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10 Questions with ... Heidi Decker
October 12, 2009
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
- 1999-2003 - Charleston, SC - sales assistant and on-air for the cluster
- 2003 -- Spokane, WA - KKZX, middays
- 2003 - present - WCTQ, Sarsota, FL - middays, then afternoons, then MD/afternoons, then PD!
1) What was your very first job in radio and how did it transpire- how old were you when you decided that radio was the career for you?
Funny story! My very first radio gig was as a sales assistant. I was going back to school and really just took the job to pay the bills for a while. Trey Cooler was the PD and Gary Griffin was the MD. With a team like that, it wasn't long before I decided I wanted to be a music director! I was working during the day as a sales assistant and at night as a board op. I was really living radio. Finally a position opened up on a little AC station we had. I applied for it. Jon Robbins was our Ops Manager at the time. He said, "Give me an aircheck." Well, I'd given him like a bazillion by then so I did one as "Mable, the Amish Mistress of the Night" thinking he'd never listen to it anyway. Next thing you know, Jon calls me in to his office and says, "You start Saturday!" Fortunately, it was not as Mable. It took five years and three moves from that Charleston station before I got my MD stripes, but man - what a ride.
2) You have a degree in Veterinary Technology. What made you choose a career in radio instead of following the veterinary path?
Ha! That's a simple answer: economics! I was a certified Veterinary Technician in Pennsylvania. When I moved to Charleston, SC I needed a job to hold me over until I got my South Carolina certification. The radio station was across the street from my house. It was very convenient and they paid better than waitressing.
3) What are some of your hobbies and interests outside of radio? Is it true you run your own ranch in your spare time?
Ask a real rancher and they'd say I don't even have a yard, but yes - I have a small five-acre parcel in Eastern Manatee County. I have a horse, a goat, sheep, pigs, cats, dogs - all the critters no one wants eventually show up at my place. And I show Border Collies. They need lots of room to run. It's a lot of work, but I really love the country life.
4) There's a lot of great music out there right now. What are some artists/songs that you are high on at the moment?
DAVID NAIL!! I'm totally geeking over David Nail right now. Josh Thompson has my ear too, and Williams Riley is one of those surprise treasures you come across.
5) What's one thing that would surprise many people to learn about you?
I'm currently a pre-law student and will be going to law school next year. How crazy is that? It's not a career thing, really more of a "something I always wanted to do" thing. Studying the law (at least at the level I'm at now) doesn't teach you about statutes and torts as much as how to critically think. I'm stretching my brain, I guess. The real surprise is that I'm in an honors program!
6) Living in Sarasota you must get visited by friends and relatives all the time! What are some of the highlights of the area where you live that you show folks?
I am an avid fisherwoman (is that even a word?) so I usually take folks to my favorite fishing spots or kayaking with the Manatees off Midnight Pass. There's really something for everyone here, but my family knows me so they visit the tourist stuff on their own.
7) As Program Director/Music Director, what is the most fun aspect of your job and one that is not so much fun?
Oh my gosh, what ISN'T fun?? It's ALL fun! It's amazing and I'm so blessed to be doing this. I guess, I'd have to say my favorite thing is new music. Listening to everything that comes across my desk - listening for that "it" song that really takes your breath away, and then watching those artists climb the charts knowing we had a small part to play in the success. That's the best part.
8) Your career in radio has taken you from Pennsylvania to South Carolina and Spokane to Sarasota. What has been your favorite place to live and work so far?
I honestly love it here in Manatee County, just northeast of Sarasota. It's very rural and nice year round. Charleston will always be my home away from home though. History is still living and breathing there. It was an amazing place to live.
9) Name three people you admire, inside or outside of the industry, and tell us why.
Miranda Lambert. I don't know Miranda personally, but I have a healthy respect for anyone that is who she is and doesn't give a damn who knows it. I appreciate that she seems to stay true to herself.
Mica Roberts. She's been singing back up for Toby Keith forever, and now she's trying her own thing too - but the girl is so down to earth, funny, and inspiring just for being who she is. Being around Mica makes you want to be a better person. She's amazing.
Meg Stevens. Talk about a full plate, this lady has it! Still, she takes time out to help a little newbie PD from Sarasota. She's an inspiration to anyone in radio, but especially a woman in programming.
10) Sadly, a lot of great songs seem to slip through the cracks because of many different factors - from playlist size, songs lingering on the chart for 30 weeks, and just the fact that there's no darn room. In your opinion what were 2-3 songs that should have made it and didn't?
Wow, only three, huh? Okay, off the top of my head:
Dean Brody - "Gravity" - One word: WOW
Jonathon Singleton - "Livin' in Paradise" - this guy really has it all. Stage presence, amazing voice. I was surprised that single didn't do more.
Cole Deggs & the Lonesome - "I Got More" - we were on it here, it just never took off nationally. They are a great group of guys and there was some fantastic stuff on that album that never got released.
But to be honest, there are tons of songs that just - for whatever reason - don't get play and even more artists that don't get signed. That's what I love about our New Music initiative. We get to dig in to those unsigned or indie acts.
Bonus Questions
1) What was the first album you ever bought?
Steve Wariner's self-titled album on LP. It was 1982 and I bought it with my birthday money (I'm not saying what birthday!! :))
2) First concert you ever attended?
Mel McDaniel with The Forrester Sisters at the Scheneck Firemen's Carnival. I was 7-years-old. My first "real" concert was Whitney Houston at Hershey Arena in the early 80's.
3) If you were an animal in your next life, which one would you want to be and why?
I have lots of animals at my place and I have to say the one that has the best life is the cat! It sleeps all day and makes sure that all of its demands are met by threatening to stop using the litter box. Cats have mastered the art of doing absolutely nothing.
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