-
10 Questions with ... A.D.
November 1, 2016
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Punk Rock kid in a band that made records and toured the world. When that was over, I wound up in radio. I started doing weekends at 94.5 The Buzz in Houston and on Sirius XM's Octane. Then moved to nights, then afternoons and mornings on Sirius XM's Alt Nation. Now afternoons on KIOZ in San Diego (where I'm also the MD) and on KTBZ. I've been doing talk radio for the past 3-4 years, and I just started hosting PM drive on the iHeartMedia custom 90's classic rock station. Have done a few stints as a writer for publications like MODERN LUXURY and MAXIM.
1. Your first radio gig was at The Buzz. What year did you start working at The Buzz and what stands out the most?
It was 2005. I LOVED radio, and I was AMAZED that I got hired. I think what stood out the most is that I'd always pictured radio stations as being made up of goofy loveable selections of oddball characters... and it was EXACTLY how I'd pictured it. Vince RIchards and Don Jantzen at The Buzz hired me. They were awesome about giving me an invaluable combination of fundamentals and the freedom to develop them. I am forever in their debt. Now what stands out the most to me now at The Buzz is that EVERYONE there... from our PD Elliot to our overnight guy Jeremy and EVERYONE in between... is REALLY in it to win it. We get after it...and it shows.
2. What do you love most about being an on-air?
For me, the best part of radio is being part of a community. All I ever wanted to do with radio was to keep people company when they need it. I try to brighten a listener's day with music and conversation. When you get a sense that you're doing that successfully, it feels like you're leaving the world a lil better than you find it....and that's the best.
3. What is the most challenging part of your job?
Artist separation lol. Actually it's all aspects of music scheduling. I'm completely obsessive compulsive, and that makes me pretty meticulous with my logs. It's a bit of a grind, but the reward of driving down the road listening to your station kick ass (and the ratings that follow) make it worth it! My boss at KIOZ, Shauna Moran taught me how to program. I learned from the best, and I keep her fundamentals in mind every day. She loves my OCD.
4. How would you describe your on-air style?
When I was making my first ever air check to try and land my first ever job, my friend, Will Pendarvis (who was on at KRock in New York City at the time) told me that it should feel like I'm having a one on one conversation with one of my best friends... I try to do that every day. I like to share some laughs, some conversation, and some info about the artists and songs we love.
5. What are the benchmarks of your show?
These days, I'd say the benchmarks are positivity and in depth information about music. I try to be as positive as possible on the air. While a certain amount of sarcasm and snark are part of my genetic make-up, I'm careful to not step on anyone's beliefs or favorite music, etc. I'm kind of a wise ass by nature, but people these days are ground down to a nub from working the 8 jobs it seems to take to get by in 2016. This digital age where we are all supposed to be so connected through technology has wound up making a lot of people feel alone and voiceless. People are divided and defensive because of the political climate. For those reasons, if people are listening to me on the way home, I want them to know they're listening to someone who's on their side.
Another element of the digital era is that no one sits there reading liner notes from the album they're listening to anymore. I'm a TOTAL music nerd, so I love sharing as much information as I can about the artists and songs that we play. Listeners seem to love it as well.
6. What is your show prep routine?
The tools I use the most are google and twitter. I created google alerts for a bunch of artists that we play, and I'm constantly checking out artist twitter feeds to see what they have to say... or what they've just eaten for lunch. "Before 5 o'clock you'll have a chance to win A Day to Remember tickets plus you and I are going to listen to an artist that just ate a plate of kumquats!" Silly I know... but it's interesting and it works.
7. What is it like working for iHeartMedia?
Well, I think the thing that really stands out and separates us from other folks in radio is the digital side of things. Digital is a huge priority for the company. iHeartRadio has grown REALLY rapidly in the last few years. That's really cool. It's forced us to grow and be creative. Because of that, I have an entirely different and new set of skills that I didn't have a few years back. I had no idea what "content creation", "driving traffic" or "unique views" were when I started in radio. Now I'm pretty formidable in that space... which is a great thing in 2016 and beyond. It's been very rewarding being part of a forward thinking company. It's allowed me to be part of writing the best practices for broadcasting in the digital era... and that's a good feeling.
8. What is a typical workday like for you?
Long. lol I don't think that's uncommon though. When I talk to other radio folks ...especially those of us that are both programming and on-air...14 hour days seem to be the new normal. I usually start prepping the talk show in bed when I wake up. Then my pup Milhouse and I go for our walk and that's when I try to get record promo calls done. I'm in the studio and on the air doing the talk show at 9, and then the rest of the day is kind of a whirlwind of scheduling, tracking, on air-shifts, meetings, interviews and cutting spots. I tend to wrap up and get home around 10 or so then schedule a lil' before I fall asleep.
9. You recently celebrated your one year anniversary in syndication. Tell us about A.D. On The Radio.
The talk show is a topical, news driven show that bridges gaps of politics, race, and age through storytelling, comedy, life lessons, and great interviews
I LOVE talk radio. Spoken word, storytelling whatever ya wanna call it these days... I've always loved it. You win or lose on your own merits and your success or failure has nothing to do with how records are testing on any given month.
It started when I got a weekend show with my great friends Ramon Robles and Ken Webster at KPRC in Houston. Then Bill May at Premiere put me on a digital iHeartRadio station. That was 3 years ago, and last year we got our first affiliate. I'm extremely grateful that Bill gave me guidance and a place to grow, develop, and find my talk radio voice. The ONLY rule he gave me was to not say if I was a Republican or a Democrat. I'm neither, so it was easy...but especially right now when we're so divided, I'm consistently trying to push the ideas of unity and respect for each other.
The first PD to take a chance and add us was Jack Bradshaw at WTKS in Orlando. We were on the air the day after the Pulse nightclub shooting happened. There was a HUGE sense of responsibility to provide some comfort to our WTKS listeners that day. The passionate feedback we got from people in Orlando let us know that we provided that in a tremendously tough and tragic time. One thing I love SO much about talk radio is that It REALLY gives you an opportunity to make a positive impact...
By the way my producer, Barry Funkhouser, is an ABSOLUTE rock star. He's a great producer, he's great on the air, and he has a magical way of quietly pushing you out of your comfort zone in some VERY cool and productive ways.
10. What has been the one truth that remains constant throughout your radio career?
Metallica. People LOVE Metallica.
Bonus Questions
What's the story behind your nick-name A.D.?
It's short for Adrian. Giving me the name Adrian was one of the best things my parents ever did for me. "Adrian" sounds smart and a little suave. Girls dig Adrian's. Sadly, right around the time puberty hit, school mates started calling me A.D., and it stuck.... so I never got to cash in.
What music are you listening to in your spare time?
I listen to a great public jazz station called Jazz 88 a lot on my drive in the mornings. They mostly play the type of jazz that sounds like it's from a Charlie Brown cartoon, and I love that. Funny story about that station.... Ya know how Ron Burgundy plays the jazz flute in Anchorman? One of the first things I noticed about Jazz 88 in San Diego is that they play a disproportionately large amount of music that features jazz flute... and I HAVE to imagine that had something to do with Ron Burgundy's musical hobby.
How did you become a Mets fan?
LET'S GO METS! When I was a kid growing up in England, it was hard to follow American sports on TV, but baseball was a bond with my Dad. He was the star pitcher on his high school baseball team, and I loved playing catch with him and learning how to pitch.... so I was allowed to stay up SUPER late to watch the '86 World Series with him. All I knew was that my family was originally from New York, a New York team was playing, and I was watching TV WAY past my bedtime with my Dad... so I was thrilled. Then it turned out to be the single greatest most exciting World Series in the history of baseball... and NEW THE YORK METS WON!! I still get goosebumps thinking about it. I also get teary eyed when I think about my dream of one day taking my Dad to see the Mets play in the World Series. Ironically, he likes the Yankees
What are weekends like for you?
Empty now that the Mets season is over. Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling are the greatest broadcasting team on the planet. I could listen to them talk FOREVER.
-
-