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10 Questions with ... Matt Stone
September 8, 2008
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NAME:Matt StoneTITLE:PD/MD/Morning Host/JanitorSTATIONS:KRUZMARKET:Santa BarbaraCOMPANY:CumulusBORN:On a dark and stormy night in the hills of PennsylvaniaRAISED:Pennsylvania
Please outline your radio career so far:
I was 16 years old and started at Top 40 WKBI in St. Mary's, PA mowing the lawn and taking out the trash. Then I got promoted to AT40 board op, and host of the Sunday Morning Polka Party on our AM sister station. Then one afternoon, there I was cutting the grass, when the afternoon host asked if I could come in and play music on the air that night for a few hours, the regular night jock was sick and we had to be live because we had no automation. We played CDs.
A few weeks later the night jock was off to college and I was into my first full time airshift. This lasted a few years, I then did a short stint with sister station WGMR (Alternative) in State College.
Then in 2001 it was off to the Deep South. Cumulus in Albany, GA which welcomed me in as midday host of Classic Rock WJAD. Before the end of the year was I was promoted to production director for all eight Cumulus stations in the market.
In January of 2003 Cumulus moved me to WRRX (Active Rock) in Pensacola. This turned out to be short lived as WRRX flipped formats in October of 2004.
Staying with Cumulus and earning PD stripes under Val Garris at WSMS (Mainstream Rock) in Starkville, MS I spent 2 years in Southern fried rock country! We had a great staff and a great time.
I then realized that it was fun hanging with Lynyrd Skynyrd and rocking North East Mississippi, but that there was no beach.
With a strong desire to get back to the coast, I left Cumulus to program WMXZ (Hot AC) in Destin, FL. This lasted from April 06 to April 07. I was fired.
After using my severance pay as a month long beach vacation I found my way to Asheville North Carolina as Saga was launching classic rocker WTMT. It was great to be a part of a brand new station and to build something completely from the ground up. With one book under our belt we became a major market contender and the #4 station 12+. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Saga and WTMT and would still be there if it wasn't for that itching to get back to the beach.
This time it was the West Coast. Cumulus Format Director Emily Boldon and I had talked about the possibility of KRUZ for over a year. The budget finally came available and I loaded up the Honda for the 4 day drive.
1) What Got You Interested In Radio?
I have always been a complete music freak! When I was a kid I would play DJ for parties my parents were having, took request and gave the guests details about the songs they were hearing. I always researched artists that I listened to. I was show-prepping before I knew what it was! I was that kid that always called a radio station to request songs. I always voted on the smash it or trash it shows. Yeah I was (and still am) a radio nerd.
2) Who do you consider your radio mentors?
John Salter (Owner/Operator WQKY/St. Mary's PA), Val Garris (Cumulus Rock Guru), Dan McClintock (PD WXKR & WRWK/Toledo), Emily Boldon (Cumulus Format Director), Bruce Pollock (Current GM), and Steve Goldstein (Saga Group PD).
3) What was your favorite station to listen to when you were a kid?
WDVE/Pittsburgh, PA. Paulsen and Krenn were doing mornings, they were amazing together. It was great station then and still is.
4) How would you describe the radio landscape in your market?
Unique. Santa Barbara has some great radio stations with great local interpretations on the formats. KTYD is a legendary Classic Rock/Hits. They have a huge playlist and great jocks. KJEE is an award-winning Alternative, and KRUZ is a unique blend of Hot AC and Triple A. We also get a lot of the L.A. and Oxnard/Ventura stations too, so we really have to be on our toes.
5) What research tools do you use to program your station?
Mediabase and BDS of course!
6) How would you describe the music and imaging on your station?
Different. We are not a typical Hot AC. We have blended in some Alternative and Triple A titles into what we like to call a Triple AC. Our music selection is very broad, picking currents that fit with our gold library from three charts. We only have one live shift, so our imaging has to be on target. We have taken a new approach to the imaging and gotten away from the big voice guy and jingle direction, and gone with the guy next door. Drew Patterson is our voice talent and he has done an amazing job fitting the mold on this unique station.
7) What is the current state of radio's "talent pool"?
The radio's talent pool is going away. There is no place to develop new talent in the automation age. With stations being fully automated, and more and more programmers believing that a "quickie liner" into a set is better than a fumbling new weekend kid, new talent is not getting the chance to develop. With that in mind, I have always been a believer that if you prove your desire you get a shot on the air.
8) How often do you air-check your own shows? Is it mandatory that you run tape everyday? And can you honestly critique yourself?
I try to go over a show once a week. Cumulus has software that airchecks for you on a hard drive so yeah I guess it would be mandatory. Yeah, I think I am by far my own worst critic.
9) How much of your day is spent working with your station Web site?
A lot! We only have one live shift, so we need to be as interactive as possible through our web site. We do a bunch of web only contest and polls. We have even started doing contests that run only on the stream and then back through the web site.
10) What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?
Less is more. Say as much as you can in the least amount of words you can.
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