10 Questions with ... Dom Nardella

NAME:Dom Nardella TITLE:PD STATION:WKRK MARKET:Cleveland COMPANY:CBS Radio BORN:January 29, 1970 RAISED:Youngstown, Ohio

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

WNCD/Youngstown from 1991 until 2001. Came to WXTM (now WKRK)/Cleveland in September of 2001 as MD/nights.

LAST NON-INDUSTRY JOB:

Parking deck attendant

FIRST RECORD EVER PURCHASED:

Genesis - Abacab in 1981

FIRST CONCERT:

Rush "Grace Under Pressure" tour in 1984

FAVORITE BAND OF ALL-TIME:

Rush with Depeche Mode coming in a close second.

1. What do you like best about living in Cleveland?

Cleveland has a great parks system that I spend all my free time in hiking, biking, and jogging. Even in the Winter they keep the paved trails plowed. We have some great concert venues here too with House Of Blues and the Agora. And then there's the Cavs!

2. What is your favorite part of your job?

The creative part -- writing imaging, coming up with cool contests, and fun, interactive things for the listeners to do with bands. And I still like listening to and discovering new music. That's why I got into this in the first place.

3. What are you most passionate about?

The final product. I'm very detail-oriented and protective of the station and what comes out of the speakers. We are very interactive with the listeners through e-mail, texts, Twitter, Facebook, and all of the other outlets. I'm always e-mailing and talking to listeners, I really do care what they think. Whether they're trying to figure out the name of a song we played or asking why we play "Sex On Fire" 45 times a day, I'm here for them.

4. Why did the station shift to Radio 92.3?

Radio 92.3 was a concept we had quite a while ago. We had kicked the idea around but the timing was never right. I'm a big fan of stations like WRFF and WBOS -- these stations are putting the focus back on the music and keeping the chatter to an absolute minimum (if any at all). When December of 2008 rolled around, we revived the idea, the landscape in the market was right for it, so we did it. Plus, WRFF and WBOS are killing it in PPM! We're just a few months away from PPM in Cleveland, so why not start positioning yourself now instead of scrambling when the meters become active.

5. How has the station changed musically in the past year?

We lost the agro Active end of it. It's a much more listenable station, as evidenced by our huge TSL in the Winter '09 book. It's all Alternative hits from the '00s, the '90s, and even the '80s. Hearing a '80s track from The Police or U2 really balances out an hour. We really don't play many more currents than we ever did. I'm very patient with songs; I'm not going to hop on a track just because I like it. The market doesn't call for that. If it did, entire new CDs from Silversun Pickups, Depeche Mode, and Audrey Sessions would be on the air 24/7!

6. What were the highlights of the Winter '09 Book for the station?

Huge Cume and TSL, great Adult 18-34 numbers, and very consistent throughout all dayparts.

7. How would you describe the radio landscape in your market?

There's a TON of talk in the market, another thing that really makes Radio 92.3 stand out. We're the complete opposite of every station in Cleveland!

8. What are you most proud of since joining the station?

Being here and watching Rover's show grow when we were Xtreme Radio was really cool. Rover was no one when he got to Cleveland. When he first started here, he played music during his show. Just watching it get bigger month to month was exciting.

I'm very proud of the "transformation" to Radio 92.3. It was a lot of work, but we assembled a great team to help out and had complete backing and faith from Dan Mason and Greg Strassell. The buzz on the station is so massive, something I've never seen before. People really dig it and they "get" how it works.... The interactive end of it they really get. It's a blast being here. And then being on the ground floor and helping a lot of bands early in their careers was fun. Trapt broke out of Cleveland. Three Days Grace's first US show was for us opening for Vendetta Red and their first US interview was with me. Same thing with 30 Seconds To Mars. It's exciting.

9. What stands out the most about your first few days in radio?

Oh man... it probably was, "What name am I going to use?" It's what I always wanted to do since I was a tyke and I couldn't believe I was finally doing it. I have the air check from my very first time on the air. It's soooo bad. I listened to it once a few years ago and then packed it away in a time capsule so no one can hear it for another 100 years.

10. What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?

Be honest and stay focused.

What music do you listen to when you are away from the station?

I listen to '80s and '90s alternative, before alternative was a format. And of course lots of Our Lady Peace and 30 Seconds To Mars. Plus, being a drummer, tons of Rush and Genesis. Our Lady Peace has a new single and CD coming out and it's some of their best work ever.