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10 Questions with ... Woody Nelson
April 11, 2006
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NAME:Woody NelsonTITLE:PD/Morning Drive GuruSTATIONS:KWYK-FM 94.9 Quick FMMARKET:Farmington New MexicoCOMPANY:Basin BroadcastingBORN:October 27th 1966 , Hollywood CaliforniaRAISED:Toluca Lake California ( Bob Hope country )
Please outline your radio career so far:
KIIS-FM as "Dr. Blood" ( mid to late 80's ) and others...
1) What was your first job in radio? Early influences?
My first job in radio was as a traffic reporter during afternoon drive at KROQ-FM with then PM Drive jock "Freddy Snakeskin." What ? Am I showing my age here ? My early influences were all those "Boss Jocks" I heard as a kid on Boss Radio 93 KHJ. And let us not forget the ever-popular "Booger man" himself "Dr. Johnny Fever" from everyone's favorite station that never was but should have been, WKRP.
2) What led you to a career in radio? Was there a defining moment, which made you realize "this is it"?
I am just one of those guys with a radio voice, and since I can impersonate just about anyone, I found it more natural than anything. When I dropped out of film school (because the teachers were morons) I enrolled in radio school and never looked back. Then I realized one could actually make a paycheck in this business.
3) If you were just starting out in radio, knowing now, what you didn't then, would you still do it?
Radio has drastically changed, and it is almost like the fall of western civilization. I would still do it without question. I have obviously chosen to take on an approach as the underdog by being in a non-corporate suit driven atmosphere. But that is the way I like it. Radio once was a fun job and I feel like that is what I have created once again, a fun place to work and call home.
4) What makes your station or market unique? How does this compare to other markets or stations you have worked at?
This small market of the great Southwest in the great state of New Mexico is very unique in that most of our audience is rather hard to track. It involves hundreds of thousands of Native Americans (we call them Indians here in Farmington) who are some of the best people you will ever meet. Give me 100 Indian listeners any day over the same amount of suits. This is a micro market on the books, but with the non ratable dynamic that it uniquely holds it is right up there as a top 100 station as we all know here. Compared to the other stations, well quite frankly, this is a lot more fun. I am a BIG FISH in a small pond.
5) How do you stay in touch with the latest music trends?
The only way a real PD should. A combination of listening to the listeners and by reading the best thing that ever happened to radio, All Access.
6) How have the recent FCC regulations impacted the way you program your music and the station's dialogue on the air? What are your feelings about these recent changes?
I play by the rules so I do not have the issues. Big Brother will always be there so I just play nice and everyone gets along.
7) Tell us what music we would find on your car or home CD player (or turntable) right now and what is it you enjoy about that particular selection?
Oingo Boingo, David Bowie (early stuff ), Mark Chesnutt, Snoop Dogg, Motley Crue, Fiona Apple, and of course, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy because I am just a bit "warped."
8) What can we be doing with our station web sites to better our stations as a whole?
Keep them up to date (unlike some I have seen). Make them interactive to bring in perimeter listeners who might be just outside the reach of your stick.
9) Just about every market has a station flipping to "Jack," "Bob," "Max," etc. What are your thoughts on this new format? Will it go the distance? Or is it just a fad?
I embrace the "Jack/Bob/Chuck/etc concept, except for what the creators have obviously overlooked. People do not want canned music, they want human contact. The format is right but I believe it is missing personality. I truly believe I have the formula, and "jockless" is a bad way to go. Just look at that station in the deep South that flipped from a Heritage station and went to a jockless "Jack" format. In one book they went from a 4.4 to a 1.1 according to the diary. That seems like radio suicide. Yes, it saved money on payroll, but I can only imagine the loss of revenues that will result in the sales department. I would hate to be the rocket scientist that authorized that brainiac move...
10) What is the biggest change that you'd like to see happen in the business?
Get rid of the "suit mentality" in radio and get back to what radio is really about, ENTERTAINING PEOPLE!!!
Bonus Questions
What format does not exist that should? Would it work?
In music we have categories for everything it seems, including a category that shows you how to build weapons of mass destruction (Heavy Metal) and a two song category on legalized suicide ("Had a bad day," "You're Beautiful"). What we all seem to be missing here is the category which I have developed. And hell yes it is working!!! What is it? I thought you would never ask? I call it Hot Alternative Retro Rock A/C , or HARC for short. Want to know how it works? Well it is easy, just open up your mind and don't be afraid to try stuff out on the air. Worst case scenario is you get a few hate calls, and since I launched this one in a population area of about 250,000+, I have had a whopping 6, YES, 6 hate calls, but what about the 1,000's of love calls? When I say "love calls," I do not mean those by the rutting deer in mating season 40 miles from me either. This format works!
What is your favorite TV show?
Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
In your opinion, what is the greatest song ever that never made it as a hit?
"The Width of a Circle" - David Bowie ( circa. 1972 )
Who is your favorite air personality not on your staff?
That truly is a tough one, and seems like a loaded question. So I am going to play it safe here: Big Ron O'Brien at WOGL is not only a radio legend but a great radio force to be reckoned with. Then there is Rick Dees. He is one hell of an entertainer/workaholic, but his golf game (from what I remember at Lakeside Country Club) is not quite my caliber. (Sorry Rick )
What is your favorite radio station outside of the market and why?
KLOS FM in Los Angeles because they have been true to themselves for over 30 years. Damn I miss KMET!!!
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