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10 Questions with ... Ricardo Cano
May 21, 2019
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. Learning and accomplishing new things. It's scary to think about doing something you're unfamiliar and not very well trained for, but if you take it step by step, ask questions and make an effort to accomplish something, it can happen. It's a great feeling. Even if there's a shortcut that would've made that programming task possible in five minutes, I'm still proud to take those three hours to make it happen
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
I actually started as a weekend mixer on Oldies KRTO-FM and KKBB-FM when I was 15. Five years later moved to the Mapleton SLO cluster to do mixes for CHR KWWV-FM. Dimes Media took over in 2015 and I began to wear many hats from producing spots to loading voicetracks to voicetracking across many of our stations, to Promotions, to web-work, to Digital, and in January 2018 became the PD for ALT 100.9.
1. How did you first become interested in radio?
For as long as I can remember radio has always been a big part of my life. Growing up in Santa Barbara, I could listen to many of the radio stations in L.A. and would record mixes off the radio, from Spanish to Dance, Disco & Hip Hop. Radio was a big influence in getting me to learn how to DJ. Plus radio also opened my ears to many different types of music, one of them being Alternative.
2. Tell us about ALT 100.9 SLO's New Alternative. The station has been on-air for almost three years and switched to a different translator last year? How has this impacted ALT 100.9's coverage and growth on the Central Coast?
We launched ALT in 2016 after the other Alternative station flipped to Spanish and left a hole for an Alternative station in the market. At the time we launched it as "ALT 93.7" in SLO. After seeing the initial great response for ALT in SLO, we made the decision to expand to the 5 Cities area on a more powerful translator and made the decision to rebrand it as ALT 100.9 and made 5 Cities and SLO the main focus of our coverage.
3. Give us the 411 on the music and imaging on ALT 100.9?
We always play the hits for the kids but we also have classic ALT records that can make an ALT fan go "Whoa, I haven't heard this in a while!" and with our little station still growing, anything to catch attention is vital to our growth. Same goes for imaging and Malcolm Ryker's voice is just perfect for ALT. Sometimes he's willing to ad-lib and crack a joke on the spot that I use in promos and imaging and if it's enough to make someone chuckle, why not?
4. How would you describe your programming style?
Well I'm definitely no professional, but I feel programming is almost like when reading a crowd at any club/event, you need research your demo, and be smart when it comes to playing it safe or taking a chance. In terms of ALT, we play the artists that defined the genre and also the new artists that are redefining the sound of Alternative radio. Thanks to Dana Jang at Lund Media Group, we've been able to get ALT on the right track to success. I also have JoJo Lopez to thank, mostly because he's a radio nerd like me and has great input from his many years of experience.
5. Give us a rundown of ALT 100.9 on-air lineup and specialty shows.
Hammer (Jason Squires) is our morning guy from 5-10a, I'm on the radio from 10a-2p, and Tristan (who worked at the old ALT station in town) is our Afternoon guy from 2-7p. Victor, our weekend guy, is our connect to concert reviews. He sees more bands in a year than I've seen in a lifetime! In terms of specialty shows, we run SLOCAL (a portmanteau of the words "SLO" and "local") where I highlight local musicians and their music in the 12 O'Clock hour every weekday and on the weekends we run Passport Approved with Sat Bisla, Out Of Order with Ted Stryker and Skratch-N-Sniff with Mal & Mike Czech.
6. What makes the station stand out in the market?
We are the only station between Santa Barbara and Monterey that plays Alternative music as their core. Our small signals might be seen as a disadvantage but it allows us to be more local and in touch with the community. Shows like SLOCAL are key to this success as well and we have talent that are very familiar with SLO and have spent many years here. We also have many artists that make a stop in SLO to perform and while they may be a little too niche for radio, they are artists that someone who listens to ALT might be interested in seeing.
7. What is your favorite part of your job?
Learning and accomplishing new things. It's scary to think about doing something you're unfamiliar and not very well trained for, but if you take it step by step, ask questions and make an effort to accomplish something, it can happen. It's a great feeling. Even if there's a shortcut that would've made that programming task possible in five minutes, I'm still proud to take those three hours to make it happen. LOL Plus I'm very fortunate to have a great team here at Dimes Media led by Eric Fahnoe. The entire team here at Dimes has given me the opportunity to grow over the years in radio and I'm very grateful for that.
8. What do you love most about living on the Central Coast?
The weather first and foremost and the fact that I'm able to be close to my family. The people are also very wonderful and I've made some great friendships here and connected with many people over the years on and off air. Oh, and everything is within a day's drive. L.A., the Bay, snow, the BEACH! I recommend anyone who visits California and wants to steer away from all of the crowds, come visit the Central Coast!
9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _________?
Petting a dog! Our cluster is very canine friendly and well dogs are awesome! I've never had pets, but I've learned to cherish them like if they were my own as I see them on an almost daily basis.
10. What would surprise people most about you?
That I'm only 26 years old! I'm one of the youngest people working in my cluster so I get the constant eye roll when I mention my age at all!
Bonus Questions
What are weekends like for you?
It really depends, I tend to book any and all DJ bookings on Friday nights or Saturdays and spend Sundays with the family usually BBQ'ing something, but when I have both days off, I just meander around the house in shorts and flip flops like a true lazy Californian.
What are your hobbies?
Traveling. Although I don't do it often as it is very expensive. My first big trip was a solo trip to London, Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam last year (shoutout to Randy Williams the true travel radio legend!)
Buying records I don't really need. I love DJing on vinyl at home and buying vinyl online. I have a very deep appreciation of Disco music.
Watching historical documentaries. I always like learning about our past to understand the present and possible future.
First record ever purchased?
Christina Aguilera - Genie In A Bottle (I had a mad crush on Christina back in the day)
First concert?
Fergie at the Mid State Fair in Paso Robles.
Favorite band of all-time?
My tastes change all the time and I can't pick a favorite but some bands that have consistently been favorites are Tears for Fears, ABBA, and Culture Club. I'm sure there are more that I will regret not including in this list later.
Anything else you would like to add?
Yes, a big thank you to Louie Cruz for giving me that first radio opportunity as a mixer at 15. Also a big thank you to JoJo Lopez for snatching me over to KWWV and showing me the different aspects how radio works and a final thank you to Eric Fahnoe, the President at Dimes Media for the opportunity to grow.
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