10 Questions with ... Tim Stevens & Floyd

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Tim:

• 1995 - WGTZ/Dayton (part-time)
• 1995-1998 - WNCI/Columbus (overnights)
• 1998-2005 - KLUC/Las Vegas (middays/AMD)
• 2006 - KMXB/Las Vegas (evening)
• 2007-2008 KLUC/Las Vegas (part-time)
• 2008-2009 KYKY/St Louis (part-time)
• 2013-2015 Mood 92/Amman, Jordan (afternoons)
• 2015-present Bliss 104.3/Amman, Jordan (afternoons)

Floyd:

• 2013-2015 - 102.5 Beat FM Amman, Jordan (afternoons)
• 2015-present Bliss 104.3/Amman, Jordan (afternoons)

1. What Got You Interested In Radio?

Tim: I was a music fan from as far back as I can remember. Since I wasn't too inclined to pursue the musician route, it came down to radio or recording engineer as possible career paths. Radio just seemed more fun, and it was and still is!

Floyd: The movie pirate radio, right as the movie started and I saw Philip Seymour Hoffman's performance I knew that being in radio was something that I wanted to do.

2. Describe the dynamic of your show:

Tim: To look at us you probably wouldn't expect that we get along as well as we do! Floyd comes from a British/Jordanian background and has only been in the business for four years, but he was a natural from the start. There's an age gap of 20 years between us, but these differences have only strengthened the show. We have the ability to bring up topics (marriage traditions for example) and argue the Western/Eastern differences with a person to represent both perspectives. Floyd has the British sense of humor with the Arabic upbringing and I'm the American who loves learning about the culture and discussing the relevant issues. Our goal is to entertain of course, be funny, be informative about issues affecting Jordanians, and be serious when we have to.

3. What makes your market unique? How does this compare to other markets you have worked at?

Tim: You could say that radio in Amman is vastly different than the United States in the sense that cultural differences require sensitivity to the kinds of topics we discuss. But radio professionals anywhere should be paying attention to the local culture. So, yes, there are issues around religion, politics and dating that we have to be sensitive about, but there are also a lot more freedom than people in the U.S. might expect for a Muslim country. Our morning and afternoon shows discuss real issues, and as long as we present a balanced perspective we can bring up almost anything. Most Jordanians speak at least some English, and we target the western educated locals and expats who would often have quite a bit of exposure to music and media from North America.

4. What do you view as the most important issue facing radio today?

Tim: Lack of relevance, lack of personality on the air. I don't care how radio is delivered in the future, whether it's online, traditional broadcast or some other format, people will always listen to a compelling personality. It's a never-ending issue it seems in modern broadcasting.

Floyd: I agree, it's the syndication and consolidation. I feel like it's far too easy for broadcast conglomerates to just play the same eight radio presenters on radio stations all over the world, and it really gets in the way of encouraging new talent to emerge, and it takes away the personal touch that I think a lot of listeners appreciate. I don't want to be driving around Alabama listening to Ryan Seacrest broadcasting to me from L.A., he doesn't know what I'm about.

5. How are you using social media to market your radio station?

Tim: Our social media presence is heavy on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with both audience targeted humor and daily show updates. Instagram stories and Snapchat are based on daily show content and Presenter appearances. We do specialty music shows every weeknight and post those to SoundCloud as well.

6. How do you stay in tune with your audience?

Tim: Get out and get a life! In Amman, it's no different than anywhere else. You want to be at the places where your audience likes to go! Know the kinds of things they want to talk about. What are the concerns of a 31 year old western educated female in Amman? What kinds of things does she worry about? Where does she shop? Where does she go out? What are the issues in government that affect her life? What does she find funny? (And as an American) what kinds of things should we NOT address in this societal context?

Floyd: Social Media, Whatsapp, and most importantly hanging out with them, I'm a regular guy, I don't live a glamorous life in any sense of the word, I hang out where my listeners are, I face the same problems, I know their likes and dislikes because they're the same as mine.

7. How are you using new technologies in your personal life to listen to music, and what observations have you made about how today's listeners use technology?

Tim: I've experimented with Apple Music and of course will look up a song on YouTube for a quick listen. But I'm still old skool in that I love listening to full albums from my fav or new artists. I think there's a wide variety of listening patterns with music fans, but in general attention spans are shorter and for years music has not been valued as a commodity. As far as radio is concerned, the music sets a particular image and demographic for the station and must be well programmed. But I've always believed the content around the songs is the most important thing.

Floyd: Same as everybody else, I use Apple Music and Spotify to listen to songs that I'm in the mood to listen to. I use TuneIN to listen to my favorite stations around the world.

What I've observed about myself and others is that despite near unlimited capabilities when it comes to access to music, a lot of people don't want to choose what to listen to. This is why they still listen to radio and always will, or listen to pre-made playlists on Spotify, or listen on shuffle. It's too much hassle to choose what music to listen to all day. That's what radio people are here for.

8. Who do you consider your radio mentors?

Tim: Dave Robbins, John Dimick, Neal Sharpe, Chris Davis, Mark Dantzer, Andy Clark, Dave Kaelin, Jimmy Jam, Matt Harris and the rest of the legendary WNCI team in the 1990s were some of my earliest and biggest influences. At KLUC it was Cat Thomas and JB King who shaped my music philosophy and taught me so much about the industry. Here in Jordan, Lee Moulsdale has been a friend and mentor with his unique British perspective on radio and experience in English radio in the Middle East.

Floyd: My Radio influences include Howard Stern and Greg Jame and Scott Mills of the BBC. I would also name Lee Moulsedale as my mentor - we've been friends five years and he taught me most everything I know about the business.

9. What is the most rewarding promotion you've ever been a part of?

Tim: At Bliss 104, we get to do very cool trips to places like Beirut and Dubai for concerts, and locally to Aqaba (Red Sea resort city) and the Dead Sea. If I had to name one promotion though it would have been the annual Chet Buchanan & The Morning Zoo Toy Drive in Las Vegas when I was working at KLUC. It was, and still is the largest local toy drive in the US.

Floyd: Here at Bliss 104.3 we did a promotion for Christmas where we granted people's wishes and one person wished for us to provide toys for children in need. So we got the chance to visit child refugees from Iraq and give them good quality presents. The children were so sweet, well behaved and grateful. It was really special.

10. What advice would you give people new to the business?

Tim: Learn as much about video and audio editing, social media, sales and marketing as you do about your on-air presentation. Know that making a living in this business requires knowledge in many different areas, but the fundamentals of good on-air presentation still come first. If you're not comfortable with the mic, you might want to consider something else as only personality will win and keep radio alive (in whatever form it's delivered) going forward.

Floyd: I'm pretty new to the business, but I would say be yourself. Don't put on a persona, those days are over, you're much more likely to succeed if you're genuine, and let the listeners know who you are.

What do you do in your spare time?

Floyd: I'm a bit of an introvert and a geek, I like to keep it low-key, hang out with a small knit group of friends, play video games, watch movies. I like to go out and party as much as the next guy, but I do it in moderation.

Tim: And ... you wouldn't guess the introvert part from hearing Floyd on air. I definitely love being social and out and about as much as possible. I love traveling too - our trips to Aqaba and Dubai are always a nice break. I listen to a ton of music and read a lot.

Tell us what music we would find on your playlist right now and what is it you enjoy about that particular selection?

Tim: I listen to so much, I try to catch the new releases that attract critical attention, but also dive into groups I'm interested in discovering - Currently on my phone I have the latest albums from Slowdive, Arca, The Feelies, Drake, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Fleet Foxes, Paramore, Perfume Genius, & Radiohead.

Floyd: My playlists are really strange, I'm into lots of different types of music, UK grime, Hip hop, underground rap, classic rock, indie rock, alternative rock, mainstream top 40 music, dubstep, country. My musical preferences are very temperamental and I can crave different genres by the hour...I'm currently really into songs with any kind of Banjo action, makes me happy.

What do you believe will be the next trend in music technology?

Floyd: I foresee software that allows people to listen to radio presenters live but the music that's played is from the playlist of the person listening, not the radio station.

Of all the skills you have gained through the years, is there an area you'd like to improve?

Floyd: Hardware, I've basically spent the past four years as a presenter and I learned the behind the scenes software and can use it pretty well, but I really want to have the skills to fix any hardware issue with a station, I want the know-how to build radio studios myself.

Tim: I'm always working to improve our sound (and my sound) and make it as relevant as possible. I think Floyd and I have a unique thing going with this show given our varied backgrounds. We're excited by the feedback we get both on air and when we're out and about. It's pretty cool when people recognize you from your voice and personality. Over 20 years in radio and having someone appreciate your show and what you do is still one of the most rewarding feelings.