10 Questions with ... Derek Gunn

NAME:Derek Gunn TITLE:APD/MD Promotion Director/Promotion Manager of Citadel/Reno STATION:KBUL MARKET:Reno COMPANY:Citadel Communications Company BORN:Portland, OR RAISED:Dundee, OR

Please outline your radio career so far:

I was the intern at Citadel/Eugene for 9 months during college in 1999/2000. I graduated in June of 2000, and moved to Reno to work for KBUL and Citadel/Reno, where I started as a Promotion Director, then moved up to APD/MD and Promotion Manager of our four-station cluster.

1) What/who influenced you to get into radio?

That's a good story. I was a business major in college, but I was TERRIBLE at math, and to major in business, you have to take a ton of math. About two years into college I realized I would either flunk out or I had to change my major. I changed it to Journalism, and two years later they told me I had to get an internship to get a Journalism job in the 'real world'. Long story short --I found a radio internship at Citadel in Eugene, OR, and Wendy Wintrode (my first boss) sold me on the business and what it was all about. About halfway through my internship, she quit and I was suddenly in charge of a three-station promotion department. When I graduated I got the job in Reno, and the rest is history.

2) Does Reno have much of a Country scene? What makes your station and market stand out among others?

Reno does have a big country scene, but it has definitely changed over the years. Reno has experienced a HUGE population boom over the past 6-7 years, with a huge influx of people moving from California - especially the bay area (which is not necessarily known for its country population). Ten years ago, Reno was much more about good ol' boys and down home living. These days, it's more about pop culture, celebrity news and reality TV. Don't get me wrong - people will still pack a Tim McGraw show that comes to town. The difference is they've traded in their Wranglers and cowboy hats for Lucky Jeans and Coach purses.

3) Has the advent of Satellite Radio affected things in Reno?

Satellite Radio is definitely an option for our listeners--but so are CDs and an iPod. Music is music is music, and music definitely drives the country format. The difference between local radio and Satellite Radio is Satellite Radio is ONLY about music, and local radio is about being local. Local news, local 'heart strings,' local traffic, local concerts, local events, local personalities - radio is local, and as long as we stay local and deliver something Satellite can't, we have nothing to worry about. If you don't believe me, just look at DirecTV. Six years ago, I made the jump and got DirecTV at my house, even though at that point I couldn't get 'local channels' through them. The price and all the other channels they offered was worth it to me to give up the local channels, so I went on with my life and watched Los Angeles news every night. As the days and weeks went on, I realized there was something missing - and apparently, I wasn't the only one, because not too long after that, DirecTV added local channels at no extra charge to my service and added to all their TV spots 'now with local channels free of charge.' My point is, you can't replace that local feel - and that is something Satellite Radio will never be able to provide.

4) What is your favorite thing about your job? And least??

My favorite part about my job is the music. I'm seriously a dork. Monday night, I sit on my laptop before bed, hit refresh on my email and wait for that new music chart to come out. Sure, I could wait until the next morning and read it then, but I truly love the music, and can't wait to see what went up, what went down and where my favorite songs measure up.

My least favorite part of my job is all the details. Part of my responsibilities is to always be the person with all the answers and all the details. Every so often, I just want to be the guy who gets told where to be at an event and when, and then just show up in a KBUL t-shirt and have everything be set up, all the details taken care of and I can just show up and smile!

5) What is your dream job outside of radio?

Marketing and/or Event Director at a major sports or events facility - i.e., a basketball or concert arena.

6) What do you plan to do differently this year regarding work and family? How do you juggle things? We know that you have a young son that you love spending time with.

Radio these days (especially with consolidation) is and has been about wearing multiple hats and having multiple responsibilities. That being said, there are 24 hours in a day, and many parts of my job can be done from outside the office. Technology has helped a lot with this flexibility. I'm a single dad, and have a six-year-old son, and at times it's not easy. There are times when he goes to work with me on a Saturday, or at night, or to an event, and thankfully, he's to the age now when he can help out and/or entertain himself. Back when he was in a stroller and had diapers, it was definitely a different story! I have a job to do and do right every time, but thankfully radio allows me to be flexible in my hours to accommodate my other responsibilities while still getting the job done.

7) What's your take on current music? Is it as good as say, six months ago? Better than it was? Same? Elaborate please!

That's a good question, and a tough one too! Here's the way I look at it. Today, I looked at my stack of singles I am not yet playing on the shelf behind me, and it continues to grow. Every day I get singles in the mail - some from artists I know, some from artists I don't know. When I do music this Thursday, there are very few (if any) of those singles that I feel 'I have to' or should be playing. That's what it's about - music always drives the format. Six months ago each music Thursday, there were several songs I felt comfortable (if not compelled to) with playing if I had a slot open. That tells me that the music today (overall) is not as strong as it has been in the past. The core artists are still putting out the hits, but overall, there doesn't seem to be as many pure hits as there used to be.

8) In your opinion, what is the greatest song ever that never made it as a hit?

Pontiacs by Amanda Wilkinson. She performed it live (acoustic - just her and two players) in 2004 at a KBUL local access channel show in front of 10,000 people, and for those four minutes she owned the crowd, more than I've ever seen (especially for a new unknown artist). Two years later she released it, and for KBUL and our listeners that were familiar with her, it was a hit. Rebecca Lynn Howard also released it in the past couple years, and unfortunately, neither version made it. I've still got it on my iPod, and I listen to it every week!

9) Favorite artist that you have met?

Keith Urban, this past September at a show in Salt Lake City. Our midday guy and I drove seven hours for a quick road trip to see a great show and get out of town. Before the show, we went to the 'Keith backstage experience' where Keith comes in to talk and hang with the radio folks. I introduced myself to him and the first words out of his mouth are 'Reno-man, what is that like a seven hour drive?' He then spent the next 10 minutes thanking us for driving all that way to see his show and telling us all about his newly designed live stage show, and his life with Nicole and visiting her on the set of her latest film. He was real, which is something you don't always get these days - especially with superstar artists. He was genuinely excited we came to see his show, excited about his show and all the aspects of it. What a great guy! I'm going to see him again in March in Sacramento, and I can't wait!

10) Most surprising record of the past 12 months?

Tim and Faith's 'I Need You.' I know, how can I name a song by two superstar artists (and say it's surprising) you may ask? Curb releases 'I Need You' - a typical Tim/Faith ballad - and it moves up the charts and sells some product, but by no means sets any records. Then came May 15th, 2007. It was a total surprise when that curtain went up at the ACMs and Tim McGraw broke into 'If You're Reading This,' the smash hit he had written just a few weeks before. In the days that followed, although the label fought it, the demand for 'If You're Reading This' could not be denied, and eventually the song was digitally re-mastered (from it's original live performance) and 'officially' released as a single - all the while with 'I Need You' moving up the charts. 'If You're Reading This' shot up the chart as a true 'event song,' and still, 'I Need You' hung around. By the end, 'I Need You' made it past the top 10, and to this day, is a recurrent on KBUL - thus proving that a hit record is a hit record, even when a poorly timed (as far as the immediate CD sales and chart position are concerned) event song is introduced by the same artist.

1) What are you jamming to on your iPod?

I went to a Foo Fighters show last Friday night with a bunch of friends. It was a bit out of my element, but I really dug it. Dave Grohl rocked the place, and now I've got a few of their hits jamming on the iPod! Love 'em!

2) What's your favorite junk food?

Italian Calzone from Papa Murphy's. They just built a new one on the way home, and I've got their number programmed into my cell. Let's just say they know me by first name.

3) After you get your paycheck are you ever tempted to drop by the casinos and throw it all on No. 7?

Seriously, casinos are for the tourists. If you live in Reno, sure you gamble a little, but my definition of gambling is putting a $10 in a Game King and playing Bonus Poker every couple weeks. 'Real gambling' with their paycheck at a table or the roulette table is for tourists, and those who don't want to make their house payment this year!