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10 Questions with ... Joby Phillips
September 17, 2007
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NAME:Joby PhillipsTITLE:PD/Midday Air TalentSTATION:WCEN-FM 94-5 The MooseMARKET:Saginaw/Bay City/Midland, MICOMPANY:NextMedia Broadcast GroupBORN:June 7, 1971 Columbus, OH (Go Bucks!)RAISED:Columbus, OH
Please outline your radio career so far:
WWHT & WAHC/Columbus, Swing & Night Talent 1992-1994
WLLD/Columbus, Asst. Program Director & Night Talent 1994-1997
WNCI/Columbus, Swing Air Talent 1997
WKSW/Springfield, OH Program Director & Afternoon Drive 1998-2001
WCOL/Columbus, Swing & Interim Night Talent 2001-2004
WCEN/Saginaw, Program Director & Midday Air Talent 2004-Present1) What was your first job in radio? Early influences?
I received my first internship at contemporary Christian WTLT in Columbus in '92. I was able to fairly quickly work my way up to part-time air work on the weekends. It was surreal going from playing Stephen Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith, and then walking across the hall to play Sir Mix-A-Lot and Boys II Men at WWHT. Little-to-no-pay, but I was having the time of my life! And I got to work under and learn from pros like Rob Morris, Harry Legg, Blake Thunder and Mark Bingamin (Geronimo).
2) If you are wearing more hats this year than last, what area is suffering and how are you handling that?
My home life. Even when I'm home, I'm spending 2 or 3 hours on the computer doing music or web site work while my wife is on the couch watching TV. I'm going to have to learn to delegate more soon, as we're expecting our first child in April. Is it possible to burp a baby and run Selector?
3) Besides your own, what is your favorite radio format?
I think Top 40 has gotten better really quick recently. The pop product is very appealing right now. With Avril, Nickleback, Pink and Plain White T's, Top 40 is back on the upswing. I've always wanted to program an adult Top 40 in the manner Nationwide did at WNCI, but I think I'd miss country too much after a week or two.
4) What's your take on current music? Is it as good as six months ago, better, or about the same? Elaborate.
The music is fantastic! It seems like each week I have new music from one of the superstars: Kenny, Rascal, Keith, Tim and now even Garth! I have a plethora of great songs on my desk waiting for space on my play list. Not a bad problem to have at all!
5) If you could add any one full-time position to your budget with no questions asked, what would it be?
We really need a combination web master/promotions assistant/utility air person. I think that would allow me maybe an extra hour of freedom each evening. Our promotions director who is running five stations would kill for a few extra bodies.
6) Tell us what music we would find on your car or home CD player (or turntable) right now and what is it you enjoy about that particular selection?
Currently I sing at the top of my lungs in my car to the greatest hits collections from Tracy Lawrence and Gary Allan (rocks!). When I'm on lengthy trips, I'll listen to new albums or crank up Montgomery Gentry's "You Do Your Thing" album, which is my favorite right now; it has everything: patriotism, party tunes and one of the best love-gone-wrong songs in a long time, "She Loved Me". When I need something different, Aerosmith's "Pump" is always in reach. And can anyone tell me why Jeff Bates and Andy Griggs aren't country mainstays?!? They have been the two most underrated singers in the last decade.
7) Please describe the best or worst promotion you've ever been part of?
Mid-Michigan recently put on its first-ever concert festival, Mountain Country Fest. We knew we needed to marry ourselves to this and were able to swing our own camping area on the grounds for the 4-day event. In addition to giving away camping sites and a camper, we oversold "Moose Camp" ("We're gonna need a bigger boat"). Our morning show was live on Friday from the camp and we went live all day on Saturday as country music lovers from around the state gathered in our area. When each night's concerts were over, everybody (and I mean everybody) made their way to Moose Camp, whether they had accommodations with us or not. We'd have throngs of country fans in our area each night and the buzz and booking for next summer are already off the hook! We're looking to at least triple the size of Moose Camp in '08.
The icing on the cake was that our competition had little to do with the festival as their concert fell just days earlier and all their resources were tied into their 1-day show. We were busy promoting the hell out of Carrie, Gretchen, Joe Nichols, Darryl Worley, Leann Rimes and others as well as 4 nights of camping and partying. Good times!
8) What was the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you at a remote?
When I did nights at "Wild Country" in Columbus, I had 2 to 3 bar gigs each week. In fall of '96, The Ohio State Buckeyes were ranked #1 or #2 in the nation and were blowing out their opponents by a margin of nearly 60-points a game. There was this one dude who came to each of my Friday night gigs wearing this damn Michigan t-shirt. Being a die-hard Buckeye, I had to make an example of him.
I brought him on stage the night before "The Game", and made a little wager. This sorry sap agreed that if my Bucks trounced on his Wolverines he'd be at the club the following Friday wearing OSU boxers and would sing our fight song on stage. He challenged me to host the following Friday in a chicken-head g-string if the scarlet & gray choked. (This g-string was the 2nd most popular thing on our station, as it was a gift from our lady traffic reporter to our afternoon guru, which he proudly had hanging in the studio)
Needless to say, former coach John Cooper is not the most popular person in Columbus. The game wasn't even close at half time. The following week, there I was on stage in this pathetic contraption. There's a great picture somewhere of me up onstage and all these guys at the foot of the stage with these goofy grins and staring at my crotch.
I don't bet on Ohio State football anymore.
9) What are your three favorite artists or songs of this year?
"Starting with Me" by Jake Owen. When the guy comes out of the chute with a one-night stand with his best friend's baby sister, you know it's going to be one helluva country tune!
"Tough" by Craig Morgan. I have a healthy wife, thank God, but when he hits that second verse, it always stops me in my tracks.
"You Still Own Me" by Emerson Drive. I'd been waiting to add this one for a while. Sounds great on air!
10) What approach do you take after a soft book?
Well, the first thing we do is to not freak out. Our spring book was off and we were expecting great things from it. But, it was still our signal's 7th best book overall. There's no need for knee-jerk change or complete retooling. I understand the fallacies of Arbitron and, in addition to that, we're a rim shot signal. The fact that our last book was a disappointment is a positive in that expectations for my team are now at a level they weren't at when I arrived here.
Bonus Questions
1. What singer/performer/artist really inspires you and why?
I don't know if "inspire" is the right term, but did you see the reaction Carrie Underwood had at winning her first big award? It was emotional and natural and something that we don't see very often. Same thing with Taylor Swift when she heard about her CMA nomination recently. It's refreshing to see the innocence and joy from these two. I hope they can always have that sense of excitement. It's great for our format!
2. You're stuck on a deserted island and you get to pick one artist to be stuck with you. Who would it be and don't limit it to our format?
Carrie Underwood. She was my pick for Idol early on and I was supposed to have met her recently at Mountain Country Fest. As time for our meet and greet neared, I realized that I had lost my wedding ring! I double-timed it back to our campsite to find my ring, but during the long hike I missed my meeting. Imagine my wife's reaction had I put off looking for my ring to meet CARRIE!?!?!
3. Do you have any musical guilty pleasures?
On a recent trip, I amazed (or horrified) my wife at my amazing sing-along talents with some Beyonce' and Avril Lavigne tunes, "Hey, you, I don't like your girlfriend."
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