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10 Questions with ... Steve Reynolds
March 24, 2008
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NAME:Steve ReynoldsTITLE:OMSTATIONS:KJLL, KHJL, KAJL 92.7 JILL FMMARKET:Ventura, Orange, and Los Angeles CountiesCOMPANY:Amaturo GroupBORN:4/20 in Lafayette IndianaRAISED:Indiana
Please outline your radio career so far:
WAZY/Lafayette, IN - On Air Personality
WNAP/Indianapolis, IN - Part of the Morning Team and Afternoon Drive
KIOI (K101)/San Francisco, CA - Overnights and Morning Show Team
KPWR (Power 106)/Los Angeles CA - Production Director and comedy writer producer for Jay Thomas Morning Show for five years
KYSR (Star 98.7)/Los Angeles - Afternoons with Gary Spears
B100 Los Angeles, CA - Morning Show with Patty, Steve & Gary
Y107 Los Angeles, CA - Production Director
Premiere Radio Network/Los Angeles, CA - Writer, Producer, and voices for comedy bits
AME Entertainment Writer Producer Los Angeles
Big River Radio Comedy Writer and Producer St. Louis
KBIG 104 Afternoon Side kick with Gary Spears for 2 years
KJLL (92.7 Jill-FM)/Ventura-Orange & LA Counties - OM (Present)1) What led you to a career in radio? Was there a defining moment, which made you realize "this is it"?
I think it was when I went on Spring Break in Florida and heard KSHE and WNAP in Indianapolis. That was IT!
2) Who were your early influences?
As a very young boy I would listen to Larry Lujack with the radio under my pillow. I would say later that I was inspired by guys at WNAP in Indianapolis like Cris Conner, Buster Bodine, And Magic Mitch. The station had a sound like no other, and the guys were talented and they had fun. They made magic!
3) Who do you consider your radio mentor(s)?
I would say George Johns, the National PD for Fairbanks Broadcasting who had a great eye for talent. Also, Cris Conner the PD and Morning Man at WNAP.
Cris taught me what talent was and how to use it. Coming from a town of 500 people he also influenced how I dressed, introduced me to good food that wasn't covered in gravy and breaded, and how to make a fortune doing outside gigs. He taught me it wasn't the guy who won the race, but those who created the biggest buzz who got on the news or in the paper.
When I started, it was a dream for me and I drove around Indianapolis before I went on. When I got off at 6:00 A.M. that morning, the PD Cris Conner was waiting in his car. We went for a ride and he told me how great I sounded.
4) What makes your station or market unique? How does this compare to other markets or stations you have worked at?
Los Angeles is a tough market. Unless you go on a shooting rampage at a mall, it is pretty hard to get noticed, not alone press. In the smaller markets I've worked you can actually make more of an impact. 92.7 JILL-FM gets into L.A., Orange County, Ventura County, Victorville and the ski resorts. We play music that maybe 6 stations will play, but play it on one.
5) What long-term role do you see HD radio playing in the future?
I see it making a really good door-stop or for putting under your wheel while parked on a hill. I say get your first format right. They have spent millions of dollars trying to get people to buy one. It's like passing out spoiled samples at Costco. If you don't want it for free you sure don't want to buy it.
6) How do you position the station musically and why did you choose this direction?
I position the music as a weapon, because it is the one thing that can separate us from the big guys. I take into consideration what songs are on American Idol or the Grammys, or who played on the Tonight Show, and what songs were featured in TV shows. I also picture what people are doing in their office or work environment. What would they want to hear trapped in traffic? We will play regular AC songs, but once an hour, we will play a Pop Country song, an oldie like the Beatles, or legends like Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder doing a duet. We will play a rock song, a live cut from a concert, a special acoustic version of a song, two songs from the same artist, one song form two different artists with a different version tied together. We will play a brand new cut. I will sometimes dump the format to play 35 minutes of rain songs if it is a raining hard. I'll play three or four songs about the sunshine if it's a beautiful day. I think people want good music without putting a label on it. If they like it, they love the song not because it is a particular type of song, because they may not know the radio terms.
7) How is the relationship between programmer and record label changing? For better or worse?
Everything is changing from the way you hear songs to the way you buy them. We would be a big help to labels because we play artists that no one else plays because there is no format they fit into. Great groups don't stop making great music. Look at John Mellencamp. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, and the only way people hear new music by him is a Chevy Truck commercial. How sad is that?
8) What research tools do you use to program your station?
I use the charts, YouTube, iTunes downloads, MySpace, and I also look at what other stations are playing, because they have spent a lot of money on research. I think a lot of times research is a way for PDs to cover their butts by saying, "Well, it tested well" when their ratings stink. I wrote a liner that says "Research is for rats...not music."
9) How do you feel about the new royalty rate increases for Internet radio and proposed royalties for terrestrial radio?
It is going to kill what is left of artist exposure. Yes, they should get paid for their work. But unless they want to go back to playing in bars and printing their own CDs and selling them in the lobby, then I think they should realize "if a tree falls in the forest, no one hears it, or will help it up."
10) What's the best piece of advice anyone's ever given you? The worst?
Be true to yourself, because everyone else is lying.
Bonus Questions
1) What area of your "game" do you want to improve?
I think there are always improvements in your game to be made. I try to take what I have learned from people like Stella Swartz from KOST, Don Bastida from Air Watch, Dave Bezing, and other people management skills I've observed to get the best out of your people and implement them in my management style. I also take the PD's who have shown me the wrong way to do things and make sure I don't do that. I even learned from Ryan Seacrest when he used to follow Gary Spears and me at Star 98.7. Ryan is always moving and expanding on his ideas and has a great work ethic.
2) Tell us what music we would find on your I-Pod right now and what is it you enjoy about that particular selection?
Nora Jones, because good music is just good music. You would also find a song called "Portland Oregon" by Loretta Lynne produced by Jack from the White Stripes. Bruce Springsteen, U2, and I can't stop singing Landon Pigg "Falling In Love In A Coffee Shop." I love music as long as it is good, who cares what genre it is.
3) What are your three favorite industry web sites?
I'm not sucking up, but All Access is the best at what they do. It is run in an amazing way, they have the best people working there, and they love working there. You have an advantage being first and are very innovative with your service.
4) What do you plan to do different this year, regarding work, family, or both?
I hope to spend more time with my lovely lady Sandra since Jill has been taking up a lot of my time, and I don't want Sandra to be jealous. JILL is very demanding and requires 24 hours of attention a day.
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