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10 Questions with ... Stix Franklin
May 8, 2006
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NAME:Stix FranklinTITLE:APD/MDSTATIONS:WNCYMARKET:Green Bay, WICOMPANY:Midwest CommunicationsBORN:7/7/68RAISED:Waukesha, WI/ Litchfield, MN
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
WWTC/Minneapolis; Radio Aahs; KOOL 108/Minneapolis; KBLQ/Logan, UT; KKCS/Colorado Springs; WNCY Green Bay/Appleton/Oshkosh
1. What was your first job in radio? Early influences?
I was a board op for the Ray Scott sports talk show on WWTC. Ray was a big influence, just as far as being a professional and respecting your peers. Brian Turner was a big influence as well. He took the time to teach me tricks of the trade any time he could, and was/is one of the smoothest guys I've ever heard on the air.
2. Can you be a boss and also a friend to your employees?
Absolutely! Working with your friends is much more fun. I am proud to call my former PD's Michael Jaye, Gary Landis, and Shannon Stone my friends as well as my current PD Shotgun Shannon.
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!
Promotion and Marketing. I still have much to learn in that area, but WNCY has been a huge education for me in that area. Y100 is a promotional machine, when we get behind something, people will know about it.
4. If you are wearing more hats today, than say last year, what area is suffering, and what are you doing about it?
Actually for me it's the opposite. For several months last year I also did music for KTCO/Duluth, and the great thing that came from that was I really learned how to manage my time better, which has given me more time for my family and mountain bike training.
5. What do you plan to differently in the next year regarding work and family?
Well now that I just gained a family 2 months ago, getting married and now having 3 stepchildren, I do try and carve out as much time as I can for them each day. Also living close to my parents again, I'm trying to see them more often.
6. Who are your programming mentors?
Shannon Stone and Shotgun Shannon, from working with them. Gregg Swedburg & Travis Moon at KEEY, Gwen Foster at KNIX, Joel Burke at KYGO and Becky Brenner at KMPS. They've all been great to me and helped me out when I've had a question or needed advice, and I am very grateful to all of them for that.
7. Who's your favorite air/personality not on your air staff?
B.T. Brian Turner Cities 97 in Minneapolis, still the smoothest guy on the radio.
8. What's your take on current music? Is it as good as say, six months ago? Better than it was? Same? Elaborate please!
Well there is certainly more of it! We've got 30 plus songs on the station, and it seems like 60 plus sitting on my desk. Quality wise I think it's better too. Which makes the decision of what to play that much more difficult. There are some terrific new artists coming out of Nashville right now with some great music that's better than what some of the more established artists are putting out right now.
9. In your opinion, what is the greatest song ever that never made it as a hit?
There's a bunch of them but I'll go with a recent one, Tracy Lawrence "If I Don't Make It Back". And I've got the research scores to prove it!
10. Next Superstar Programmer?
Well Shotgun Shannon is already a superstar programmer, what he has done here at WNCY is amazing. How many stations can say they are #1 in 2 markets? And have a cume around 200,000? And sell around 250,000 concert tickets a year? And is easily in the top 100 markets for country album sales every year? Are you getting all this Mr. Helton?
Bonus Questions
1. Do you read.....everything? Books, Magazines, etc. Nothing? What's your favorite reading material?
Magazines mostly, Bike, Bicycling, Mountain Bike, Velo News, Dirt Rag, and Fast Company. Although Good To Great and Purple Cow are a couple of terrific books.
2. Do you have Musical Guilty Pleasures?
Early Miles Davis
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