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10 Questions with ... Dave Harris
April 6, 2009
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NAME:Dave HarrisTITLE:Host & Executive ProducerCOMPANY:Retro RewindBORN:February 25, 1971 - Glasgow, KYRAISED:Glasgow, KY and the Chicago suburbs
Please outline your radio career so far:
WOVO/Glasgow, KY - Off and on from 1983-1989
WHHT/Glasgow, KY - 1989-1990
WWWQ/Glasgow, KY - 1990-1991 - APD/MD
WBLG/Bowling Green, KY 1991-1992 - PD
WLAC/Nashville, TN 1992-1994
WWTN/Nashville, TN 1994-1995
WSIX/Nashville 1995-1996
WNPL/Nashville 1998-1999
WDAQ/Danbury, CT 1999-2001
WYHT/Columbus Metro, OH - PD - 2001
Clear Channel/Mansfield 2001 (10 station cluster) Director of Programming
WRQQ/Nashville, TN 2001-2002
WHAJ/Bluefield, WV 2002-2003 - PD/mornings
WTHX/Louisville Metro, KY 2003-2004 - PD
KRLT/Lake Tahoe/Reno 2004-05 - OM/Mornings
KGMX/Los Angeles Metro, CA 2005-2006 - PD/mornings
Retro Rewind 1999 to present - Executive Producer/Host1) What Got You Interested In Radio?
My mom and my grandparents always had the radio on. I was such a huge Casey Kasem fan as a kid. I would listen to the American Top 40 Countdown faithfully every week as a kid. I was always on the floor lying next to the stereo speakers with my tape recorder going. I would then play it back and practice. I moved to Chicago when I was 11 and I used to fall asleep at night to WCLR. That was a soft AC station. Why an 11 year old would listen to that format, AND late at night when I had school the next day, beats me? My grandparents got me a stereo mixer from Radio Shack when I was a teen. I would hold up in my room for hours making radio shows. I think my parents only saw me once or twice during my teen years!
2) How would you describe your first radio gig?
I would say I was a little gopher. I just wanted in the door. My first job was bulking carts and later I moved up to airing American Top 40 and Scott Shannon's Rockin' America Top 30 countdown. I used to read the weather or news in between that too!
3) Who were your early influences?
Casey Kasem for sure. Rick Dees was another. I used to listen to Peter B and Smokin' Joe Dawson when I was a kid in Chicago. And I can't forget Johnny B (Jonathon Brandmeier).
4) What led you to a career in radio? Was there a defining moment, which made you realize "this is it"?
Believe it or not it was when John Lennon died. I was almost 10 and I just remember hearing all these tributes. Casey Kasem would later run a special Beatles countdown. I just remember listening thinking, "I want to do this."
I want to do tributes and play songs and share information with people. I want to communicate with people and gain their trust. I wanted to make them feel better through music. I rarely tell that story because I think it's hard to explain or comprehend how that would lead me into radio. Ironically, Julian Lennon is a dear friend of mine and I've never told him this story.
5) What is the biggest misconception about your show?
That maybe all we play are songs from the 80s & 90s. We pride ourselves in the fact that we embrace, play, and promote the latest projects from stars of this genre. I think that is why we have built strong relationships with these artists. A lot of these acts don't get a fair chance at radio anymore. We try and make up for that on our show. When we spotlight an artist for a entire month we play several cuts of the new stuff while maintain a nice balance of their classics too. Interested stations can contact us at dave@retrorewind.com for more information.
6) How do you feel about the new royalty rate increases for Internet radio and proposed royalties for terrestrial radio?
Well this is an interesting issue for me. As a songwriter who gets royalties from time to time, I am all for this and I want it to be fair. BUT...as a broadcaster and programmer I'm a little put off by it to. My stance then turns to why should we pay when we're promoting your music for you? That's an odd one for me.
7) What type of features do you run on your show?
We have many great features on the show. We have one called "Tales from the Top". It's the story behind a #1 hit. We usually we get the artist or the songwriter to tell us the story. We also have a "Retro News" update. It's a recap of the week's news involving any artist from the 70s-90s. We also have "7 minutes of 70s" where we feature 2 songs from the 70s that roughly equal about seven minutes....hence the name.
8) What singer/performer/artist really inspires you and why?
I'd have to say my best friend, Scott Grimes. Scott is also known as "Dr. Morris" on ER these days, but he had a hit in 2005 with a song he and I wrote called, "Sunset Blvd". We're writing partners and he really pushes me as a writer. He's a master of melody and has great ideas for songs 24/7. He makes me strive to want to keep up with him.
9) What techniques do you use to get a celebrity to open up in an interview?
I'm just laid back. I come prepared but I don't sound rehearsed. I try to ask them questions that a fan might ask but with a professional approach. The idea is to not ask them the same questions they always hear. I gain their trust by just being normal. I like to make them feel like there is no pressure. I don't discuss racy issues with them or anything controversial. It's about the music and their latest project. I give them the floor most of the time and let them do most of the talking.
10) What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?
I credit my old friend Vince Gill on this one. He told me once, "You have to go to where it's going on. It won't come to you". He was right.
Bonus Questions
1) How many active songs do you have in your library?
We literally have over 9000 songs in our library.
2) What career path would you be following had it not been for this industry?
I would have tried songwriting. I've had some success in that area. I just love music so much, and if I wasn't playing it as a "radio guy" then I would be creating it.
3) Who do you consider your radio mentors?
Many people took me under their wings. Here's my chance to publicly thank "Dr. Rick" Faulkner, "Robert Cain", Mark Travis, John McGavin, Mickey Collins, Shannon McCombs, Steven Kelly, and Stan McKenney. Without these people I wouldn't have been able to get into radio.
4) What is your favorite part of the job?
I love to communicate. I love to interact with people on the show too. I love to share tidbits of information that they might not have known about a song or artist. I also enjoy playing the music I love and that I'm passionate about. Lastly, I enjoy building relationships with the people who created the music and supporting their latest work.
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