10 Questions with ... Dan 'Kennedy' Baisden

NAME:Dan 'Kennedy' Baisden TITLE:PD - Contemporary Formats Lima WZOQ/WDOH STATIONS:WDOH FM - Adult Contemporary & WZOQ FM - Top 40 MARKET:Lima Ohio (Its pronounced LIE-MA) COMPANY:Maverick Media BORN:May 1, 1983 in a box down by the river (Cincinnati) RAISED:Holmes County Ohio (Amish Country)

Please outline your radio career so far:

Oh My! This may take a couple pages, LOL!

1999 - 2001 WKLM Millersburg OH - Adult Contemporary, Weekends
2001 - 2002 WNZR Mount Vernon OH - Christian AC, Weekends
2002 - 2005 WKLM Millersburg OH - Adult Contemporary, Weekends/Swing; WZKL Canton OH - Top 40, Night Show Intern
2005 - 2006 WCPZ Sandusky OH - Hot Adult Contemporary, Promotions Director
2005 - 2006 WQIO Mount Vernon OH - Adult Contemporary, APD/Promo Dir.
2006 WQHY Prestonsburg KY - Top 40, PD
2006 WAZY Lafayette IN - Top 40, PD
2006 WLFF Lafayette IN - Country, PD
2007 WZOQ Lima OH - Hot Adult Contemporary, PD
2007 WDOH Lima OH - Adult Contemporary, PD

1) What was your first job in radio? Early influences?

I began working at WKLM in Millersburg (first one that wrote me a check) as a weekend. Yep, we were a small town AC that played Mennonite music on Sunday mornings, and sports 7 nights a week. My earliest influence was Barbara Adams at WKDD in Akron.

2) What makes your station or market unique? How does this compare to other markets or stations you have worked at?

Lima is a very "Buckeye Spirit" crowd. Being a native Buckeye, it helps to understand the way of life here. Our stations are two of the contemporary formats in town. And while most stations have problems with eroding cume, Maverick stations offer our listeners trust and in return they believe in our product.

3) Where do you see the industry and yourself five years from now?

The industry will start to return to its roots. With companies selling off stations by the masses and small groups taking over and focusing on the audience and its staff, it will allow for radio to develop its own identity again.

As for myself, I have never worked for a better company. I hope to stay with Maverick and take our contemporary programming to new heights.

4) How do you position the station musically and why did you choose this direction?

As for WZOQ it is a Hot Adult Contemporary that really builds on a solid listener base. Our slogan is "The Station That Defines Variety". This allows us to really create a consumer winning blend of hits from the past three decades. WDOH is your hometown AC format (just without the Mennonite music) that offers Lima an alternative when it comes to at work listening. It has a morning show that has been together for nearly 30 years and has served the town of Delphos for nearly 35.

5) How do you stay in touch with the latest music trends?

ALL ACCESS (Okay, now how much do I get paid? LOL), In all honesty we believe in listener focus groups where they tell us what songs fit their lifestyle the most and what they would like to hear. It helps in music definition.

6) How do you feel terrestrial radio competes with the satellite radio and Internet these days?

Satellite Radio isn't a true threat to the small markets of America. This is where radio realizes they need to focus on being what we used to, a local service to the communities in our immediate reach. The FCC didn't license us to play music 24/7, they gave us those slips of paper to provide information to citizens of the communities we serve.

7) What can we be doing with our station web sites to better our stations as a whole?

Station web sites have so much potential. Too many small stations don't realize this. It allows you to not only gain more listeners, but allows your station to really gain revenues through NTR and develop a more personal feeling with our P1 listeners and hopefully convert a few of those straggling P2's.

8) What do you view as the most important issue facing radio today?

Lack of trust. For your station to survive the next 10 years, you're going to have to show your listeners the whole hand of cards. They don't trust stations who don't allow them to feel a part of the decision making process. We need to develop relationships and grow our audience through strong marketing campaigns and show the listeners we are in this for the long run!

9) What is your favorite radio station outside of the market and why?

WKRQ Cincinnati. It is the most well programmed station I have ever heard. It truly defines Adult Top 40, which is a hard format to program. It defines Cincinnati!

10) Describe the relationship you have with your fellow co-workers? How do you motivate your staff to do better? How do they motivate you?

I said it earlier. Maverick really works on the Family principle. We truly operate as a family unit. Dave Roach is a tremendous GM who oversees the family and takes everyone under his wing to show us what we need to do for the stations to be competitive. Our sales team are goal getters, which is refreshing to see. And the programming staff works together to make it happen. Bill Rice (WUZZ), Charlie Harrigan (WFGF) and their staffs have all stepped up to the plate to make this the best place to work in radio. My staff believes in a common vision in the company and in our stations. It's refreshing to see everyone playing for the same team.

1) How do you market your radio station?

We have partnered with the local NBC affiliate, which has won the prestigious position as the most watched local newscast in America. Plus we have a couple billboards, newspaper, etc.

2) What are your three favorite artists or songs of this year?

ROB THOMAS - Street Corner Symphony, Little Wonders
NELLY FURTADO - Promiscuous, Man Eater, Say It Right
KT TUNSTALL - Black Horse, Suddenly I see

3) Please describe the best or worst promotion you've ever been part of?

In October of 2005 we had a promotion called "THE ACCOMPLICE". It was a twist of THE FUGITIVE, which was the hottest promotion in radio at the time. Stan Priest at WKSS in Hartford and I built it together. On the day the accomplice was caught, we had cars parking along the main road through town and running toward the person causing backups all over downtown. The Asst. Mayor even called and said that everyone at the town meeting was talking about it.