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10 Questions with ... Barry Fox
June 30, 2008
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NAME:Barry FoxTITLE:PDSTATIONS:WRALMARKET:Raleigh-Durham, NCCOMPANY:Capitol BroadcastingBORN:Lexington, KYRAISED:Cynthiana, KY
Please outline your radio career so far:
WRAL/Raleigh, NC - PD - April '07 to Present -
Clear Channel/Lexington, KY - OM - 2001-2006 -
WDJX/Louisville, KY - PD/OM - 1999-2001 -Other stops include: WMXL/Lexington, KY (on-air/PD), WMC/Memphis, TN (on-air) WWKX/Nashville, TN (on-air), WVLK-A/Lexington, KY (on-air), WCYN-A/Cynthiana, KY (on-air).
1) How would you describe your first radio gig?
F-U-N! Low pay, horrible hours, lousy equipment, but some of the best memories of my career.
2) Who were your early influences?
John Records Landecker, Tommy Edwards, Jeff Davis (and anyone else at WLS). Mark Sebastian (Q102)/Cincinnati, Coyote Calhoun; Tom Prestigiacomo and Gary Burbank while at WAKY Louisville, and Coyote McCloud (Nashville). I get chills just typing their names!
3) What is your favorite part of the job?
Breaking down Arbitron numbers and trying to figure what went right or wrong.
4) How would you describe the radio landscape in your market?
It's relatively competitive, especially for women 25-54. We win that battle most of the time by tying to never taking our eye off their expectations.
5) Do you have any music scheduling tricks you've learned that you wish to share?
Don't over think the music. I can put an hour into a log and it will be as good as one that took another person 3 hours. There is no such thing as the perfect music log. Setup some basic rules, play the right songs, and you'll be fine.
6) Have you explored launching an HD Radio channel?
WRAL-HD2 has been on the air for quite awhile (Modern AC).
7) What do you do when a song that is a national hit, but the initial reaction from your audience is negative?
Hold it until it tests locally.
8) What will convince you to play a song that you feel isn't right for the station?
Positive research from the core demo.
9) In recent years, many station have been flipping to "Jack," "Bob," "Max," "Fresh" or "Movin' Rhythmic Hot AC. What are your thoughts on these formats? Will they go the distance?
Nope. Niche rarely lasts. These formats are just a shallow, quick fix.
10) What has been your station's biggest accomplishment?
We raised over one million dollars each of the past two years for Duke Children's Hospital.
Bonus Questions
1) What do you plan to do different this year, regarding work, family, or both?
I gotta tell ya'! I think I've found the perfect place where I can keep a great balance with both. This company and my station are great, and so is my wife and daughter. Life is good. No changes necessary.
2) What is the current state of radio's "talent pool"?
Shallow.
3) What do you do in your spare time?
NASCAR baby!
4) Any artist riders or contract nightmares you'd like to share?
I remember some interesting requests while at WDJX and our annual "Birthday Bash." Seemed like every artist (except for Hanson) wanted their own personal distillery in their dressing room. That reminds me of Tone Loc, who forgot his track music on DAT. I ran to the station, grabbed his CD and he used it during his performance. I don't think anyone noticed.
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