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10 Questions with ... Sky Daniels
July 18, 2006
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NAME:Sky DanielsTITLE:VP/Programming & Station DevelopmentSTATIONS:KUDDMARKET:Salt Lake City, UTCOMPANY:Marathon MediaBORN:Youngstown, OhioRAISED:Youngstown, Ohio
Please outline your radio career so far:
WKDD/AKRON, OH; WYDD/PITTSBURGH, PA; WWWW/DETROIT, MI; WLUP/CHICAGO, IL; KFOG/SAN FRANCISCO, CA; KMET/LOS ANGELES, CA; KISW/SEATTLE, WA; NINE FM/CHICAGO, IL.
1) What was your first job in radio? Early influences?
WFAR/FARRELL, PA. Two bucks an hour! A dream come true!
2) What led you to a career in radio? Was there a defining moment, which made you realize "this is it"?
My cousin worked with Alan Freed. I got religion early.
3) If you were just starting out in radio, knowing now, what you didn't then, would you still do it?
I came back to radio after a 15 year hiatus. I LOVE radio, more now than ever...
4) What is the best advice you would give to young programmers/promotion people?
Appreciate that we get to provide people joy in their lives. When the job gets frustrating-focus on the listener who believes in the music. Restore your own faith!
5) How do you stay in touch with the latest music trends?
Absorb every printed and online resource available. Talk to a lot of trusted confidantes in the music biz.
6) What do you view as the most important issue facing radio today?
Overcoming the ugly cynicism that pervades the business. We need to recognize that the only way to compete is to do more, not less. Radio remains a profound influence on culture...if it tries to exist as a foreground medium. Restore the passion...pound the pulpit!!!
7) How is the relationship between programmer and record label changing? For better or worse?
It has been paralyzed by fear. We should try to remain passionate advocates of new music, knowing our principles are intact.
8) 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?
Broadcast radio has been repositioned by the interactive nature of new media. A growing segment of the audience is frustrated by radio's predictability. The variety formats capitalized on that. Now they need a 'second act' to continue to be meaningful. Playing the same 500 songs from random eras/genres will quickly be questioned by the audience seeking "more".
9) Please describe the best or worst promotion you've ever been part of?
"Disco Demolition" at WLUP/Chicago. The best radio promotion of all time.
10) What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?
Arbitron is a lousy arbiter of quality radio.
Bonus Questions
Of all the skills you have gained through the years, is there an area you'd like to improve?
Being more patient. I am pretty intense. At six foot, six inches, that intensity can overwhelm.
What's the closest you ever came to getting arrested for an on-air stunt? Or did you actually get arrested?
I had a bail bondsman on retainer in Chicago. He got sick of getting calls at 4am...
What are your three favorite artists or songs of this year?
Dixie Chicks "Not Ready To Make Nice", Death Cab for Cutie "I Will Follow You Into the Dark", Weezer "Perfect Situation".
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