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10 Questions with ... Bryan O'Neal
September 13, 2005
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NAME:Bryan O'NealPOSITION:Program DirectorSTATION:101.9 Spirit FM - KTSLMARKET:Spokane, WACOMPANY:Pamplin BroadcastingBORN:Portland, ORRAISED:Portland, OR
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
First job 1972, KPAM-AM/FM Mainstream Top 40, Portland, OR. 1977-83 62KGW Portland, Top 40. Discovered CCM, had 30-minute Sunday night show playing all the newest stuff from 1978. KCNR, Portland 1983-86, back to 62 KGW 86-89. Founded The Hook Factory, hook service for the mainstream 86-97. K-LOVE Network 94-98, KPAM Portland 98-2001 and then Air1 Network 2001- June 2005 (PD from 2002). Currently PD at KTSL - Spokane. I know you said brief but that's 34 years!
1. What was your first job in radio?
My first job was running Sunday morning tapes in Portland on KPAM - AM/FM. That worked into a part-time then full-time shift after a year.
Early influences? My friend Jim Donovan who got me into this business and the KPAM PD at the time (1972) John Sebastian (who later went on to be a very successful programming consultant).
2. Describe your role on the morning show?
My role is the anchor/info guy/smart alec. My co-host Lorenda Rae has to try and keep me in line.
3. What does Christian Radio need to do in order to break through to a mass audience on a more consistent basis?
At the risk of sounding like a broken record... We need to stop being so exclusively Christian in our approach. You only preach to the choir, your only gonna get the choir to hear you. You know how that mainstream station and its jocks sound like your best friend and cultivate a relationship with listeners? WE NEED TO DO THAT! This is sometimes a hard concept for people to hear but we need to stop flag waving the fact that we are Christians, and start LIVING like Christians.
Pastor Ray Stedman in his book "Authentic Christianity" has a very good point when he writes..."Many Churches (and some individual Christians) keep very careful records on how many converts they make to Christianity, but never keep any record of how many they drive away. Fairness would seem to dictate that both sides of the ledger should be maintained." That's powerful stuff. Do we just talk to the "Christians" on the air? Or, do we communicate to anyone who might be listening? Do we hit them over the head with "religiosity" or plant the first seeds of a relationship? Christianity is about a "relationship" with Jesus. Our business sometimes forgets that and falls back on "religiosity." I better quit preaching now...I could go on and on.
4. What is your most memorable on-air moment?
The day we finished our 2nd fundraiser for Cambodian orphans when I was at Air1 and realized that our listeners funded 14 Church / Orphan homes in Cambodia. They gave about $ 110,000. the first time and nearly $200,000 the second time That immediately changed the world for those children and the adults who now had a church to go to. It affected perhaps 3-4,000 people for life.
5. If you could have any job outside the music business, what would it be?
I used to say I'd be a detective when this question came up. Now, It's photojournalist. I'd love to travel the world with my camera.
6. If you were just starting out in radio toady, but you knew what you know now, would you continue forward?
Absolutely, but with one addition: I would have bought lots of real estate in the 70's.
7. What is the most precious memory of your life so far?
That has to be the births of my 3 children. Each one a gift from God.
8. What book have you read that has touched you or taught you the most?
"The God Who Hung On A Cross" by Dois Rosser. Dois founded International Cooperating Ministries to plant churches all over the world. I had the opportunity to go to Vietnam and Cambodia with him and see it first hand. It was life changing.
9. What's in your CD player right now?
Hawk Nelson, Jeremy Camp, Toby Mac, Matthew West. Building 429.
10. Do you have Musical Guilty Pleasures?
Yes... Adult Standards, you know, Music Of Your Life kind of stuff. Haven't yet figured out how to sandwich Andy Williams or Tony Bennett in between Kutless and Jeremy Camp and make it come out okay for the audience.
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