-
10 Questions with ... Nerf
November 20, 2007
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
NAME:NerfTITLE:PD/afternoonsSTATION:KTCLMARKET:Denver-BoulderCOMPANY:Clear ChannelBORN:Jeb Freedman 4/18/74 (Harris Hospital Ft. Worth TX)RAISED:Littleton, CO
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
I started out driving the van for KROQ in February of 1998, and dabbled a little in Pirate Radio (KBLT) at the same time. In June of 1999 I got a gig as a board-op and promo assistant at KTCL in my hometown of Denver. I worked my way up through the ranks stopping at just about every title along the way until they gave me the PD title in April of 2006.
LAST NON-INDUSTRY JOB:
Westec Security Technical Support and Service Dispatch (I got yelled at by LA's Rich and Paranoid)
FIRST RECORD EVER PURCHASED:
Living Colour "Vivid"
FIRST CONCERT:
INXS (the "Kick" tour)
FAVORITE BAND OF ALL-TIME:
Bad Religion
1. What led to the station's huge Summer '07 Book (2.4-3.7 12+)?
All me... sheer will on my part. OK, maybe that's not quite true. One of the big factors and possible the biggest single event for the station in the last 10 years was our City-Of-License change. We we're formerly licensed out of Ft. Collins, and our transmitter was as close to Denver as it could legally be (Dacono, CO). The signal coming from Dacono was terrible in most of the South-Western Denver Suburbs. It killed our ratings for YEARS. As of July we changed our City Of License to Wheat Ridge (after a six-year battle with the FCC and other entities). We moved our transmitter to Lookout Mountain near Golden with many other Denver stations. Now the station has a competitive signal, and the playing field is way more even.
2. What are you most proud of from this book?
The theory has always been that we're doing the right things, but we were crippled by our crappy signal. This book kind of proved us right. I don't think we're done seeing the improvements yet. The People Meter should also give us a significant push.
3. How would you describe the music and imaging on the station?
We take nothing too seriously. This applies to our self mocking tone in all our imaging, and in the jock breaks. The second we start telling the world how cool we are, I hope someone fires me. The same attitude applies in some ways to the music. Radio programmers think about music WAY more than radio consumers. If we're looking for the next big thing that's WAY ahead of the curve, we can find it... but our listeners care a lot less than you'd think. Buzz bands are for people in the industry and the extreme early adopters. Most radio listeners are neither. We want to find hit songs that are hits for today's radio audience, not tomorrow's. How's that Arctic Monkeys track working out these days?
4. What makes KTCL unique?
Since I started here, the station has always been the underdog. At the beginning they didn't even give me a budget for t-shirts for the staff. I'd have to work out some kind of sponsorship to get them made. It's tough to get an ego when your station can't afford a $5 dollar t-shirt. That attitude has carried through to today even as we get more successful. We stay scrappy, hungry, and crafty.
That and Boney (our MD) and I are total music nerds. We listen to every single thing we're sent, without regard for where it comes from. I've seen too many MDs and PDs that don't open their mail until someone calls them and tells them to. You'd be amazed what you find on a home-made CDR! I Hate Kate, Single File, Meese (just signed to Atlantic), The Fray, and a new band we just started playing called Tickle Me Pink all got to our airwaves before signing a contract. A hit is a hit, regardless of who's printing the CDs.
5. What would an outsider find most surprising about the Denver market?
Denver is an oasis. There's not a major city anywhere near here. New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Kansas, and Nebraska are known as Colorado's Moat. It's really an isolated culture here. The tastes of the people here can't be categorized with the West Coast, South, or Midwest, because there's just not that much influence from them. It's good and bad. They took to Rise Against way early, but for some reason Diz-Knee-Land by Dada tested through the roof until like, 2001! No other place is quite like it.
6. What's one thing that would surprise many people to learn about you?
I went to Genesis at the Pepsi Center, and loved every second of it! No, YOU'RE a Nerd!
7. What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?
Balance means everything. Lean out in any direction musically or otherwise and you lose.
8. What are you passionate about?
Music, pure and simple. I still love it even though I get way more than most people would find tolerable. Concerts, CDs, studio performances, MP3s I buy from Emusic... and still somehow I'm not sick of it. So much so that I play drums in a band myself. We're rehearsing or gigging 2-3 times a week. We're called The Frequent Sea www.thefrequentsea.com. All of us are busy with careers, wives, and lives to deal with but we still find time to play. Sometimes after a gig, I find myself asking the question, "Why do I do anything else?" Of course the answers pile in quickly... because you're over 30, because you love your job, wife, and life, because regular showers are a priority, etc.
9. What was your favorite station to listen to when you were a kid?
Growing up in the south part of the Denver metro, we couldn't get KTCL. I grew up on KBPI, KAZY (no longer broadcasting), and KRFX. I remember liking them all for some reason but getting frustrated with them all at times too. Pre "Black Album" KBPI barely (if ever) played Metallica, and I was a huge fan. That chapped me at the time but 'BPI certainly caught up with a vengeance. Their old morning show Dean And Rog was fantastic too.
10. Biggest career highlight?
What we've done with the local music scene in Denver. Our ratings have obviously not suffered for it, but we've made a REAL effort to support the music of Denver, and the scene has responded by producing some AMAZING artists. Love .45, The Fray, Rose Hill Drive, Single File, and Meese have all gotten record deals, after getting a little help, and a lot of spins on Channel 93.3. The next band in the line is Tickle Me Pink out of Ft. Collins. Our listeners have really responded to them, and they're already getting a lot of interest from labels. This scene is exploding with talent, and it's great to be a part of getting it some recognition.
Bonus Questions
Most surprising record of 2007?
Against Me - New Wave. I LOVE punk rock, but I wasn't all that impressed with some of their earlier work. This album however is one for the ages! It shows how you can throw out all the production and the bells and whistles, if you simply write great songs. I hope our listeners like it as much as I do!
-
-