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10 Questions with ... Kenny Jay
June 2, 2008
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NAME:Kenny JayTITLE:Early afternoon talent, Music Director, APD, substitute mascot.STATION:WWQM Q106MARKET:Madison WI #99COMPANY:Mid-West Family BroadcastingBORN:Milwaukee, Sconnie 9/15RAISED:Milwaukee
Please outline your radio career so far:
1998-2003: PD, everything guy at WDMP/Dodgeville, WI
2003-2007: PD, lots of hats guy at KQYB/La Crosse, WI
2007-present: WWQM/Madison1) Why did you get into radio in the first place?
I was the kid who always had the radio on. I couldn't believe that people did that for a living and got paid for it. I was the guy who recorded my favorite jingles, sweepers and songs and dubbed them together on tapes. I grew up on WKTI, Hot102, and Brewers games in Milwaukee, and AM1000 in Chicago. Reitman and Mueller were my radio heroes. I learned a ton interning in high school at WZOK in Rockford and college at K102 in the cities.
2) You seem to be really passionate about music. How do you choose the new songs you add, and what are some of your general goals as a music director?
I listen to just about everything I get. I listen to full CDs whenever I'm at my desk. Every song has to pass a few tests to make it to the stack that goes to the music meeting. As an MD, I love huge TSL numbers. That's music satisfaction! I shoot for consistent logs, am never content with selector and I always keep my eyes and ears open on the local music scene.
3) And following up on that, who are some of the newer acts that you are high on and why?
As in spankin' new - I've seen it first hand here in Madison that Rissi Palmer is a star. The new Jimmy Wayne and Darius Rucker singles are great! I have high hopes for Lady A, Jason Michael Carroll, and Julianne Hough. We are getting a good crop of music now that is setting us up well for fall as we battle for listeners with sports, the election and Christmas music.
4) We know you are a Bon Jovi fan. What do you think about their crossover to Country music, and how do you feel about crossovers in general?
Bon Jovi brought us a hit song. We gave him the shot in the arm he needed. It's too bad that they didn't release some of the other great country songs on the Lost Highway CD. As for crossovers in general, bring us a hit song! The name alone isn't going to make you a country star; you have to deliver just like any other artist. It's a win-win when we get a hit song from a crossover, and I'm all for it.
5) What was the first concert you ever attended - do you remember? What great shows have you seen lately?
My first concert was Weird Al Yankovic. Yep. You laugh, but it was a great show! I'll admit I own the box set. The Garth medley at GRS was amazing, so was the Trisha Yearwood set at CRS. I really enjoy the Storytellers shows we put together at Q106 for St. Jude as well. You get some magical moments with the right combination of artists.
6) I'm sure you guys stay busy over there at the station, and you MUST need an extra hand sometimes. What full-time position would you add to your budget if it were allowed?
I'd like a Q106 web design person. We would have to come up with a fancy title, but ideally it's a radio person from the programming side who can do anything with a computer. Their job would be brainstorm and execute innovative ideas for the web that are programming and sales friendly and feed us unique content to make our site a destination every day. They get bonus points if they can fill in on air.
7) You've probably learned a lot as a programmer, but I'm sure there are some skills you'd like to be stronger at. Which area of this business would you like to improve on the most?
Networking. I do it here and there, but wish I could clear more time to do it consistently. Hopefully writing this will help me get better at it. It doesn't matter if you are working weekends midnight to 6 in Kilkenny, MN or you're a VP of programming for 13 states - lets chat.
8) What is your favorite part about working in radio? Least favorite?
At the end of the day, no matter where you work, this is radio. We get to be on the air, meet the stars and be part of people's everyday lives. We get paid to broadcast live, listen to music, go to concerts, and do charity work. This sure as heck beats roofing a house in the middle of summer, framing a house in the middle of winter, selling shoes or building websites. (I've done them all!)
The least? There are a lot of people in this business that are very bitter about the state of radio today and other radio professionals. Read the paragraph above and remember that regular people would love to have our "jobs."
9) One cool thing that you guys did this past year was host the "Madison CMA Awards," featuring Taylor Swift and Rissi Palmer. Tell us how this came about and tell us about the event in general.
The show is actually celebrating its 20-year anniversary this year, so at this point we are adding our touches to it to make it bigger and better every year. It's the original fan voted awards show! We take the CMA ballot, add three local categories and a local hall of fame winner and then take the ballot all over Madison to get votes. You have to vote to get free tickets.
10) There's a lot of great music out there right now and only so many slots available each week on playlists. What songs slipped through the cracks that should have been hits in your opinion?
Some of these weren't released, but the list includes Tim McGraw "Telluride," and "Sing Me Home." I also loved Keith Urban - "Jeans On," Yankee Grey - "That Would Be Me," Brad Paisley - "It Did" and Trent Willmon - "The Good Life." I've got a few dozen more in my mp3 collection.
Bonus Questions
1) What are you currently jamming to on your iPod or CD player?
I got a Napster mp3 player for free, and I've only used it twice. I have a CD player in my car, and I've used it only a handful of times. I listen to the radio all the time. I have the dial guide in my head from northern Illinois all the way to the Twin Cities. I enjoy radio and hearing other stations. Musically besides Country I have a lot of 90's Pop and Rock - STP, The Refreshments, Everclear, Hootie & The Blowfish and the Gin Blossoms.
2) Have you seen any good movies lately?
Superbad! I don't see a lot of movies or TV.
3) You live in Wisconsin, so we gotta ask - what is your favorite kind of cheese?
I can't say I have a favorite cheese. When I think Wisconsin I think the Packers, Brewers, and Badgers. I think great beer and beautiful scenery. I enjoy that stuff a lot!
4) What actor would you want to play Kenny Jay in the new movie, "The Kenny Jay Story"? Who would be the female lead? How about Mary Lynne O'Neal?
Tom Cruise before he went crazy. Wow, this would be a movie on the same level as "Glitter," I'll give you time to reconsider putting your name next to this potential bomb!
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