10 Questions with ... Mike Moore

NAME:Mike Moore TITLE:PD & Entercom Director Of Country Programming STATION:KWJJ MARKET:Portland, OR COMPANY:Entercom BORN:Omaha, NE RAISED:Minneapolis, MN

Please outline your radio career so far:

I have programmed legendary stations like WWKA in Orlando, WWYZ in Hartford, WSIX in Nashville and now KWJJ/The Wolf in Portland. Before that I worked in a variety of formats and positions in places like Washington, DC, New Orleans, Omaha and Spokane.

1) Why did you originally want to be in radio?

I started in radio by doing voice impersonations for morning shows in my hometown of Minneapolis and around the country.

I was the voice of President Ronald Reagan, Robin Leach (Lifestyles Of The Rich & Famous) and others. John Hines, who is a legendary morning guy in Minneapolis, was the one who really gave me my start. Also, I wanted to get into the business because it sounded fun and I thought the guys on the radio were cool.

2) With your new position at Entercom as head of programming (belated congrats by the way!), how have your day-to-day duties changed?

They really haven't changed that much. I am still directly responsible for KWJJ/The Wolf in Portland, but now I get to work more closely with the other great Country PDs in our company. I sort of operate as an in-house consultant, but frankly I'm sure that I learn as much from our other programmers as they learn from me. We're fortunate to have the group we do.

3) How hard is it to manage your time between dealing with other stations and then your responsibilities in Portland?

Again, it's not that hard. When I have to travel to one of our other markets I am fortunate to have a wonderful team here in Portland that keeps this thing on the road while I'm out. It's really forced me to become a better time manager.

4) Previous to moving to Portland you were here in Nashville at WSIX (the Big 98) for a long time- what was the transition like from Music City to the beautiful Northwest?

Actually, I would have to say that moving to the Great Northwest has been the best move of my career! We've had tremendous success in Portland, Entercom is the best company I've ever worked for and I am truly excited about the success that our other country properties are having. What we've accomplished in Seattle, San Francisco and Greensboro is nothing short of amazing. As for Nashville, of course I miss the people. Gerry House, Keith Kaufman, other people at WSIX and many folks in the music industry will be life-long friends. I also miss some of the excitement that goes along with being in the heart of it all (hearing new music first, getting a call from Tim McGraw while I was sitting at my desk, having Jay DeMarcus from Rascal Flatts call into the request line to ask us to play one of their songs, etc.).

5) On a personal level what do you love most about where you are now and what do you miss most from your time in Nashville?

I think the question above sort of covers it.

6) Tell us about your all-star staff at KWJJ.

My morning show, Mike & Amy, have been at the station for eight years and they are fantastic! They, along with our news person, Jolynn Winter, are truly funny and are as plugged into pop culture as any show on the radio, regardless of the format. They are an extremely talented group. In middays we have Savannah Jones, who also serves as my Music Director. There are no strangers in Savannah's world. If she's working an event she will literally meet everyone in attendance and immediately make them feel like a friend. I have a new afternoon show that just started. His name is Kris Valentine, and he came to us from KYGO in Denver. I am confident this guy is going to be a superstar for us. At night we have AJ Maguire, who personifies today's young Country listener. He does a listener interactive, entertaining show. Last, but certainly not least is my Marketing & Promotions Director Leslie Pfau, who is truly my right arm. She and her assistant Liz Horning keep everything organized and make sure The Wolf looks great where ever we go.

7) iPods, iPhones, cell-phones, Blackberry's, video games, satellite radio- how does KWJJ cut through all the noise to remain relevant and compelling?

We are very listener involved on the air and off. Whether it's interacting with our audience on the phone over the air, via email, text messaging, at a station event, a concert, or by raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for our local children's hospital, we look for opportunities to touch the audience in a unique one-on-one way. Radio, when it's performing best is unbeatable at creating REAL relationships with our local audience. That's tough to do with an iPod, Blackberry, video game or satellite radio.

8) We asked a couple of other programmers this and had some interesting feedback- with the business model changing in the record industry, CD sales were down over 16% last year for Country. What we gained in download purchases has not been enough to overcome the CD losses. What would you do if you were Joe Galante or Luke Lewis?

First of all, Joe and Luke are smart guys so I'm sure they'll figure it out, but I'm not sure I'm qualified to answer that question. My guess is that everyone in the music business now wishes they would have embraced Napster rather than shutting it down. I think they need to do a better job of educating the public that music is a valuable commodity, and that it isn't something people should expect to get for free. The music business, like the radio business, is facing a time of tremendous change. It my firm belief that in difficult times the truly great leaders will shine.

9) What would be your fantasy job if you were not in broadcasting?

I grew up idolizing Johnny Carson, so I guess I would have loved to have been a talk show host. However, my looks are better suited for radio. I guess that's still broadcasting, what can I say; it must be in my blood.

10) What new artists are you high on, and how do you feel about the music in general right now?

I love Dierks Bentley, but I guess he's not really new. I think what Taylor Swift has accomplished is great for our format. I'm a big fan of the new Lost Trailers single, "Holler Back," and I am very excited about Lady Antebellum. (Wow, two Capitol acts, Jimmy Harnen's going to be thrilled.) Overall, I am excited about the music we have to choose from now. We have great new music from established acts like George Strait, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts and Kenny Chesney, but we also have some terrific music from new acts to be excited about.

1) What do you and your lovely wife Stephanie do for fun in Portland?

We spend a lot of our time entertaining our three-year-old daughter Madison. This a great place for kids - there's a wonderful zoo and a children's museum. Plus, skiing in the mountains and the Oregon coast are close by. We are also fortunate to have made some wonderful friends who have nothing to do with the music or radio business. (Hey, everyone needs a break sometimes.)

2) What are you jamming to in your iPod or player right now aside from Country?

I know this is pretty boring, but Country music is pretty much what I listen to. I am a true fan of this format.

3) What's your favorite junk food?

I don't know if this qualifies as "junk food", but I could eat Chinese food every day.

4) Do you and Stephanie have any pets?

No pets - our daughter keeps us busy enough. Although, I'm afraid that she will want a pet at some point because she loves animals.