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10 Questions with ... Tim Rainey p/k/a "Rayne"
October 11, 2022
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. Being on the air still provides a creative outlet that nearly every jock will say is 'still a rush.' I've always been vocal about radio continuing to serve the community. In all the positions in my career, I've expressed how important it was to make the brands community focused in between the songs. Whether it's imaging, community service, locality, whatever it is, it's why your listeners come to you. I love still being able to create fun content that serves the community, even if I am a few hundred miles away.
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Like most jocks, it's a laundry list of stations and cities. But it's been an honor to be on the air in Reno, Las Vegas, Tulsa, Indianapolis, Detroit and Sacramento. Being able to be a first-time Program Director at age 24 on a great station like WNOU "RadioNOW 100.9" in Indianapolis, programming "98.7 AMP Radio" in Detroit and "107.9 (now 106.5) The End in Sacramento.
1. Welcome back home to The Biggest Little City In The World where it all started for you. You grew up just outside Reno and rumor has it your radio career started when you were 13 years old. What excited you about going full circle to do mornings on ALT 92.1?
That rumor is true! I was hired to board op the "Leeza Gibbons Top 25 Countdown" at age 13 and gave time/temp at segment breaks. It truly was the best $5 an hour job a middle school kid could ask for. The first 5 years of my career, Northern Nevada was my "internship." I learned so much by just watching and listening. Jave Patterson at KDOT, Bill Schulz at KWNZ and Carlos Campos at KLCA all gave me an amazing opportunity that I am forever thankful for. I reached out to Jerry and Henry Evans in the Spring of 2021 asking if my experience could help them in Reno. My family is still in Northern Nevada, so it also gave me a chance to spend more time with them, while helping consult Evans Broadcasting. When they asked if I'd be interested in being back on the air in Reno, I jumped at the chance.
2. Your radio career includes several different radio formats and programming. How different is it doing a morning show on ALT 92.1?
After holding nearly every daypart in my career and programming great radio stations, it's great to be back and just be a jock. Be creative. Be innovative. Be sarcastic. Creating a persona that hopefully the listeners gravitate toward. I've always been an Alternative/Rock fan. My career would have taken a much different path if Cat Thomas at KLUC and Dave Wellington at KXTE didn't make me pick a station when I moved to Las Vegas for college in 2002. I interviewed with both of them the same day and both wanted to hire me for weekends. I went with KLUC, and my career stayed in the Top 40 machine. Had I had picked KXTE, who knows where I would have gone.
3. For the first time in a long time, you're back to just being a jock and not programming a station. Tell me about the transition back to that.
It's what first made me fall in love with radio. I have been so blessed and privileged to program some amazing brands and learn from amazing mentors. There is so much creativity in both positions that I if it's just on-air or just programming, you get the chance to ideate and execute. Over the last 18 months, it was great to re-connect with some of my mentors and friends that have helped me in my radio journey. I'm so thankful for people like Jim Fox, Lance Richard, Vince Richards, Michael Martin, Peter Gray, Richard Palmese, Greg Thompson, Mike Easterlin, Matt Stevens, Frank Bell, Tim Roberts, Cat Thomas, JB King, Todd Glassman, John Christian, Scot Finck, Chris Payne, Lee Leipsner, Phil Becker, Rick Sackheim, Alex Tear, Keith Rothschild, Bridget Herrmann, Mike Tierney, Tony Lorino, Greg Marella, I can go on all day long. But they took my call, helped me understand how to transition out of programming and back into the real world. I can't thank them enough.
4. How would you describe your on-air style?
I was a night jock at a time when night jocks were kings. Listening and learning from guys like Kane, Billy The Kidd, Grooves, Jet Black, Jason Cage, Eric Tyler, Strawberry, Java Joel, Jordan, JJ Ryan, Romeo, Mack @ Nite, Maxwell, Kaden, Frankie V. These were the best of the best night jocks in the country, and we all had that sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek, edgy' delivery that made us great. As time has gone by and the edge faded as we started to find our own voices, I was able to maintain some of that sarcasm and cheeky in my on-air delivery but it's a station-by-station situation. Great talent will know how to be able to adjust to their format and their audience. For Reno, especially on an Alternative station, I can still be sarcastic and cheeky because that's the expectation from the audience.
5. What do you love most about being on-air?
Being on the air still provides a creative outlet that nearly every jock will say is "still a rush." I've always been vocal about radio continuing to serve the community. In all the positions in my career, I've expressed how important it was to make the brands community focused in between the songs. Whether it's imaging, community service, locality, whatever it is, it's why your listeners come to you. I love still being able to create fun content that serves the community, even if I am a few hundred miles away.
6. You have another new job, which we will talk about in a minute. Since you do the show remotely, what makes your ALT 92.1 show uniquely Reno?
I grew up near Reno. I lived in Reno for a time in college. I know the intersections; I know the good parts of town. I know that if you want hookers, you go to 4th Street. I think there is still a lot to be said about emotional and personal connection to the radio reflecting the community it serves. I understand that national talent serves the purpose of cost-cutting, but they won't be able to talk about your town unless they have been or lived there. Listeners still yearn for the connection. Knowing I love eating at Super Burrito on Plumb Lane, meeting up with friends at The Eddy in Midtown, checking out a show at the Grand Sierra, snowboarding at Mount Rose. They can relate. The most successful talents are the ones that are most relatable to their audience.
7. How are you using social media to augment what you're doing on-air?
What's great is that part of my deal with Evans includes overseeing their social media strategy for @Alt921Reno. I was able to apply a lot of social media strategy and tactics I've learned in my previous programming positions to increase engagement and followers. While there's no 'magic bullet' for how to have great social media, you can certainly try new things and see what sticks. Plus, all brands are different in their presentation. Not every brand can have the sarcasm and wit like @Wendys but you can craft the narrative of your social to fit your audience.
8. Tell us about your other new job doing content creation/digital marketing and how the skills you learned as a PD prepared you for this new opportunity outside the industry.
I recently relocated to Southern California where I am the Senior Director of Content Marketing for a media agency. I oversee their content studio with some amazing content makers and strategist. I have a great opportunity to work with sales and clients to create Reels, TikTok's and social posts that they might not have the resources to do on their own. There are so many parallels in this new job to radio. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out my career path and realized how much experience was transferable to a new industry. It a great 9-5 type job on a great team with even more amazing leadership. When the day is done, I can slide into my home studio and knock out my show for Reno. For any radio people reading this that are considering a move outside of radio but not sure where to start, you already have at least 60% of the skills needed in marketing. The acronyms and jargon might be a little different but that's ok. Step back, take a breath and apply what you already know. Acknowledging what you already know is half the battle.
9. What would surprise people most about you?
I was beyond thankful to have the chance to work for the Sacramento River Cats and Sacramento Kings during my career transition. It was so cool to work behind the scenes of these brands to see how other industries work, especially when my entire career has been in radio. I was able to parlay my experience with the River Cats into filling-in as the Public Address Announcer for the San Francisco Giants for about 15 games this past season. Truly a dream come true for a kid that used to beg the Douglas High School baseball coach, Hal Wheeler, into letting me announce the Varsity baseball players when I was 15. Plus, to sit in the chair and behind the mic of one of the Bay Area's broadcasting legends, Renel Brooks-Moon, I couldn't believe it and thankful for the opportunity and trust of the Giants organization.
10. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _________?
While being the lead of a huge morning show for 5 years was amazing and I had a great time, I really started to slack on my health and fitness, which I always tried to make a priority. Those 3:30am wake up calls are tough to get into the gym during the day. Getting DoorDash during COVID didn't help either. Once the mandates let up in California, I made it a priority to get back into the gym and workout. Now, I do it daily. So, getting a workout in at some point during the day really helps my mental health and focus.
Bonus Questions
You recently moved to Southern California. What are weekends like for you?
You mean when I'm not trying to continue to unpack? Just like other radio gigs where you move all over the country, it's about getting out, getting lost and learning your new city. Here, there's a lot to cover. Simple google searches to find the best beach brunch or chicken wings are super helpful, but getting out, meeting new people, seeing new places and learning about your new home has really been my focus since the move.
How often do you get back to Reno area and what are your top priorities when you get back home?
My parents live in Sparks and my sister, nieces and nephews still live in my hometown of Minden so any chance I can get to go back and see them, I always will. I love to snowboard, so I always try to get some time in on the hill in the winter and find an excuse to get on Lake Tahoe in the summer. One regret was I never took advantage of living in the Sierra Nevada's when I was growing up. I wanted out in the worst way. Now when I go back, you're able to take in Lake Tahoe, the small bedroom communities, the charm of the Truckee Meadows. It really is an amazing place.
Like me, you are an avid baseball fan and have been to 22 of the 30 Major League Baseball stadiums. Which ballparks are still left on your bucket list?
You know, this journey really started by accident. It wasn't until I hit #15 that I thought I might as well touch 'em all. Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Kansas City, Houston, Minneapolis, Baltimore and Toronto are all left to check off. It's been a lot of fun to see all these amazing ballparks with their own rich history. The challenge has always been trying to get to an area where I can knock out a few over the course of a few days. It doesn't always line up but it's still great to watch some amazing baseball.
What is your favorite baseball stadium?
I'm biased that my favorite is Oracle Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. The worst? Sorry Oakland, but you need a new stadium in the worst way. Maybe in Las Vegas?
Rank your sports teams in order of passion.
Of course, the San Francisco Giants rank #1. There are 28 other teams tied for #2 and dead last are the Los Angeles Dodgers.
First record ever purchased?
There are a few different answers to this. The first album I can remember listening to was Whitney Houston self-titled album on cassette that my Mom liked. My dad loved Gloria Estafan, so I remember that album. I didn't appreciate it when I was a kid, but they used to play albums from Al Jarreau and George Benson which are amazing to listen to today. Bought with my own money? Green Day "Dookie", Forrest Gump soundtrack and Ace Of Base "The Sign" I vividly remember because they were CD's, and we just got a new CD player in the house. Then I discovered that you could buy 20 CDs for 1 cent from Columbia House, and this is why my credit score is where it's at today.
First concert?
I remember seeing Disney's "Flight of the Navigator" as a kid and hearing the Beach Boys "I Get Around" for the first time in the flight scene made me a Beach Boys fans. So, my Dad got me and 2 friends' tickets to see the Beach Boys at the Hilton Outdoor Amphitheatre in Reno during Hot August Nights in 1995. That's what started it all.
Favorite band of all-time?
It's the Beatles all day. What they did in such a short amount of time will never be able to be topped today. In less than 8 years, they had so many #1 singles and albums and almost became bigger after they stopped touring. On paper, no one in music would ever believe that one group was capable of being as big as they were. However, it's what the world needed in music. The songwriting, the melodies, the complexities of production. Just listening to what George Martin and Phil Specter did to make their songs sounds larger than life. So many aspects of their music became the basis of what we know as contemporary music. I can confidently say there will never be an artist or group that can do what they did.
Anything else you would like to add?
I know how hard it is to find on-air talent that can cut through and be memorable. I'd love to chat with Program Directors that have a hole to fill in their talent lineup. Feel free to reach out at rayne.onair@gmail.com to request a demo to see if I might be a great fit for your brand.
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