,000 listeners showing up. Unfortunately this year's X-Fest was cut very short due to the remnants of hurricane Ike. (Pictures of the damage are on our website at wxeg.com). My favorite concert that didn't involve a natural disaster this year was Rush. I'd never had a chance to see them and always wanted to and I ended up getting a couple of prime tickets to their show in Cincinnati and had an absolute blast.
10. Favorite artist you have ever met?
That would have to be the Sick Puppies. They are three very cool people and have done some pretty awesome things for our station. Total class, 100% and their music is awesome too.
Bonus Questions
When you are not at a hockey game, what is your specialty dish that you love cooking?
My parents got me a Webber grill for my birthday this year and it's probably the best birthday present I've gotten in years. Every Sunday for the last few months I've been cooking ribs. I have a special dry rub that I make and put on them and then I slow cook them on indirect heat for hours. Add some grilled veggies and a salad and nobody leaves my house hungry after NFL games. The problem is, my ribs are getting so popular that I might need to buy a second grill to accommodate everyone who comes over to watch football. I'm going to try cooking a turkey (as part of a full Thanksgiving dinner,) for the first time next month, I'll report back.
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