-
10 Questions with ... Tom Leykis
August 3, 2010
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Spent 30 years in talk radio in markets such as Albany, New York, Miami, Florida, Phoenix, Arizona, Boston, Massachusetts, and Los Angeles. A format change sent me to utilize my skills in a different content platform.
1. How did you first become interested in radio?
I began listening to radio under the pillow late at night to drown out the sound of my parents arguing. Radio continued to be my escape in the years when I waited on the front steps for my father, who took forever dodging expressway traffic to come home from work. I listened to my local stations and imagined that one day I would escape from the suburbs into the speaker, much like Alice in Wonderland escaped into the looking glass. I wanted to be down at the radio station where, it seemed, all the cool people were and all the cool stuff was happening. I wanted to be Dan Ingram and work at WABC.
2. After 30 years in Talk Radio, why did you decide to launch New Normal Music on July 1st?
I wanted the world to know that I was more than an outrageous radio personality. I am a businessman, a marketing specialist, and a tactician. Most people, even those who work alongside us in the radio business itself, believe that we with huge personas are no more than cartoon characters. I have much more to offer and the creation of New Normal Music is a way to demonstrate that. And I believe that this format could prove to be phenomenally profitable, which is why I have invested heavily in it.
3. What does "New Normal Music" mean and how would you describe the music you are playing?
The name is derived from my company, The New Normal. The term "the new normal" is a reference to the way many people believe that things were better in the past and what we can expect things to be like in the future. The music we play is the music that we believe will be mainstream in the future. The "old normal" is Nirvana and Red Hot Chili Peppers. The "new normal" is LCD Soundsystem and Cloud Nothings. Core artists include Wavves, The Thermals, Ted Leo, Of Montreal, Surfer Blood, Taylor Locke & The Roughs, Sleigh Bells, Free Energy, and The Apples In Stereo.
4. Who are you targeting?
Our target audience is people whose parents still listen to Pearl Jam, Nirvana and Weezer. Males and females, 12-34.
5. Explain why you kicked off the stations with 50,000 songs in a row, none more than 12 months old?
We want the world to know that our focus is music, and it's the music of people who are tech-savvy and who will go anywhere and do whatever they have to do to get the music they want. The imaging of "50,000 songs in a row" has brought thousands of people to our website who couldn't remember our name. Many simply type in "50,000 songs" or "50,000 in a row" and they end up on our site. It's something that, due to the continuing lousy economy, radio can't afford to do. Even we can only afford it because our costs are so low.
As for none older than 12 months old, I do believe that many music formats forget that the target audience for alternative or rock stations was once 18-34. When stations feature Nirvana or Sublime or, worse yet, new wave bands of the 80s, they're playing the music of the parents instead of what should be their target demographic. We're coming for your children!
6. How much library music will you end up playing?
Our library will not extend beyond 12 months. We are committed to playing new music and as many new artists as possible. It can be very tempting to keep playing the most popular tracks years after their first appearances, but eventually you start sounding like a radio station. Many of these tracks will be played by mainstream alternative and indie radio stations six months from now, and we don't want to compete with them in any way. We want to embrace what is new as soon as we can get our hands on it. Also, this means that most of our content will remain relatively proprietary, which is critical in the wireless world.
7. Who is part of the New Normal Music staff?
Other than myself, our staff includes my former engineer at CBS and KUFO/Portland jock, music director (and primary imaging voice) Art Webb, imaging voices Tai Irwin (formerly Morning Guy Tai at WFNX and WZLX/Boston), Marylee Kelly (formerly KSCA/Los Angeles and now with Entercom/Boston), and Tim Riley (KUFO/Portland) and night jock Zack Schulz. Other than that, we hire out for IT and technical assistance.
8. Why are you opposed to people calling New Normal Music a radio station?
It's because New Normal Music is NOT a radio station. We do things commercial radio won't do. We play 50,000 songs in a row. We play countless new artists that radio hasn't taken a chance on yet. We don't have eight stations crammed into a space in a strip mall that looks more like an insurance company office than an arm of the entertainment industry. We don't even have an office. We don't play double shots or six packs of anything, nor will we make listeners endure six or seven minute stopsets, even when we start selling advertising.
We treat music as special and fun, not something that's been researched to within an inch of its life. We don't give away key chains or beer coozies on a "prize van." And, unlike some stations, we're not "playing what we want"...we're playing what our listeners want. This is not to say that I don't love radio...as you can tell, I really do. It's been my life for over 30 years I should say also that our ultimate goal is to simultaneously do a 24/7 version of New Normal Music for radio called New Normal Radio which we will offer in syndication, without a single satellite dish.
9. What will make New Normal Music successful?
The bar for New Normal Music is extremely low. Our costs are microscopic, and so we don't have to jam in hundreds of spots or even get huge rates. We can make a profit selling spots for 99 cents, although we plan to charge considerably more than that when we begin to sell spots. For me to consider New Normal Music a success, we only need to make a profit, and a one dollar annual profit which would put us ahead of many content providers who are currently underwater. You know who you are.
10. What would surprise people most about you?
What would surprise people about me is that such a controversial foreground personality can maintain such a low profile while creating a totally new and different commercial music format.
Bonus Questions
What are your hobbies?
I am a fanatic NHL hockey fan, a Laker fan, and a Dodger fan. I tend to a 20 acre ranch in the very area where the movie "Sideways" was filmed. I love to travel to wine country locations around the world. I am a fanatical reader and I am fascinated with gadgets and technology. I also love watching infomercials with friends and providing my own special narration. (Did you know that there are Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You To Know About?)
Last non-industry job?
My last non-industry job was working in customer service for Citibank's Visa division in New York and answering their 800 number. As a result of my low wages, my girlfriend at the time changed the locks while I was out and told me to call her when I "got a better job". Did I do okay, sweetie?
First record ever purchased?
My first record purchased was "Meet The Beatles." I loved watching the colors change as the Capitol label on the record spun. Oh yeah, and it was The Beatles.
First concert?
On my 15th birthday, I attended George Harrison's Concert for Bangla Desh at Madison Square Garden in New York. How many people get to relive their first concert experience every three months during Beg-A-Thon week on their local PBS station?
Favorite band of all-time?
I get tired of hearing even great music until it's been fried crispy. My favorite band is usually someone great who I had never heard of before until recently. I will say that I loved seeing the Rolling Stones simply because there is barely a song they played that I didn't know and love at one time or another.
-
-