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10 Questions with ... 'Howie Rock' Scott Taylor
September 17, 2019
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
- 1993 - 1997 KFIS/KBRV Soda Springs, ID. Board op/Weekend Talent
- 1997 - 1999 KZBQ/KORR Pocatello, ID. Production assistant
- 2000 - 2002 KFTZ Idaho Falls, ID. Afternoons/Prodcution Director
- 2002 - 2009 KCVI Idaho Falls, ID. Mornings/PD
- 2009 - 2011 KRSP Evenings/Bonneville SLC Production Director
- 2011 - Current. KHTB, SLC
I started out as a board op when I was 15 in my tiny hometown of Soda Springs Idaho. Went through the production ranks while going to college for electronics at ISU in Pocatello Idaho. After that ended, I actually took a job at a glass shop delivering glass and installing windshields... haha. The local rock station, KCVI (KBEAR 101) was doing a competition for "DJ for a Day" as a parody of MTV's "VJ for a Day". I put a tape together and ended up winning a day on the air. The PD, Mike Shamus, gave me a brief weekend job on the spot and within a few months the afternoon shift opened up on their sister CHR, KFTZ, Z103. I did that for a few years while acting as Production Director until the PD/morning job opened up back on KCVI. I ran with that for a good while until the phone rang to head to SLC to go make commercials and do nights on KRSP, Arrow 103.5 for Bonneville. Sue Kelly left the group and shortly afterward recruited me to do mornings on KHTB which, at the time was active rock "Z-Rock 94-9". After a few years we flipped that to ALT 94-9 and I stayed on mornings for a while before finally going to afternoons. We ended up traded sticks with our 101.9 frequency and I went to middays... Here I am!
1. How did you first become interested in radio?
The guitar player in my high school rock band worked at the local station and I needed a job! I've been here ever since.
2. What led to your move from afternoons to middays from 10-3p on ALT 101.9?
It was a decision that our PD, Rick Vaughn and I made to allow us to be live more often. As a single dad of three, it also allowed me to spend more of my evenings with the kids and even drive the morning carpool!
3. How would you describe your on-air style?
Honest and real. I hate listening to announcers and would much rather talk to someone as though they're a friend.
4. What is your show prep routine?
Before I head out to drive the kids to school, I pull up the national news to see what's happening in the world. I love to peruse MSN.com and yahoo.com for lifestyle bits or silly facts that I can use to beat most of the prep site readers to the punch. I also pull up the typical prep sites to see what I can turn into something localized and relatable. Once I'm on the air, I keep a few tabs open of the local news stations to see if anything worthwhile is going on. My biggest key to prep is to make whatever I find relatable in some sort of local fashion as to not regurgitate the same thing the other stations are reading.
5. What is a typical workday like for you?
After I prep and get the kids off, I head in and start scheduling music until it's time to start my air-shift. I like to break up scheduling to keep my eyes fresh so I finish after my air shift. After that it's on to whatever needs done at the moment -- be it writing or producing imaging, editing videos, voicing spots or taking appointments with labels
6. What is your favorite part of the job?
I love the challenge of making local, interesting or something interesting, local. I also love that no two days are exactly the same. New things come up all of the time and keep you sharp.
7. I was warned not to ask you about guitars. Explain.
Oh man... it's a sickness. I have played in bands, toured and made music for longer than I've been doing radio. I love musical gear and pretty much spend any side money I get on more... It's bad... I have a LOT.
8. What do you like best about living in Utah?
I love it here... You really get everything. All four seasons -- mountains, deserts, concerts, camping, shopping. I believe that if we had a decent beach, we would literally have everything someone could ask for.
9. What would surprise people most about you?
Probably that I work in my own studio nearly as much as I do at the radio station. I have a full recording studio that I built into my house. I record and produce music quite often. I'm also quite an introvert which seems counter intuitive to my line of work. I HATE social media. I get it, I see the importance and I do it to build the brands but I'd rather produce 30, :60 spots a day written with 90 seconds of copy than find social media posts.
10. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without __________________?
Flipping off most of my co-workers... They know it's how I say, "Hi!" and it's quite a game around the office now. Also, the internet. For those of us that remember hanging out in front of an AP printer or waiting for the mail to get the next CD-Pro, we never want to go back...
Bonus Questions
Tell us about your famous hot sauces.
I like things HOT... like really, really hot. It'd difficult to find hot sauces that are REALLY HOT that don't taste like garbage or gasoline. I hit up the guy who used to run the taco cart in front of the Triad Center that houses Bonneville SLC to find out how he made his. I've experimented over and over until I got a couple just the way I like them... I make a bunch around the holidays and share with the office.
What are your hobbies?
Building stuff... My garage is a tool haven. Be it metalworking, woodworking, car parts or whatever, I like making things. I also make a LOT of music for myself and others. Oh, and I shoot photography too. Concerts, weddings, family photos, feet or whatever.
What are weekends like for you with 3 kids?
I have the kids M-F most weeks and half of the summer so I don't usually have them on most of my school time weekends but in the summer I take out the ol' giant Griswold RV and go camping as much as possible.
First record ever purchased?
Motley Crue - Too Fast For Love
First concert?
Alabama at the state fair, Baby! haha
Favorite band of all-time?
Alice In Chains
Anything else you would like to add?
I love this biz. Seriously, it's hard to complain. It's easy to get mad at a salesperson or disagree with your PD but when you stop to smell the roses... What else would you REALLY rather do?
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