10 Questions with ... Chris Michaels

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

2002-2004 WAPE and WFYV Jacksonville, FL
2004-2008 WERO Greenville-New Bern, NC
2006-2008 WDCG Raleigh, NC
2008-2011 WABB Mobile, AL
2011-Current WMC-FM, WRVR, WLFP Memphis, TN

1. What led you to a career in radio?

I have always loved radio! I was the kid in the bedroom recording every song on my karaoke machine, and playing them back while talking the intros up on the mic. I had cassette tapes with songs, and a separate cassette tape with sweepers that I recorded off the radio, and the iconic Big Ape Yell from WAPE. I would play the sweepers on my karaoke machine, while using another tape player to play the song. I called all the personalities on WAPE daily (Billy Goat, Tony Mann, Trane On The Radio, The Big Ape Morning Zoo). Any chance I could get on the radio, I did it. When I was about 12 or 13 years old, Billy Goat said I could come down to the station on a Saturday night if my mom brought me. So, my mom bought a six pack of Budweiser to take to Goat, and to the station we went. Billy Goat let me answer his phones and pull his CDs. After that night, I was hooked. I remember calling Billy Goat right after I graduated high school asking if they were hiring. He told me I could start out in promotions. I interviewed, and got the job. That was my foot in the door.

2. How would you describe your first radio gig?

Amazing! To be able to get my career started at the radio stations that I grew up listening to was nothing short of amazing. I grew up on WROO (Rooster Country 107.3), WAPE (95.1 The Big Ape) and WFYV (Rock 105). WAPE and WFYV were in the same building, and my first job in radio was promotions for WAPE and WFYV. I was setting up remotes, working promotions, and then going into the production studio making demo tapes in my spare time. In December of 2002, I got hired to run the board for Lex and Terry at their home base of WFYV. Less than a year before that, I was driving to high school listening to Lex and Terry on Rock 105, and I had no clue that within a year, I’d be working with them. I grew up listening to the Big Ape Morning Zoo with Hoyle, Steve, Eden Ashley and Amadeus. All of the sudden I’m working with them setting up their remotes, eventually getting on the air at WAPE. I’ll never forget the day I got to actually fill in for Billy Goat 7p-Midnight, the guy that I listened to every night, and got me my first job in radio. Now, I’m filling in for him hosting HIS Top 5 at 8 that I used to call in to be a guest DJ on. It was just wild! I eventually moved up to the main swing guy, and now I’m filling in for Tony Mann in the middle of the day. So, to answer your question – my first radio gig was amazing!

3. You’ve worked at what are literally some of the most iconic brands in all of radio (thinking The Big Ape (WAPE) and WABB). How did those stints prepare you for the programming job at FM 100?

I have been very blessed to work at some great radio stations like WAPE, WDCG, WERO and WABB. Working at WAPE with Cat Thomas taught me a lot. Cat held Big Ape staff meetings, and that groomed me for how to manage a staff and motivate them as a team. At WABB, I was lucky enough to have a complete full-time and part-time staff. I held staff meetings with a playbook just like I learned at WAPE. (I still actually have my original WAPE playbook.) At WABB, I was able to work out my kinks as a first time Program Director. I made mistakes that I learned from, and I took a lot of risks that had great rewards. Randy Lane taught me everything I know about morning show coaching and character development at WABB, and I was able to take that talent coaching, strategic planning that I learned from WABB, WAPE, WERO and WDCG, and implement a plan for FM 100. Understanding talent, and knowing how to coach every talent differently, was a major plus that I learned from Randy Lane.

4. You’re now 10+ years into your tenure in Memphis. What would ‘today Chris’ have told the guy who walked in the door for the first time back in 2011?

Buy a house in the suburbs, you’re going to be here a while. Which I eventually did!

5. FM 100’s signal is legendary. What do you still love about being on the air every afternoon?

It’s an honor to be on the air at the legendary FM 100 every single afternoon. The signal is 300,000 watts--as my colleague Brad Carson says, “You can hear it on your teeth.” I love cracking the mic, talking about my family, keeping listeners up to date with what’s happening around Memphis, and staying connected with what’s happening in the market. I don’t take it for granted!

6. How did navigating the pandemic make you a better programmer?

The pandemic forced us to get creative, and think differently with how to connect with listeners, shifting quickly to engage with listeners while they work from home. We had to get everyone set up to broadcast from home fast. Thanks to technology, we’re able to stay connected all the time without being at the station. When Joe Diffie passed away on a Sunday, I texted the talent who was tracked on my Country station at the time (94.1 The Wolf). I said, “I’m putting in Joe Diffie songs at 2:45, let’s update tracks right now with the breaking news. I sent out a push notification to our app letting listeners know the news, and turn on The Wolf for a special Joe Diffie tribute at 2:45. If we have severe weather, or breaking news…we’re updating listeners immediately from our house. Pre-pandemic, we didn’t have our talent set up to basically hit the air from anywhere at any time.

7. “Local local local” has always been radio’s mantra. How’s it been connecting with your listeners? Are the stations back out there yet?

We are starting to get back out there. Our AC station (WRVR) just collected almost 1,000 toys for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Memphis at our Toy Truck Drive, where Ron Olson and Karen Perrin were live on location. Our FM 100 morning show with Ryan and Erin just recently stayed on the air for 12 straight hours raising over $65,000 for the local Children’s Hospital. We have also raised money for the local Memphis Food Bank, and Church Health Center in Memphis. Our morning shows are heavily involved with local charities in the Mid-South.

8. What is the best advice that has held constant throughout your career?

Never stop learning. Be curious, ask questions, and be a problem solver. I’ll give you a bonus that I learned in my very first Big Ape staff meeting with Cat Thomas: 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 = 100,000. 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 5 = 50,000. All it takes is one person on your team pulling half their weight robbing your momentum by 50%. Don’t be that person!

9. What were your favorite stations growing up as a kid? Jock(s)?

WAPE, WROO, WFYV, WFLZ and WXKB. My dad lived in Ft. Myers, FL. I spent a lot of time in Ft. Myers and I always thought B103.9 and WFLZ in Tampa were great radio stations growing up. I loved The Big Ape Morning Zoo, Robbie Rose on Rooster Country 107.3 (now on WQIK), Billy Goat, Tony Mann, Toby Knapp, Dana McKay, Randi West and Drew Steele at B103.9 to name a few.

10. Who were your mentors? Who would you say has influenced your career the most?

Cat Thomas, David Moore, Steve Davis, Chris “Hollywood” Mann, Randi West, Randy Lane and Tony Banks have all played a huge part in my programming philosophy and my career. I can talk about all of these programmers for hours, and how fortunate I was to be able to work with them.

With an unlimited budget, which 3-5 acts would you pull together for a station bash?

Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Dua Lipa and The Weeknd.