10 Questions with ... Andy Hawk

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I moved to San Diego for college and fell in love with radio there, getting my start at 91X and eventually at The Edge in Phoenix. After eight years away from Sacramento I was offered a Music Director job in my hometown and have been here ever since, including 12 years now at Entercom/Sacramento. Currently APD at KKDO and Local licks host at KRXQ.

1. Congrats on the station's strong ratings in June 2018! ALT 94.7 has been trending up in the Nielsen PPM Monthly 6+ ratings since April (3.2-3.4-0). Please share the ratings highlights for ALT 94.7.

We had a really great second half of 2017 and that has continued upwards as we averaged out at #1 Persons 18-34 since January of this year. We have also seen a 32 percent growth in Persons 18-49, and a 39 percent growth in Persons 25-54 since the re-brand.

2. Four months ago, KKDO rebranded from Radio 94.7 to ALT 94.7. Why the change and would you say this move paid immediate dividends for the station?

The rebrand is really just a clearer definition of who we are. When we launched as RADIO 947 in 2010, Alternative music was in a different place and the future was uncertain. Alt stations were signing off- not on, and the market was in a unique position. I also think at the time Jim Fox really looked to almost create a newer and more modern version of the format which was still very rock leaning. At first the station was an outlier with the playlist. Now, what this station is doing would almost be considered mainstream. So, with all that said, eight years later, even with the rating success we still had people ask us at every appearance, 'Hey what kind of music do you play?' So really the change helped us complete the circle of life. Here we are in June with one of the best months we've ever had.

3. What was your biggest challenge shifting your brand?

You really don't realize just how much work changing one word is until it happens. Changing one word means changing everything! It was a massive project changing every single asset but our team did an amazing job. Getting my mouth to say ALT instead of RADIO was probably the hardest part of it all.

4. How else has the station changed in the past year? Is there an example we can add here?

We have punched our imaging up a bit, but we really have kept that style and process that our audience loves.

5. How do you keep the music fresh on ALT 94.7?

Radio is the #1 platform for music discovery, and we are constantly looking to play the best new stuff out there to keep audiences engaged. It is equally important to find the right mix of new music depending on the audience at the time.

6. Tell us about the BacteriuM: 9 | 4 | 7 show that begins weekday mornings at 7:49a, a reverse of your station frequency that airs Monday-Friday from 7:49-8:30a and Saturday nights from 9p-mid.

(BacteriuM 947) is our truly unique specialty show that airs weekdays during the morning drive and on Saturday nights. It's so current sounding it gives us a life that no one else has. We worked really hard with Zephyr, our DJ, on making it all work. He is truly talented and he really resonates with our audience.

7. What other sort of things make ALT 94.7 unique?

KKDO has always invested in our audience participation through our texting platform. People are always surprised when I tell them we don't have a phone line. Everything we do is done through texting. We have been an industry leader here and will continue to be.

8. You grew up in Sacramento listening to former Alternative KWOD 106.5 in the '90s and actually worked at the station. What stands out the most from listening and working at Sacramento's former Alternative?

I had the opportunity to be Music Director when it signed off. I learned a great deal during my time there, through both success and in failure. I loved the station and felt horribly the day KWOD went down. That opportunity allowed me to become a student of the business and the audience instead of just thinking of myself as an influencer.

9. How has that experience helped you program ALT 94.7 today?

My curiosity is just so much higher now. My audience's taste outweighs my own personal taste, and I try to learn more about my audience every day. I think that has translated into a station that is one of the best representations of its market that you will find.

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

Carbs, and I try almost every day!

I know you're getting set for your annual City Of Trees Music Festival on September 22nd. What is the best concert you have been to in the past year?

Now I will be self-serving. I work on a free concert series with the city of Sacramento and we had Franz Ferdinand, The Crystal Method and Dance Gavin Dance all play in Downtown Sacramento this summer. Having 8,000 people lose their minds for that quality of music for free was amazingly rewarding this year.

Tell us about your punk rock collection.

I stole most of it from my old roommate in Phoenix when I worked at the EDGE. I will always be a punk rocker at heart. People always ask me if I plan on getting my kids into punk rock? The answer is very clearly NO. I don't think punk rock would have spoken to me if I did not discover it on my own. I hope my girls get to have that same experience with whatever genre they choose for themselves. It's just so much better when it's "yours." I always rebelled when people pushed things on me - I think I still do!

What sports teams do you follow and what is your favorite sport?

The 49ers, Oakland A's and Sacramento Kings. These 3 teams consume much more of my free time than I think my wife knew when she agreed to marry me.