10 Questions with ... Dana & Jayson

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Contact: Dana @ dana.didonato@entercom.com & Jayson @ jayson.prim@entercom.com

BORN:

Dana: I was born in a bougie area of Northern New Jersey.

Jayson: I was born in a shack in El Cajon, California.

RAISED:

Dana: Picture Real Housewives of NJ meets The Sopranos and although I left at age 17, I'm still weirdly defensive when people hate on Jersey.

Jayson: I'm a broke down gypsy of some sort. Born in Southern California, moved to Texas, father became a preacher, moved all of us to a Native American Reservation in Moapa, Nevada, and eventually ended up in a small west Texas town (I have issues).

Dana: I started my career after a panic attack during my senior year at Virginia Tech. My friends were all interviewing for real jobs, outfitted in late '90s style pant suits. I knew that would never be me, so I got in my car and drove to WXLK in Roanoke, VA and awkwardly asked the receptionist, "How do you get on the radio?" I spent 2 years in Roanoke at K92. I then moved to Greensboro, NC to co-host on WSMW. In 2006, I made the move to Long Island, NY where I had the opportunity to host morning drive on WBLI. 11 years later, I'm in San Diego with Jayson on San Diego's #1 Alternative, FM 949.

Jayson: I answered a weird ad looking to cast a "Jack" character from Will & Grace on a website for actors, and it ended up being a co-host job for WBLI in Long Island, NY. I auditioned for 3 months, it came down to the final 2 and I didn't get the job. I decided after I didn't get it, to stalk Dana through Christmas cards, emails, and monthly phone calls. WBLI and Dana finally broke down. I was her co-host for 2 1/2 years at WBLI, eventually finding my way to my hometown of San Diego.

1. How did you become interested in radio?

Dana: Growing up, I always listened to New York radio and I simply fell in love with it. While getting ready for school I'd listen to Elvis & Elliot on Z100, then the next day I would listen to Ru Paul & Michelle Visage on KTU. On the way to school it would be Scott & Todd. On school nights, I would try to make myself stay awake at night to listen to Loveline. Dr. Drew and Adam Corolla are responsible for so much of my Sex Education. I guess now would be a good time to thank them. Their shows inspired me while making mix tapes. To me, it only made sense to talk before every song into my Fisher Price tape recorder. That was just the beginning.

Jayson: Growing up in Texas, our morning show was The Kid Kraddick Morning Show, and I always asked myself "How can I do that?!" I never pursued it, but through a miracle I accidentally fell into it. I was a poor, struggling actor right out of college, and WBLI gave me an opportunity. I became like a sponge after getting the job and am still trying to learn everything.

2. Congrats on your recent move to FM949. After leaving Top 40 WBLI/Long Island, what was the process that led you to FM949/San Diego?

Dana: Thanks! We were so ready for a new challenge and opportunity to do the type of show we've always talked about doing. We were game for a new market. We were completely open, as long as the situation was the two of us working together. In the time after we parted ways with BLI, we could not have felt more blessed by the incredible people in our industry who looked out for us and championed for us. Busy people took time to meet with us and interview us; they referred us to their friends, and went out of their way to encourage us. It was all about being patient and waiting for the right opportunity for our team. BJ Shea (KISW) has always been wonderful to me and graciously introduced us to Pat Paxton who told me to send him our package. It was Pat who recommended us to Kevin Callahan. Kevin heard our stuff and reached out to ask if we would consider San Diego. WHO SAYS NO TO THAT!?!?

Jayson: Luckily everyone loves Dana, and I'm just the extra baggage that comes along with her (The breakdown method works!).

3. Your boss Kevin Callahan said you made him laugh. Explain.

Dana: Best compliment ever. I have to say, Kevin is a hard sell. I have never, in my life, sent more audio to any human being than Kevin Callahan in the interview process for the morning job at FM 949. Even my mom doesn't want that much audio of me! He listened to it all. He told us that we made him laugh out loud and that's what sold him on us. He said that after being in the industry for as long as he has been, that's rare.

Jayson: Apparently he likes the sound of an ex-sorority girl, turned train wreck mom, whose greatest ambition in life is to be Oprah paired with a disappointing gay best friend, who has major money issues, a severe case of middle child syndrome, whose father is a Southern Baptist preacher. I don't know if it's funny or just sad.

4. Tell us about the "two unlikely friends" promo.

Dana: Honestly, it's the best way to describe us. Jayson and I are best friends but we don't agree on anything. We are total opposites, from our upbringings of our points of view, so we're always disagreeing and exploiting each other's flaws.

I am an optimist, Jayson is a pessimist. I'm a 1st born, Jayson is a middle child. I grew up in an affluent part of NJ. Jayson grew up in a trailer in West Texas. I'm an over analytical, Oprah wanna-be, domestic train wreck- mom of 3, who is married to my complete opposite. He grew up the son of a Southern Baptist preacher, oh and he's gay. Plus he's engaged to the only person he has ever dated. He's also needy AF.

Jayson: We sort of asked each other, "What would happen if people with differences just seek to understand each other instead of building walls of defense because of our differences?" We are friends who love each other despite our differences of opinion, lifestyle, beliefs, and experiences. We trust each other. We know that when having a conversation, tearing each other down is never an option. Our show is built on trust and it's safe. Do we bust on one another? Absolutely. Do we disagree? That's standard. We bring completely different perspectives the majority of the time, on the majority of the topics we discuss. The one thing, however, that brings us together is our desire to know each other's perspectives. We want to know WHY the other person doesn't agree and find out the root of the difference.

5. How would you describe your on-air style? Any changes moving from Top 40 to Alternative?

Dana: FM 949 is a mass appeal station, so we get to do a mass appeal show. We love that our third chair, is truly the FM 949 listener family. We love talking to our San Diego listeners and hearing their stories and their opinions. We always look at the top trending stories and find the angle that makes the story "uniquely us" and we go with that. Oh, and one massive praise is that we were able to stop doing Hollywood Reports, a part of my career that I just assumed I would always have to do.

Jayson: We love to laugh so, that's one thing there is a lot of in our show, laughter. We always say that every day we come in ready to laugh. One thing that was so exciting about this opportunity at FM 949 is that we were told before we even went on air, "Please just be yourselves. Be authentic, be transparent, and be vulnerable."

6. Explain your role on the show.

Dana: I am the host of our show. But what I love about working with Jayson is that he's a co-host who is also excellent at leading breaks as well. There are times, when depending on the content, he leads. I love the versatility because while it's fun to be the one with the information, it's also really fun to be in the responder role as well. With us being able to switch off, it gives us both a chance to do whatever role best sets us up for a great break.

Jayson: My role on the show is to not get in the way.

7. What is your show prep routine?

Dana: I am sooooo thankful that I literally have a partner with whom I completely split the workload. Jayson and I have worked hard to hone our content filter. At this point, both of us have a really good gauge on appropriate story selection for our show.

Jayson has officially been entrusted as the first filter of content for us. Every morning he looks at what's trending. The next filter is, what stories make sense for us right now and which would be good for tomorrow. If it's not something we need to talk about immediately he sends me the stories in an email so I can look over them later. Together, we select the ones we both feel best about.

Every day we create a Show Rundown for the following day, keeping in mind that if something big happens that we want to talk about the next day, we'll bump everything and go with that.

Jayson: We use everything from a couple of prep sites to our favorite websites. Every day we try to have a good balance of trending stories, interesting lifestyle stories, relatable personal topics, and games. The final filter is "What makes these stories uniquely ours?"

8. What is your favorite part of the show?

Dana: You won't believe me, but I literally love everything from our drive to work together in the morning (yes we carpool and document #TheMorningDrive on our @DanaAndJaysonTalk instastory) to our first 5:30 break to our 8:50AM sign off. I look at it every day like, "We GET TO do this!"

Jayson: My favorite part of the show is getting to hang out with Dana. I have loved her since I walked into the audition room and yelled "BEYONCé!!" at her. It's truly a blessing when I can blindly trust the woman who's leading the ship. I am still in shock that I get to work with an amazing talent like her. I am so proud that I broke her down 3 years ago, and made her agree to be my best friend.

9. Who is your favorite on-air personality and why?

Dana: My fave on air personality is Danny Meyers (Movin 107.7 Virginia Beach). Danny taught me without knowing he was teaching me what a great host does for the rest of the people on the show. He did it from day one, when I had my first opportunity to do morning radio with him in the hosting role and he still does it today as the host of his brand new show. He does everything he can to set everyone on the show up to shine. I remember him tossing us great stories so we could react and have the "out." He came in ready to laugh every day. Meanwhile he's the most hilarious person in the room. He also cares so much. He cares about great execution, content, promotions . . . sweepers- literally everything! He is so truly passionate about the art of morning radio and he's so willing to teach others. I'm thankful for all he's taught me through the years. His conversations have made such a difference in my career. He's so humble; he should really allow me to write his unauthorized biography. I love you, Danny!!!!!!

Jayson: Is it corny to say that Dana is my favorite on-air personality? I believe she is the Beyoncé of radio, and I am her Kelly Rowland. I am always surprised and humbled by her grace, care, and her passion to uplift others. She is also the funniest person I know. If that is too much...I would have to go for the Beyoncé across the pond, Mr. Ed James from Heart Breakfast over in the UK! He knows how to pull the best out of anyone on his show, and is HILARIOUS. The way he conducts his show should be written down in history books.

10. What would surprise people most about you?

Dana: I don't know if it would surprise people, but the most important thing to me is my absolute love for Jesus. When I started to understand the depth of love that he has for me and the amount of grace he gives me, daily, I was changed. I was an insecure disaster when my identity was my career. I subconsciously thought that my value came from my job. I was obsessed with pleasing people and seeking approval. Being in morning radio, where you are literally rated on your performance is a pretty dangerous career for someone who was basing their self-worth on whether or not people liked her! Bad days would spiral me into depression and good days would leave me feeling temporarily happy until the next bad day, when I was empty again. I am so thankful that I was pulled out of that toxic way of life. I am definitely still a mess in many ways, but because of Jesus, I have peace, faith and true joy even in the midst of difficult times.

Jayson: I'm not fabulous just because I'm gay. I'm actually HIGHLY DISAPPOINTING. I want to sit, watch football, and wear sweats all day. I really hate shopping and picking out clothes. While I was child, I was raised on a Native American Reservation for a portion of my life while my dad was a pastor there. At one point my family was so poor that I ate beans for 2 weeks. My life is made for a sad lifetime movie starring a '90s child star like Jonathan Taylor Thomas or Macaulay Culkin.

What are weekends like for you?

Dana: Since moving to San Diego they've involved Disneyland, The Zoo, and Sea World, visits to see the famous La Jolla seals, swimming in the pool, BBQs, craft beers and exploring our new amazing city.

Jayson: I look at Dana's schedule and see how I can insert myself into whatever she's doing or I'm sitting alone drinking cheap wine and watching re-runs of any of the Real Housewife franchise.

What are your hobbies?

Dana: I love talking. Literally I talk for a living and my hobby is talking more. I love people and its life giving to me to be around people, new friends, old friends, family... I love being around a table connecting over good conversation. It's even better if craft beer or champagne are involved. When no one is available for conversation I also love reading and journaling. My current book of choice is "Soul Care" by Dr. Rob Reimer.

Jayson: Collecting small dogs. My fiancé forces me to go on hikes now since we live in the BEAUTIFUL city of San Diego, and the hobby I'm most passionate about is collecting magazines with Beyoncé on the cover.

First record ever purchased?

Dana: Ha. 4 Non-Blondes. No shame.

Jayson: Growing up as a preacher son I wasn't allowed to listen to "secular" music so it was probably some weird Christian band. (i.e. DC Talk, O.C. Supertones, The Newsboys).

First concert?

Dana: Z100's Jingle Ball in 1995 at Madison Square Garden! Alanis Morissette, Blues Traveler, Bush, Collective Soul, Dave Matthews Band, Gavin Rossdale, Goo Goo Dolls, Hootie & The Blowfish, Natalie Merchant, Soul Asylum . . . my '90s self was in heaven!!

Jayson: Once again, growing up as a preacher son I wasn't allowed to to listen to "secular" music so my first concert was a Christian singer named Carmen with hits like "Lazarus Come Forth" and "Satan Bite the Dust"....I was set-up to have issues.

Favorite band of all-time?

Dana: My favorite for the last decade has been Hillsong United. I also love NeedToBreathe. My 90's self is yelling, "SAY DAVE MATTHEWS!"

Jayson: Beyoncé. And if she is not classified as a band I would like to change this question to who is the queen of the entire world and universe.