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10 Questions with ... Marty Hall
September 14, 2009
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NAME:Marty HallTITLE:PD/MDSTATIONS:WWIK-FMMARKET:Charleston, SCCOMPANY:Kirkman BroadcastingBORN:(2/19/68) Goldsboro, NCRAISED:Columbia, SC
Please outline your radio career so far:
WAQQ/Charlotte, NC - 1991-93
WOMG/Columbia, SC - 1993-97
WCOS & WLTY/Columbia, SC - 1998-2001
WSPA/Greenville, SC - 2002-04
WAZS-A & WWIK/Charleston, SC - 2004-Present1) What Got You Interested In Radio?
Honestly, I was chasing a woman. She was doing a weekly show at a College station WUSC in Columbia. She invited me in just for company and I was instantly hooked by the board, the lights, and...yeah, trying to impress her I gave it a shot. So thanks, Samantha, wherever you are.
2) Who do you consider your radio mentors?
Arroe Collins. I was but a mere sprout in radio when I started working with Arroe at WAQQ in Charlotte. I learned so much about imaging and production from him.
I'd also like to mention Mark Plemmonson his incredibly talented and creative production. Tim Miller was the one that really let me expand my horizons and led me down the path of programming and building winning stations. I would probably be an out-of-work jock today without his guidance.
3) What is the biggest change that you'd like to see happen in the business?
I'd like to see a resurgence of more locally owned groups.
4) For someone vacationing in your market, what one thing would you say they "must see"?
Come on, this is Charleston, SC! This whole city is history. You gotta see Ft. Sumter (start of the Civil War), beautiful Rainbow Row, the plantations, the Isle of Palms, Patriots Point, and the U.S.S. Yorktown. Oh, you said one thing, sorry.
5) What long-term role do you see HD radio playing in the future?
I'm still undecided on HD? I haven't been convinced yet that it isn't going to go the way of AM Stereo. I'm more inclined to think that HD will act as the genesis of a new technology that will be a major enhancement to existing terrestrial signals.
6) What is the current state of radio's "talent pool"?
Way too many talented people have fallen victim to the corporate greed of years past. I'm longing for the time when the corporations start shedding stations and a rebirth of smaller, locally owned groups return.
7) Your thoughts on Syndication and Voice-Tracking?
I can't stand voice-tracking. But I understand it is sometimes a necessary evil. Remote voice-tracking, though, is never a viable option to me.
8) Besides your own, what format would you like to program and why?
I've tinkered in Country, but I would like to have the keys to the pick-up one day. I will always have a soft spot for a genuine Oldies station.
9) What is the most rewarding promotion or activity your station has ever been involved with to benefit the community or a charity?
At a previous station, we took to heart the story of an off-duty volunteer firefighter who ran into a neighbor's burning house and was seriously burned over 80% of his body. We collected money for his family and fiancé and every morning for a week we took a mega-sized card out for listeners to sign. We delivered it without fanfare to the family. It had nothing to do with us, t just felt good to be able to do something meaningful and heartfelt and to show this family how much this brave man meant to the community.
10) What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?
Keep learning. You will never know enough to be complacent in your job.
Bonus Questions
1) What was your favorite station to listen to when you were a kid?
WNOK/Columbia, SC and the Windham Brothers morning show.
2) Who would be your dream guest on the show?
Give me Oprah the third Thursday of every month!
3) What was the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you at a remote?
I had an awesome looking replica 1932 convertible roadster as a station vehicle. Too bad it never ran as good as it looked. It broke down in the middle of a huge Christmas parade. There's nothing like being pushed to the side of the road by spectators and then sitting there for two hours waiting for a tow truck, being passed by every other station in town.
4) You're stuck on a deserted island and you only have 5 CDs with an unlimited supply of batteries. What are they?
OK, but you have to understand...I'm weird. The Beatles "Revolver," Jude Cole "Start The Car," Annie Lennox "Diva," Elton John "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," and Nickleback "For All The Right Reasons."
5) Do you have any good stalker stories? Misty requests? "Fatal Attractions?"
I had a woman follow me home one night and wait for me. And there was another woman who would write me letters telling me how she was going to "jump my bones" in the bushes outside the studio. That woman even sent me pictures of her rear bumper showing me how many station stickers she had. Good thing that license tag was right there in the middle of the photo!
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