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10 Questions with ... Lisa Foxx
September 28, 2009
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1) What was your first radio job?
I went on the air right out of high school at KOHL in Jr. College and then I interned at KWSS/Santa Cruz and KOME/San Jose.
2) Please outline your radio career: Who were some of your biggest influences?
I can't believe I've actually been able to make a living doing my 'dream job' for 20+ years now!
KOME PD Ron Nenni helped get me my first on air job at KDON/Salinas, CA where I learned and made pretty much EVERY on air mistake. A patient and awesome boss named Michael Newman REALLY helped mold me. John Christian got me my dream gig working at Hot 97.7 in my home town of San Jose until an infamous 'emergency staff meeting' left the whole staff with a hole in their heart at the beginning of the end of 'Mr. & Mrs. so and so' owning stations to the big company take-overs.
Special thanks to one of my mentor's John Ivey who has become like my 'radio dad' and my agent Paul Anderson who's kept me sane & who's name in the biz is probably better than mine!
Michelle Santosuosso and Michael Erickson then invited me to join the KMEL family in San Francisco with SUPER FAMOUS legendary on air personalities like John London, Renell & Rick Chase. I was TOTALLY star struck and nervous as a "mofo."
So where do you go after doing mornings in San Francisco? LA of course! Which began my So Cal journey in the late 90's with Angela Perelli and "The love of my radio career" Ryan Seacrest ;)
After 12 years at KYSR/Los Angeles (crazy huh?) and LOTS of changes in how radio is done...I'm now on our sister station KBIG 104.3 doing live weekends/fill-ins and track /tape two stations KIOI (Star 101.3)/San Francisco, and KMYI (Star 94.1)/San Diego with the awesome Andrew Jeffries and "Jimmy Steele at the Wheel" in San Diego!
3) What do you view as the most important issue facing radio today?
As a new board member of American Women in Radio & Television (AWRT) and being a radio personality for 20+years..I REALLY feel like we need to make sure schools and universities are addressing the changes in radio and the music industry as a whole. All of the changes will affect those STILL wanting to be in radio. Technology has changed EVERYTHING. Is sending out a 'demo tape' to a program director going to get anyone where it used it?? There are less jobs period and the jobs that are in existence require more technical skills than we've ever had to deal with. We have to be WEB DESIGNERS now, and part of the social networking scene. I fear new comers will have no idea what's really going on and will not be prepared or properly trained enough to get hired. What will the future of radio SOUND like? It scares me!
4) What approach do you take after a soft book?
Fortunately, books FINALLY don't matter anymore and I couldn't be happier. I was so tired of being on what FELT like a #1 station KYSR/(Star 98.7) for SO LONG and having the Arbitron/caveman mentality continue to manipulate advertisers. THANK GOD for PPM!
5) Is Arbitron's Personal People Meter (PPM) currently available in you market, or in a neighboring market? What are your thoughts on this new ratings technology?
While it's been the 'kiss of death' to us creative radio folk who wish we had more airtime for REAL, meaningful, controversial conversations that get people's blood pumping. We are now challenged with creating much more in WAY less time and are supposed to feel satisfied with giving less. The reigns have gotten tighter and it is hard, but hasn't that ALWAYS been the case??? "Brevity is KEY", "LESS IS MORE." It's never really changed. But it also means the old, self indulgent ways of opening the mic and just wanting to hear yourself talk are no longer tolerated.
6) Who is the most amazing talent you've worked with?
I've gotten a lot of 'shite' from radio bosses and partners in the 'After Ryan Seacrest' phase of my career, and I will always compare them to him.
After seven years on the air together, hell yeah! Seriously, our work ethic together was unparalleled. We would call each other throughout the day/night when we saw or heard something 'show worthy', etc. On the same page and the show was our #1 priority.
I have been doing this a long time...and LOTS of radio people are lazy, EGO MANIACS that DON'T get it. That's fine...but those are people I can no longer directly work with. I came up in a 'man's world' in my career. Eventually they finally admitted, "Wow, on an all male morning show...we may actually CARE about what a woman has to say"???
REALLY?? I can't tell you how many times...I had worked SO HARD to prepare a funny and brilliant newscast when my 'all male hosts' kept 'forgetting to turn my mic on' so they could tell some more self indulgent ridiculous stories.
The point is I EARNED my place and when I met Ryan everything changed. He HEARD me and valued my opinion while we both honored each other as people and partners. Our friendship on and off the air and our chemistry was a magic I never knew existed after so many PHONY FAKE on-air marriages. It's not fair to anyone. Bosses put people together who don't even like each other and PEOPLE CAN HEAR IT. I'm just happy to know what magic felt like and still miss it everyday. That's how radio SHOULD be: real, honest, compelling, magic.
7) How do you stay in tune with your audience?
Wow?!?! I've ALWAYS dreaded the day of making references on the air that I fear the youngins wont get. Well, shit it's HERE!
To reference Pong, life before TV remotes & microwaves, Sid & Marty Kroft, Bartles & James wine coolers and Ditto pants are nostalgic fun for MY peeps but not for the younger audience. That's why it's SUPER important to make sure you ARE up to speed. You have to ask your friends, their teenagers, teens on your social networks, and even by stopping by Best Buy to start chatting up the sales dudes.
You can reference '8 track' tapes as long as you have an IPOD and download songs from iTunes. You can reference PONG as long as you've played Guitar Hero or Rock Band, or hell...at least you know what they are. The biggest thing I remind myself is, it's one thing if I'M starting to FEEL old, but I don't need to keep reminding my audience of it all the time. Being or "feeling old' shouldn't be crutch. We have Boston's "More Than a Feeling" in our rotation once in awhile on 104.3MYfm. My personal, natural reaction would be to back announce that song and say, "I still have this on 45 from back in the day!" Do the kids today even KNOW WHAT A 45 IS? But my professional reaction becomes, "Nothing like Classic Boston...it sounds good whether you're listening to it on your old vinyl, or your iPod etc..."
8) What should radio be doing now to secure a role in the future of the ever-changing media landscape?
Radio people have been forced to become SUPER web-savy. A few years ago, I barely knew how to turn my computer on. I resisted at first, but I am now TOTALLY on board.
Long-time KIIS-FM APD/Music Director, Julie Pilat (who was my PD at 98*7 for a bit) dragged us kicking and screaming to some place called 'twitter'?? ;) Months later it BLEW UP and now I can see it's a necessity and I actually REALLY enjoy connecting with people on a Facebook and Twitter level too. It's fun and makes the one-on-one radio connection multi-dimensional.
9) Why would someone listen to your station instead of listening to music on their iPod?
Well, these days I can only speak for myself. It's part of why I KNOW (and pray) that 'live' radio hosts will always be needed. Computers, Board-Ops and even MASS programming AND any little 'device' can NEVER take away from the connection you can have with your audience. In YOUR words, YOUR personal delivery in connection with your feelings and your location. People WANT and NEED to feel connected. It's harder when "tracking," which IS more of a challenge. BUT I'm only on in cities I truly love and connect with. (And I'm sorry to say, if you don't say "yes" to tracking...someone else will! I am grateful to be on in my home town of the bay area AND San Diego where I have a nice LA/San Diego fun fan base. As much as I've had to get used to what 'Apple/iTunes' offers (and yes, I Co-Host the iTunes Download Countdown syndicated show). You may get your songs, but there is NO personal connection.
10) As you look back over your career .... any regrets? Missed opportunities?
I definitely see some opportunities that were available to me that I passed up (mostly TV stuff). Ryan was always getting us in front of the camera for something. We shot a bunch of projects. It seems like there were ALWAYS cameras around. I did some stuff, but being ON TV was not my thang. It made me sick and nervous. It was the OPPOSITE of radio. It brought out all of my insecurities. I felt "not hot enough" for sure and I would have had to lose weight for sure. It just wasn't important to me...so I shied away from some great opportunities. I did what I felt was right. And now that I'm older and more comfy in my skin, I just don't give a shit. I feel a bit fearless. I'm like, "bring it on bitches!!" I look at how I look and feel more confident in who I am as a person. The TV projects I'm selling have me both in front of and behind the camera. I don't care about 'trying to be somebody'...I just want to be involved in meaningful and creative projects that I'm PROUD to put my name on.
My motto these days: "IT IS WHAT IT IS." I'm spinning my attitude. I've got NO TIME to be ungrateful or bitter. We can't change what's happened to radio on a bigger scale. BUT, we can STILL maintain the #1 MOST important reason for doing what we do..."CONNECTING with the audience, and then social networking that connection." EVERYONE wants to feel that connection. If listeners are forgetting they get that CONNECTION from radio and radio people, then we are letting the 'bad guys and the gadgets' win.
Bonus Questions
1) Do you have any good stalker stories? Misty requests? "Fatal Attractions?"
Ooh...real stalker stories are NEVER good!
2) What's been your biggest disappointment in Radio today?
Ooh...loaded question. But to answer on a positive constructive note, I think it's become people's attitudes. I KNOW a lot of radio people who are justifiably bitter for a variety of reasons: getting laid off, losing affiliates to syndicated cheaper shows, getting screwed by the company, and suddenly doing WAY MORE FOR WAY LESS.
Many radio people have "lived the life." Hell, I never made a 'million dollar pay check' but I made REALLY great money with HUGE bonuses for a very long time. I met, and hung out with and I am friends with some very big names in the biz. Hell, we had station trips to PARIS, IRELAND, SPAIN and all over the world where it was more staff than contest winners! Our bosses would buy us DOM and take us out to celebrate the ratings with big fancy expensive dinners and parties. We had drivers, sometimes private jets (thank you Seacrest) but now the times have changed. Instead of blaming everyone else and letting 'bitterness' consume me...
I've just adopted the motto..."IT IS WHAT IT IS'. I don't have the power to change what's happening on a larger scale, but I CAN control how I feel about it. I'm not a doormat and I have a tremendous self worth. I just want to be HAPPY and SUCCESSFUL and I don't think any radio boss or company is in charge of that...I have to create it for myself...
3) What other stations and markets do you like to monitor?
I feel like I need to get an iPhone and the iHeart radio program so I can listen to the shows and stations in my other markets. I listen to EVERYONE in LA...after I flip around and 'check in' on them I listen to AM news.
4) What's the best piece of advice anyone's ever given you? The worst?
The best piece of advice, and really just great words to live by and BROUGHT TO FRUITION came mostly from Ryan Seacrest (who was a Marketing Major in college and his dad is a successful business lawyer in Atlanta). "NEVER PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET," and "DIVERSIFY YOUR PORTFOLIO" are things a self absorbed little radio girl didn't get in her 20's. WHY would I pursue ANYTHING else?? I'm doing what I LOVE! I wasn't hungry to do anything else. I didn't KNOW about ANYTHING else.
But as time and lessons would have it...Geeeeez! Who would have foreseen the changes that most everyone in radio is dealing with...when I stopped doing mornings at 98*7 and I decided to stay on part time (I'm SO GRATEFUL that I did that), it gave me time to figure out what else, career wise am I even interested in??? I had time to figure it out...six months before the funds started to get a little low. I found a passion for music supervising and thanks to friends I have had some great opportunities.
That is a GREAT side business and a wonderful way to expose GREAT bands that may never make it on mainstream radio. Investing in a restaurant was SCARY as hell!! I would NOT advise it (E-mail me I can tell more) but after weathering a few storms...our place is doing great now and I still have high hopes of seeing a return. I LOVE being there and taking care of people and helping them enjoy themselves on a much deserved night out. ;)
TV: Trying to sell a few TV shows and working on a few TV projects. I don't talk about it much because it sounds "so Hollywood." PLUS I really want to do my first project without ANY help from Ryan. He did it ALL on his own...and I will too (probably not at his level but at one that suits me) ;) Yes, I can definitely see and feel the importance of having OTHER things going on in your life and career. I think there are tougher times to come for us radio folk and we HAVE TO "REDESIGN OUR THINKING."
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