10 Questions with ... Dave Arthur

1. Starting from the beginning, what stops have you made on your radio career journey that's brought you to your current gig at KTSY?

As many of us have, I've had many stops along the way. The first gig being a little AM radio station in Boise, KSPD, 35 years ago. It played a combination of "Contemporary Christian Music" and programs like Focus On The Family, etc. It was a great place to cut my teeth and learn important things, like how to thread a reel-to-reel machine, record carts, balance a tone arm and demagnetize tape heads. I would dream of someday having a full-time CCM station on the FM dial in Boise and doing the morning show. I went on to Top 40 radio at stations like KISS-FM, KF95 and Magic 93.1 all in Boise. Had a short, two-year stint in Eastern Washington programing my first Christian music station (KTWY) before heading back to Boise for a programming gig with Clear Channel. In 2000, we moved to Portland to take over the morning show at Air1. But it was just a year later I had the honor of joining Salem Communications on the original team at 104.1 The Fish in Portland. Some of my favorite people in my life are through my relationships there. I look back at my 11 years at programming The Fish as some of my greatest years of personal growth in my career. Regularly connecting with my fellow programmers challenged my way of thinking. In Fall 2010, while I was in my hometown of Boise fundraising at KTSY, Brian Yeager, the GM, said I should just move back home to Boise and take over mornings at KTSY. That began a long conversation. It was a year and a half later that my family and I returned to Boise to do mornings at KTSY, fulfilling a dream I had when I was 16!

2. What got you into radio in the first place? Are you doing what you dreamed of doing as a child?

Radio was all ever dreamed of doing as a kid. My early years were spent in the Chicago area and listened to WLS all the time! All I knew is that I wanted to do what they were doing.

3. You've been doing radio for most of your life, but was there ever a time (including now) that you've considered another line of work? What would it be if you weren't doing radio?

I've always been a car nut. I'm the guy that will help you find a good deal on a car or help you repair the one you have: brakes, tune-ups, etc. Restoring classics and hot rods would be a blast.

4. Who are some of the people who have made the biggest impact on your life, both in the radio world and outside of it?

I'm fortunate to have a dad who has encouraged me my whole life and today is the man I look up to, who is a friend, a brother and always someone I can go to for anything I'm going through. Professionally, Chuck Finney was someone who really challenged my thinking in programming when we worked together at Salem. John Frost is another programming great who's always made me answer the question, "Well, what are you trying to accomplish?!?" And for the past six years, Tommy Kramer dismantled and rebuilt me from an on-air perspective. I wish I'd had Tommy coaching me 35 years ago!

5. You've seen and done a lot throughout your 35 years in the business. What are some of your go-to stories when people ask about your history as a radio programmer and personality?

People love to ask who I've met...and that is a long list. Then there's the stories of the things I've been able to do simply because of my job. The fun stories include being blown up with "Captain Dynamite" after a ballgame, doing eight 'Gs' with the Blue Angels on my half-hour flight, flying with the Red Barons, and also being the very first to play "Baby Got Back" on the air! When I was at Magic 93.1, we had Michael Damian (Danny from The Young & the Restless) come for an outdoor concert. Within the first 30 second of his first song, some guy rushed the stage and took Michael down. I was the first to get to Michael and begin pulling the guy off of him. Damian's lawyer thanked me for saving his life! Oh yeah, lawyers got involved on that one!

6. Is it easier or harder to get up every day and put together a great morning show at this point in your career? What do you enjoy most about hosting a morning show in this season?

Let's start with the fact that there is nothing easy about getting up at 3:15am every day. Thankfully, when I'm up, I'm up. Now and then, I have a hard time getting going-but for the most part, I'm thankful I have the personality that I'm pretty happy at any hour of the day. Challenges include making sure our breaks matter to our listener and that we're not wasting anyone's time. If I need to be challenged in any area of my show, I just ask Tommy Kramer! LOL!

7. What do you enjoy most about hosting a morning show this season?

What I love the most is that what we do makes a difference for someone today. And because I'm doing what I love, I've never worked a day in my life. I still look forward to coming in every day.

8. Is there a format you've worked that you'd say has been your favorite? Why?

Well having spent the majority of my career in Christian music, it'd be easy to assume that this is my favorite format... and you'd be right! Its more than just playing fun music, its pointing people to Christ and helping our listeners through a stressful day and celebrating with them on the great days in their lives! I used to host a flashback show and have to say a guilty pleasure is 70s and 80s music!

9. Without regard to format or genre, what are the artists you'd invite to the two-day Daveapalooza Festival?

Oh man. Toby Mac for sure! He brings the party. MercyMe. Matthew West. Boston. Doobie Brothers. Billy Joel. Phil Keaggy. for King & Country. Ryan Stevenson. Lauren Daigle. Needtobreathe. Jeremy Camp. ABBA. Elton John. Queen. The Eagles.

10. Outside of radio, what's the stuff that matters to you most at this point in your life?

First and foremost, my faith and relationship with Jesus of course. After that, it's my family and my friends. Relationships are all we take from this world. It matters to me that we treat each other with respect and kindness, something that seems lost today. Doing things to help others is important. I love that I can marry that with my job when we do things like turkey drives for the local mission and seeing how it spurs on others to be generous.