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10 Questions with ... Hot Modern AC
December 10, 2019
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10 Questions with ... Hot Modern AC
This week, we look back at 2019 with the best answers to some of our best questions.
Steve O'Brien
PD/Middays
KMGL/Oklahoma City (2/4/19)
You're still on the air doing middays. Is it important to you as a programmer to still get in there every day and crack the mic?
I just wrapped up 30 years of doing mornings with the Magic Man Jeff Roberts, so we celebrated near the end of 2018 and then we kicked off a new morning show, "My Magic Morning Show with Jeff & Cara," to begin the new year. I do think it's important for a PD to be on the air and hear how everything comes together.Michelle Lewis
MD/Mornings
WMC/Memphis (3/11/19)
WMC-FM (FM100) is legendary for multiple reasons, including having a monster signal. When you're doing an air shift, can you feel that?
When I first started at FM100 over six years ago, I felt it every single day I cracked the mic. Like you said, FM100 is a legendary station. It was pretty hard to not feel that! Fast forward to today, that feeling is still there. Additionally, what's great about it now is that I get reminded almost daily of just how much of an impact FM100 has as a station when I get stopped in public by someone in the community who wants to chat with me about something on the show. It's pretty magical, and every time it happens I still react with shock because I tend to forget just how much of a reach we have. It's really an honor to be on such a legendary station and the reminders I get of that are so special.Nick Steele & Kristen Flowers
Mornings
KOIT/San Francisco (3/25/19)
Nick, you and Kristen have been married for four years and have been together for twice as long as that. Your partner really is your partner. How does your relationship play out on the air?
Usually not in my favor! We are lucky to have a really good relationship because we are best friends first and foremost. We genuinely enjoy being around each other and making fun of one another -- and that's exactly how we are on the air. It's a pleasure to come into work every day and talk to your best friend about the craziness of the world.
Kristen, if someone was a new listener to your show, how long do you think it would take for her/him to figure out that you're a couple?
Hopefully not long! Being the only married morning show in San Francisco sets us apart from the others, so we highlight it whenever it makes sense. We also have imaging running throughout the day that include testimonials from people who say they love that we're married. We recently had our daughter, so people call and ask about her a lot, so have a lot of clueless parent-type topics now!Justin Louis
Assistant Brand Manager/MD/PM drive
WOBM-FM/Monmouth-Ocean (4/22/19)
The format has evolved tremendously musically over the past 5 or 6 years or so. What's your take on that?
The evolution of radio formats over the past couple of years has been super interesting! When I came back home here to NJ in 2007, I started at our sister station, Hot AC WJLK (94.3 The Point) and WOBM was still using the "Soft Rock" positioning. When you look at where The Point was 12 years ago, that's pretty much where WOBM is now, having evolved to "Ocean County's Best Variety." Every format has kind of just taken a step to the left musically.
In a market where we have big signals from New York City and Philadelphia sneaking into the listening area, we definitely have to stay on our toes and make sure that we're programming WOBM for our audience. Sometimes it's in line with what the "conventional wisdom" is for an AC station at any given moment, but sometimes it isn't. I'll tell you what though, it's always fun!Kelly Dzanaj
Afternoons
WBZZ/Pittsburgh (5/27/19)
You're a relatively new mom, how is that going for you?
Motherhood and radio don't always go together like yin and yang, but we're working it out. Our weird hours make for some unique schedules on the family-front but I have the best "village" in the biz so they make it easy. As far as on-air content, I've never related to my audience more. I have a core group of men and women who have been with me for the past six years and seen every big life event go down (meeting my husband, engagement, buying a house, getting married, having our daughter). It's nice to have a group of virtual friends watching the journey while giving me much-needed guidance. We're a tribe.Tommy Jordan
Mornings
WAFY/Frederick, MD (6/10/19)
How would you describe your first radio gig?
I would describe it as amazing! I was a part-timer doing just about everything at Q102 in Philly. The amount of talent in that building was incredible. Chris Jagger, Elvis Duran, Andy Gury, Drex and a lot more. And they were all willing to teach the part-timers and help guide us along. I consider myself very lucky to have that as my first job in radio.Gabbi Ray
Creative Marketing Dir./Middays
WSGL/Ft. Myers-Naples (7/1/19)
As you're prepping your midday show, what are the kinds of things that you look for that you know will click with your listeners?
I am smack-dab in the middle of my station's demo, so I look for things I would like. I've always believed you should strive to make your station a 'one-stop-shop' for your listeners, where they get the news, weather, entertainment, gossip, everything. I focus on local events and stories going on in the community. I also like to look for things that might catch your ear in the car ... like the newest weirdest things you can buy on Amazon. Everyone loves that.
Jayde Donovan
Syndicated/The Jayde Donovan Show (7/15/19)
In radio, we never usually get to do a "last show" or a proper sign-off/ What did it mean to you that Cumulus let you folks give such an iconic station as WPLJ a proper farewell?
That was one of the things I had to mention on our very last show. You're absolutely right. Typically in radio, we don't get to say goodbye. It was powerful and definitely way more emotional than I think any of us anticipated. It was pretty incredible to have that opportunity to let our audience know how much they mean to us.Danny Hill
Owner/Morning Show
KRWI/Bakersfield (8/19/19)
Most people associate you with your long tenure at KLLY/Bakersfield. How did it come to pass that you are now a radio station owner?
My mother passed away last year and left me a small inheritance. She asked me to invest it in property or a business. Her fear was I would just sit on it and spend it slowly. We went house hunting and didn't find anything we could afford. We have five kids so we need a big house. I wasn't sure what type of business I could own, I know nothing about any business except radio. I was on an e-mail blast from radio broker in town that listed radio stations for sale. I saw he had some in nearby markets. I talked to my wife and asked if she would like to run a radio station and I could still have my job in town. Might be a good idea since we both know radio and if it's cheap enough, then it could be a "bonus" income.I set up a visit to station in Porterville and came close to a deal but at the last second, another buyer came in and paid for asking price in cash. I was disappointed but I was letting God do his work. The broker brought up another station 67 miles away in Wofford Heights and said it was because of the altitude it could only be 87 watts but it covered Lake Isabella and the ski resort.
I dumped money into engineering studies and each one came back that I couldn't move the station towards Bakersfield. The radio locater map showed it should be able to cover Bakersfield at the height, but it didn't for some reason. I couldn't power up the signal legally so I was out of options. I could move it off the mountain top and place in Lake Isabella and up the power because the H.A.T. would be more reasonable there. I figured I would just try to make it work in the small cities that were up there.
Then winter came and it snowed collectively 90 inches in three months on the mountain top. It froze my antenna and we went off the air. I researched a weatherproof Single Bay antenna and had one delivered. When winter passed, we went to the tower sight and discovered the antenna was pointing down ... it was broken dangling from the co-ax cable. I wondered how long it had been that way. I still had over a year on my tower lease, so I had to re-mount the new antenna. After finding a certified tower climber we set it up and turned it on. My phone rang no less than five minutes after turning it on. My buddy Joey called and said, "Did you fix your station? I can hear it in my car." I was baffled; "where are you?" He responded, "Bakersfield."
It turns out the other antenna was never working properly and was broken. The new antenna actually covered the predicted area -- Bakersfield, Delano, Porterville and the mountain cities. We were in business. That's how I came to own my first radio station.Jessica Green
OM/Mornings
WZWZ/Kokomo (10/14/19)
You wear plenty of "hats" on a daily basis. What's your most important time management rule?
I write everything down. I read a book called "Getting Things Done" by David Allen that taught me a specific way to organize not just my thoughts, but my projects. The key being, write everything down-everything! Once it's down on paper or in note on your phone, it's not rolling around in your head and you don't risk forgetting it or not getting it done.
Our hours can relentless, especially when the alarm goes off at 3a there is no way I can expect myself to remember everything I need to get done, when I finally accepted that, my life became easier and I became a more effective leader.
Also, sometimes it's completely appropriate to shut your door, for some of us, it's not an option every day, but it has to be an option from time to time. -
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