10 Questions with ... Cody Alan

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

As the host and executive producer of "CMT Radio Live With Cody Alan" and "CMT After MidNite With Cody Alan," Alan is one of the most recognized names in radio. Broadcast on radio stations across America from the CMT studios in Nashville, his shows feature the biggest names in Country music. Combining his passion for entertainment with television, he also serves as host of CMT's signature music show, "Hot 20 Countdown," seen on Saturday and Sunday mornings. He's also a fixture at the industry's biggest events and awards shows, and he co-hosts CMT's annual red carpet special live from the "CMT Music Awards."

Alan landed his first radio job at age 15, and after gigs in South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, he made waves at the age of 23 breaking Texas music at KPLX (99.5 The Wolf)/Dallas, and helping it become the #1 Country station in America at the time. He has been recognized with numerous national awards, including the Academy of Country Music's "National On-Air Personality of the Year" award in 2010 and 2013.

1. Your job looks like a lot of fun and glamour. What do you love most about it, and what are the challenging bits we don't get to see?

I love making the radio shows because I have a great team around me who are like family. We have a total blast creating content together, whether it's on the mics, or my podcast or a digital video idea we have. We hope it's interesting, funny and entertaining. Same goes for the TV squad. Every shoot together is a lot of fun.

I enjoy the traveling we do for both shows. I guess being on the road can also be challenging at times. We even do our seven days a week of radio from wherever I am.

I don't ever get tired of the job, but I do get tired. I am human. But generally speaking, what's the saying? "Do what you love and you'll never work a day." I do feel very lucky to live that mantra.

2. How did your long prior career in radio prepare you for on-camera work once you started at CMT?

Both mediums are about a one-on-one human connection with a listener or viewer. In that way, radio really prepared me to share my personality in a genuine way with the TV audience. In that sense, I suppose I hit the ground running. That trust, comfort and ease was key to my bonding with viewers. There's another skill that for most of us in radio is second nature: context. In radio, you're consistently resetting the scene for listeners as you tell the story, which has been helpful on TV.

3. In what ways did radio NOT prepare you for TV? In other words, what were the surprises about how different the two mediums are from each other?

I'm still the same guy in both arenas. One just involves cameras and a teleprompter at times. That is something I did learn how to do better, familiarizing myself more with lines and scripts. With radio, it's often improvised talk breaks, which was also a super helpful TV skill. But with TV, there is also a need for concise crispness at times that requires being prepared with how you state or ask something. In that way, TV does require tighter outlines for breaks.

Because so much of what I do for CMT involves interviews with artists, the basics for me remain the same: prepare and know the subject so well that the conversation can go where it wants in a natural way. Oprah [Winfrey,] to me, was always the master at this skill. If you watch her, you know she's prepared, and yet her interviews are conversational. Ultimately, I'm not out to ask "gotcha" questions. Really, I just want the artists who visit me to say, "We gotta do the Cody show again because it's fun!" I just referred to myself in the third person. My apologies.

4. What do you turn on/off in your presentation (or in your brain) as you switch back and forth between the two mediums now?

Really not much. Again, just being familiar enough with the story to help the viewer or listener understand, while also not being too read or scripted.

5. The radio industry has changed a lot since you left KPLX (The Wolf)/Dallas, where you got to be mavericks and have a lot of fun. Would you ever be interested in returning to radio at the station level? Why/why not?

For sure! The Wolf days were groundbreaking for the industry, and for me personally. To get your big break by being associated with such a legendary relaunch as The Wolf was one of the pivotal moments in my career. My roots are deep in radio, and I think I've gotten a little better at it over the years. I must be close to my 10,000 hours, right? I'm all about doing radio forever. I still get chills hearing a great station top of the hour i.d. We need to remember in this current age to keep that magic alive. Radio shouldn't sound like a jukebox or a streaming service. It's still show biz! It was my dream growing up as a kid in South Carolina and I still love it every day.

6. What was the reaction from the industry when you decided to come out a few years ago? Was it what you hoped/expected? Any disappointing moments?

I really didn't know what to expect. I spent years considering what to do with what I knew about myself. I knew I had friends in the industry, and most of them wouldn't care. What I didn't expect was the overwhelmingly positive response on the day I came out from so many artists, from Carrie Underwood to Toby Keith to Dierks Bentley to Dan + Shay and more. I couldn't believe it. To get on their own Twitter or Facebook or social media and shout out their support for a gay guy coming out in Country music was quite a moment. I'm grateful to so many who have expressed their love in the open and in personal conversations behind the scenes too.

7. What about the reaction from your fans?

Honestly, I thought it would be like a 50/50 pos to neg reaction. I was shocked and relieved with the very, very positive reaction from fans. Interestingly enough, I have Country fans reach out to me or say "hi" when I'm on the road and share their own personal journey with me. Funny how the one thing I thought could sink me has become such a positive interest point people remember and appreciate about me. Who knew?

I've been sharing some of those stories from time to time on my social media accounts, @codyalan. I think those often-hidden voices need to be heard, because no matter where you think you're at, you're not alone.

8. What changes (if any) have you seen in the Country community towards LGBTQ acceptance since coming out?

I think the conversation keeps advancing. It breaks down perceptions when Luke Bryan sings lyrics like, "I believe you love who you love" in "Most People Are Good," or when Brothers Osborne include a gay couple in their music video for "Stay A Little Longer." Walls are coming down. The truth is Country music is about real life and honest authenticity, and the reality is being gay is real for many of us Country fans.

9. You are a role model for so many, who was your role model that inspired you to pursue such a large scale broadcast career?

I have a long list. Certainly, my early PDs: Brian Philips, Mike Moore, Smokey Rivers and Paul Williams were huge influences, teaching me how to be a great on-air talent and how to program a radio station. But from the standpoint of who I love to hear coming out of the speakers, I grew up listening to Rick Dees and Bob Kingsley, and being influenced by local radio stars in my hometown of Columbia, S.C., guys like Jonathon Rush, who are still around doing awesome local radio 30 years later.

Nowadays, I tend to gravitate to more dynamic, energetic radio stars who sound like they're always smiling on air, like Elvis Duran or Ryan Seacrest. Seacrest showed the way on multiple platforms. Dingo, my longtime producer, encouraged me to widen my view of what was possible, and so I did. Things took off when I started to believe!

It's been fun to have success with my podcast, [and with] "After MidNite," "CMT Radio Live" and the TV stuff I host, like "CMT Hot 20 Countdown." I never take a second of it for granted. I owe my success path to many people along my journey. I wish I could list them all! Maybe one day I will.

10. You get so many cool opportunities with your job. What is one (or more) memory that really stands out to you as a "pinch-me" moment?

I met Ellen DeGeneres a couple years ago. She was gracious. We had beers and a nice conversation. I told her I was gay. Without missing a beat, she enthusiastically said, "Me toooooooo!" Hilarious!

What are three things the industry and your fans would be surprised to know about you?

• I usually work out in the gym to Panic at the Disco.
• Despite my outgoing on-air persona, I actually love a quiet night cooking at home.
• And I'm wearing Crocs right now. I shit you not.

What were your top five favorite songs of 2019?

Luke Combs' "Beer Never Broke My Heart," Maren Morris' "The Bones," Matt Stell's "Prayed For You," Gabby Barrett's "I Hope" and Cody Johnson's "On My Way To You."