10 Questions with ... Charlie Maxx

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I've been PD, APD, MD and there's not a daypart I haven't handled, but have spent a majority of my career in morning drive including stops at 96.5 The Point/Philadelphia, Smooth Jazz 105.9/Washington, D.C. and currently WJBR. In addition to stints in Texas, Baltimore and Florida, I spent many years on the Philly dial at Mix 95.7, Alice 104.5 and the legendary B101. Started my early days on the air along the Jersey shore at WAYV and then WJRZ. When I wasn't on the air in the late '90s, I worked as AC Editor for FMQB.

1) How would you describe your first radio gig?

Educational! I worked at an AM/FM combo outside Portland, ME. The FM was Drake-Chenault reel-to-reel music and fully automated. I recorded my breaks on cart and they played in the carousel. I did live middays on the AM. Yes, I was on two stations at once in the same market! Early voicetracking?

2) What led you to a career in radio?

Z100 in New York City! I always loved music, but the summer of 1983 this radio station debuted in my hometown and changed my life! I had no idea what I was hearing and how to process how it affected me but all I knew was someday I wanted to be part of it! My very young teenage Staten Island self fell in love for the first time - with a 50,000-watt flame thrower!

3) How would you describe the radio landscape in your market?

Wilmington is such an interesting market. While we are a medium market, we literally live in the shadow of a major market. We are literally a market within a market so that makes our competition very interesting. Our market includes three states and has a strong presence in a fourth. We are the only AC in the Wilmington market; our biggest competitor is another heritage Hot AC station. Of course we have all the Philly stations in our world as well.

4) What makes your station unique? How would you compare it to other stations you've worked at?

Well, we just celebrated our 60th anniversary. That's something these days. We have also been entrenched in the community, something we take great pride in. Our personalities are involved with many community originations and the station supports many events throughout the year. One of the biggest highlights over the last few years was winning the 2016 NAB Crystal Award in 2016. At WJBR, we believe the best way to get the support of the community is to get out into the community and support it. We build relationships that bring listeners to the station.

5) What's the coolest promotion you've EVER been involved with?

This goes back to 1990. I was MD/afternoon-drive host at WAYV/Atlantic City and the Simpsons craze was at an all-time high. The station gave away a cow. A real live cow! It was driven around Atlantic City in an open trailer with "Bart Simpson" in the trailer waving to passersby. The cow was then presented to the winner on the boardwalk in front of the station. Wanna guess which station employee was tiny enough to wear the Bart Simpson big head costume? Closest I've ever been to a cow.

6) Are you wearing more "hats" than you have in the past?

In today's radio climate? I wear almost all the hats! Our station runs lean. I have an air staff of three! That includes myself. I am PD, MD, morning co-host, back-up web person and I have a very active role in promotions. I handle a lot of the social media for the station and do commercial production. More platforms for delivery means more platforms to monitor. It makes for a busy day.

7) What are you doing social media-wise?

As an adult station, we focus on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Snapchat isn't in the audience wheelhouse just yet. We find the more interactive we are on Facebook, posing questions, asking for picture posts, gifs, even personality videos, the more the audience responds. We have a pretty active Facebook audience. Instagram is growing although it obviously isn't as interactive as Facebook. We do try and use our social media to redirect back to the station website. We want all our platforms to be an extension of the brand. WJBR is not just the sound out of the speaker.

8) Who handles your imaging, and what voices are you using?

We have the very talented Blaze Berdahl as our station voice; she has a very warm, "she's my friend" delivery. You have likely heard her on HGTV, Swiffer commercials and of course, WJBR! Our imaging is produced by the talented folks at Benztown. Justin Case and the staff at Benztown do great work and always take our vision and make it come to life!

9) "Local, local, local" has always been radio's mantra. How do you keep your station visible and involved in the community?

As a 2016 NAB Crystal Award winner, we obviously are out ALL THE TIME! I personally started a program about five years ago called "Charlie's Crew." It's a running team - started with the couch to 5K Program. Each month we run a different charity 5K and not only does it promote the organization, but we get listeners up and running and moving when they may not have done it alone. We have run over 150 miles so far - all for a good cause!

10) What artist would we be surprised to find on your personal playlist?

The 1975! As much as I hate to admit it, my daughter turned me on to this band a few years ago and it's like candy! No nutritional value, probably not very good for me and I have entirely too much of it. All that being said - I LOVE every song.