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10 Questions with ... Bryan Rhodes
March 14, 2006
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NAME:Bryan RhodesTITLE:Ops Manager Coast Radio GroupSTATIONS:WZKX/ WZNF/ WGCM/ WROA - Kicker 108MARKET:Gulfport, MSCOMPANY:Coast Radio GroupBORN:2/2/60RAISED:Canton, MS
Brief Career Synopsis:
WMGO/CANTON- afternoons and sales (1976-1980)
WHSY/HATTIESBURG- mid days (1980-1981)
WXXX/HATTIESBURG- PD/mornings (1981-1983)
WZKX/GULFPORT- OM/PD/MD/mornings (1983-2006)1) What was your first job in radio? Early influences?
An AM thousand watt daytimer in Canton, MS. It was block formatted, Country in the morning and Top 40 in the afternoon (we shut down at sundown) back in 1976 a lot of the better stations were still AMs and my influence was a couple of guys called "Bert and Kurt" on 62 WJDX/Jackson. Didn't set my sights on being Larry Lujack or any of those guys, if I could be funny like Bert and Kurt I would be in hog heaven. Now I'm an OM and having to worry about ratings and stuff. What's up with that?
2) Can you be a boss and also a friend to your employees?
There's a fine line there. I believe you can be a friend at a distance, but if you get to be to close a friend; you do kind of lose objectivity. Oh, and having to let your best friend go, that's the worst!
3) Of all the skills that you've gained as a programmer, which area are you NOT as strong as you would like to be?
Being able to organize my desk! If I could do that, I could conquer the world!
4) If you are wearing more hats today, than say last year, what area is suffering, and what are you doing about it?
I'm used to wearing a lot of hats but being OM, I'm slowly teaching myself how to let go and let capable people under me take on some projects that I would normally have done. I've found, that to keep my sanity and marriage I have to do that!
5) What do you think of National Contesting? Is it effective?
I am very lucky in that I'm a part of a family owned 28-station chain that hasn't sold out to the big corporations! We've found how to be successful in battling the corporation national contesting is to be honest with the listener and tell them, "hey! No, we're not giving away ten million dollars tomorrow morning at 7am, but we are local and you can call us right here in south Mississippi and win $108!! I think the listener catches on to the fact that they have a better chance to win a smaller amount by hanging with us. But, hey! Small is better than a busy signal for hours!
6) Will the advent of Satellite Radio affect our biz? Explain!
I don't thing that there's any question about that. The question is to what degree? I have a feeling that there will always be a place for local radio. But if you aren't local, look out!
7) What do you like best about your job? Least?
The thing I like best is going in early in the morning and doing our show! The thing I like the least is paperwork!!
8) What can we be doing with our station's web sites to better our stations as a whole?
Putting an adequate feedback page up so listeners can communicate what they want from your radio station that you may not be giving them. It's free research man!
9) What do you plan to differently in the next year regarding work and family?
Spending less time at work and more with the family. As you've heard many times nobody ever made a deathbed confession, "I wish I'd spent more time at work"
10) Who are your programming mentors?
Alan Burns taught me a lot and so has J.J. Jobe (Rusty Walker consultants).
Bonus Questions
1) Do you read...everything? Books, Magazines, etc. Nothing? What's your favorite reading material?
I don't read enough, mostly bathroom stuff.
2) Describe your favorite meal?
Fried anything!
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