10 Questions with ... Jeremy Nicolato

NAME:Jeremy Nicolato TITLE:PD/Mornings STATION:KQXR MARKET:Boise, ID COMPANY:Journal Broadcast Group BORN:Milwaukee RAISED:All over America's Dairyland

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Started at KQXR the beginning of August. Worked at KEDJ, KZON, KPTY and KOOL in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona. Also hung my hat at KWOD/Sacramento and WRMF/West Palm Beach.

LAST NON-INDUSTRY JOB:

I was 17 years old managing a Planet Video store in Milwaukee. Where 2 for 1 Tuesday's were "out of this world."

FIRST RECORD EVER PURCHASED:

First time I walked into a record store with my own money, I bought three LPs:
1) Beastie Boys - License to Ill
2) George Harrison - Cloud Nine (What? I liked that "Got My Mind Set On You" song.)
3) "Weird Al" Yankovic - Even Worse
I like to think my musical tastes have improved since that first purchase.

FIRST CONCERT:

Bon Jovi and Cinderella at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago.

FAVORITE BAND OF ALL-TIME:

Tenacious D. I said my musical tastes have improved, I didn't say I was more mature.

1. How did you become interested in radio?

I took a tour of WKTI/Milwaukee (another Journal station) as a Cub Scout when I was 11 years old. While there, I had a chance to sit down with the biggest deal in Milwaukee radio, the morning team of Reitman and Mueller. After talking to those guys for five minutes and seeing the huge reel-to-reel and cart machines...I was hooked. I worked my ass of to make sure that radio was what I would do when I grew up. So far, so good.

2. What was your favorite station to listen to when you were a kid?

Easily it was WKTI as a little kid, but as I got more into rock and alternative music WLUM and WLZR in Milwaukee were what I listened to most.

3. What led you to the PD/morning co-host position at KQXR?

A chance to program a station. It had been a goal of mine for a long time. I have spent my whole career in major markets, but I finally wanted to go to a place that felt like home. The X presented me with the chance to take over a station that has a history that most rock stations can't touch. The people that have sat in my chair before me have gone on to great things in this business. It's great to be a part of a station that has that kind of legacy. Factor in the opportunity to do mornings again, which is by far my favorite thing in this business, and I had to take the gig. And yes, this place does feel like home.

4. What's one thing that would surprise many people to learn about you?

Embarrassingly enough, I'm hooked on Grey's Anatomy. I can't get enough of that femmy show.

5. What part of your job do you like best? Least?

Best: The creative freedom. The X has always been on the cutting edge when it comes to promotions, imaging and station attitude. I love the fact that we can pretty much do whatever we want and if it positioned correctly and presented on-air the right way, our audience will go for it. This is one of the few stations where they encourage you to push the envelope on a daily basis. I look forward to bringing more of my crazy ideas to life.

Least: The hours. I love doing mornings, but with the additional PD duties, it makes for a long day. Part of that is I'm just getting settled in to the station, as I have only been here for a few weeks. Part of that is just the job. I'm a workaholic, so being here 12-15 hours is something I can handle as long as I am being productive. Let's just say it isn't the most fun.

6. What would an outsider find most surprising about the Boise radio market?

Nobody wants to leave Boise! A majority of the people that are working in this market have been here for a very long time, and it's by choice. For instance, Big J, my right hand man, has been here EIGHT years. There's also vets like Tim Johnstone (who does mornings on our sister station The River), he helped launch The X, and he's been here ever since. Boise is a great place to be personally and professionally, it isn't one of those "stepping stone" markets for the most part.

Just here at The X, it's nice to see the passion again. You get spoiled working in a major market sometimes. You see people "show and go" and half-ass it just to collect a paycheck. You don't have that luxury in a market like Boise. So everyone that works here does it because they love the business and they love their jobs. They'll work their ass off to get ahead and to help the station be the best it can be. Everyone here at The X is willing to go above and beyond to help the station win. It's a breath of fresh air.

7. What makes KQXR unique?

First off, the station has no direct competition in the market. That is a rarity, I don't care what format you are programming. So that has its challenges and its benefits. We can take a few chances on records and we can have fun with some stuff that may not work other places.

The X is also a station that walks a fine line between active rock and alternative. There's a lot of good music out there right now, but The X listener has very specific tastes and they are extremely picky, so Big J (MD/APD/morning co-host) and I need to be selective with the music we pick, especially since we aren't spinning a crazy amount of currents. We have to make every new song count.

8. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _________?

At least one game of Madden 08. What can I say? Nothing helps you keep your feet on the ground quite like a 35-14 ass-kicking by the 49ers on the All-Madden level. It keeps you humble.

9. What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?

Treat others as you would want to be treated.

This is my first PD gig...but, I've been in this business for almost 13 years, and I have worked for very good PDs and not so good PDs. The one thing that always stuck out to me were the people I worked for that treated people with respect, no matter if they were 25-year vets or fresh out of broadcast school. Regardless of how long you've been in this business or how many stations you've worked for, there's still something you can learn if you keep your eyes open.

10. What career path would you be following had it not been for this industry?

I would probably still be managing the Planet Video in Milwaukee. It would probably be a Planet DVD at this point though.

What are your hobbies?

I'm a huge movie buff; my DVD collection is second-to-none. I grew up in Wisconsin, so any and all sports involving that state take up a bunch of my time and live shows. I've been too busy to check out a lot since I've been here, but I will get in the swing of things soon enough.