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10 Questions with ... Lance Sottile
June 15, 2009
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NAME:Lance SottileTITLE:APD/MD/Imaging DirectorSTATIONS:KLLY Kelly 95.3MARKET:Bakersfield, CaliforniaCOMPANY:Buckley BroadcastingBORN:Toledo, OhioRAISED:Monroe, Michigan (Just south of Detroit)
Please outline your radio career so far:
WEJY (Y-975)/Monroe, MI (Now WYDM) (High School) - 2002-2004
WTWR (Tower 98)/Toledo, OH - Fill-In/Weekends (Top 40) - 2004-2005
WWWM (Star 105)/Toledo, OH - Nights (Top 40) - 2005
WQPO (Q101)/Harrisonburg, VA - Nights - 2005-2006
KLLY (Kelly 95.3)/Bakersfield, CA APD/MD/Imaging/nights - 2006 to present1) What is your favorite part of the job?
My favorite part of my job would be doing a "World Famous Kelly Lounge" and seeing our listeners get excited about seeing one of their favorite artists. I also get a kick out of hearing the radio station playing in gas stations, convenience stores, shopping malls, etc. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I see people enjoying Kelly 95.3. That gives me a lot of job satisfaction at the end of the day.
2) What do you like best about working in this format?
Hot AC is an ever changing environment and I like that. Our station is always changing, and I enjoy watching KLLY evolve into being the most relevant station it can be. It's exciting to listen to new music that no one has heard, and weeks later watching that song go to #1 in the country, or to see it being performed on American idol!
It's exciting when we have a new up and coming artist in our Kelly Lounge, and then just days later that artist is performing on "The Tonight Show" or they are starring on "Saturday Night Live."
3) How do you feel terrestrial radio competes with the satellite radio and Internet these days?
I think terrestrial radio continues to prove its worth on a day to day basis. For example, I grew up in the Midwest and we often had very violent thunderstorms. The fastest and most complete information on weather events always came from terrestrial radio.
A terrestrial station is able to create a feeling of localism for the community, collecting toys for tots, raising money for a fallen police officer's families, or producing local events, like a lounge or the local club night. Neither of these things can be accomplished by nationwide satellite radio or Internet radio. I think both of these types of events have the potential to open the door for more varied kind of programming that local radio may not be able to carry.
4) What are your three favorite artists or songs of this year?
Lady Gaga "Pokerface," The Fray "You Found Me," and Katy Perry "Hot And Cold."
5) How often do you listen to your station when you are away from the office?
I'm listening all the time in the car. First of all, I really enjoy the music we play. Second, most of my non-radio friends are huge Kelly fans, so I end up listening to it at their houses, parties etc. And like many radio programmers I just want to know that the station is still on the air.
6) What are your three favorite industry web sites?
www.allaccess.com, www.radioandrecords.com and www.radio-info.com. Oh wait...????
7) Do you have any musical guilty pleasures?
I love Bette Midler! LOL!
8) What is your biggest challenge working at this station?
My biggest challenge is juggling between the many hats that I wear. But the challenge of juggling all these tasks makes the day fly by!
9) Where do you see the industry and yourself five years from now?
The radio industry has been shrinking. We're going to see a lot of changes in the next five year in programming and technology, and hopefully radio will evolve into something more relevant to the audience. I do think that Wi-Fi has a lot of potential along with HD if we can market it properly.
10) You just won the lotto and you have your boss on the line. What's the first thing that you would say?
"Ummm, you know how I was asking for that raise? Ummm.. uh...Nevermind. I'll be sending you a post card from Maui! Have a great day!"
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