10 Questions with ... Brad Carson

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

(Brad Weiss)1994-1997: WONC (North Central College)/Naperville, IL., WSMI-AM-FM/Litchfield, Illinois 1996: Intern at KYKY (Y98)/St. Louis

(Brad Kelly) 1998-2000: KMXB and KMZQ/Las Vegas, NV

(Brad Carson) 2000-2004: WKOE-FM and WIXM/Atlantic City, NJ. 2004-present: WMBZ/WSNA/WKQK and WMFS/Memphis, (on-air) Indy, WNTR (107.9 The Mix)/Indianapolis and WMMM (105.5 Triple M)/Madison.

1. How and why did you get into radio? Why radio?

I have always wanted to be in radio. I started at the college radio station at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, “Pure Rock FM 89.1” WONC. The college was close to Chicago, so that was appealing for me as a kid from rural Southern Illinois. When I toured the college and saw WONC-FM and the college students running the whole thing and doing radio shows it was over. That’s where I wanted to be.

I loved radio as a boy listening to music radio with my folks in the car. My dad listened to country on WIL in St. Louis in his truck and news in the morning at the house on WSMI in Litchfield, IL. My mom liked the hits on Y98. I also grew up, like so many, listening to Jack Buck on KMOX. When I played high school basketball, the local station WSMI would play “tape delayed” play-by-play of my games. I was enamored with those broadcasts.

I used to make fake radio shows on cassettes and do impressions of my teachers at school to play back for my friends. During college I scored a job at WSMI and an internship at Y98 with “Phillips and Company”, thanks to Smokey Rivers.

2. You've been at the station for over 13 years now, but you got there after doing music radio. This might be going back a long, long way, but how was the transition from programming and hosting on music stations to doing sports radio for you? Were there things you could apply from music radio to programming sports talk?

Throughout my career, I have found that quality local content, information, and entertainment in the form of music, news, or play-by-play is what defines success.

I was fortunate to have mentors like John “Maddog” Madormo at WONC and Terry Todt at WSMI while I was doing full service radio -- everything from play-by-play broadcasts, sports reports, farm reports, obituaries, trading post (aka “tradio”), DJing, live karaoke from bars, county fairs, to just about every scenario you can imagine as a broadcaster. Because of this vast experience and knowledge of what the audience is looking for, the transition into sports programming was fairly easy.

3. What kind of sports market is Memphis, at least for radio purposes? With one local pro franchise, a big college basketball program, and college football surrounding the area, are there particular teams or topics that dominate sports talk radio all year (like, say, SEC football might dominate in Birmingham or the Lakers are year-round in L.A.) or is there more of a balance?

Memphis is Hoops City, USA. Our city’s major league franchise from the NBA is the Memphis Grizzlies. 92.9 FM ESPN (WMFS) is proud to be the Flagship Home of the Memphis Grizzlies, and we aim to provide fans with the most engaging coverage of the team.

We also have the Memphis Tigers Basketball team, which is promoted and followed like a pro franchise. Tiger basketball fans expect high level recruits and excitement. They play in an NBA arena, have a $20-Million dollar practice facility, and it’s bigtime.

The SEC is also really big with our local fans. We carry the University of Tennessee Volunteers. The NFL resonates with Memphis sports fans as well. We carry the Tennessee Titans and Dallas Cowboys. Baseball also has a place and we have a partnership with the St. Louis Cardinals.

4. You've developed several local shows into successful franchises; what do you look for in a prospective talent to determine whether they have the goods to become successful?

Simply put, I look for smart, entertaining, focused, hard-working, team players that can engage and resonate with our local fans.

5. Your station, despite being local most of the weekdays, is an ESPN affiliate and branded as such. How important is that brand to the station?

I appreciate our relationship with ESPN as it has allowed us to become the #1 sports brand in Memphis since launching 10 years ago. We were able to build around their hosts, while developing our own local stars. Dan Barron, our GM, understood that the ESPN brand gave us an opportunity to quickly take an ownership position. Golic and Wingo do a really nice job setting the table each morning for us.

6. Who have been your influences, inspirations, and/or mentors in the business?

I’ve been really fortunate to have had a variety of opportunities & learning experiences from folks around the country like: John Madormo, Terry Todt, Smokey Rivers, Burke Allen, Duncan Payton, Jen Carter, Wayne Leland, Mike Ruble, Jennifer Smith, Gary Guida, Joe Kelly, Jim Donahoe, David Field, Pat Paxton, Michael Doyle, Bill Pasha, Dan Barron, Chris Michaels, Dr. Roger Smitter, Scott Mahalick, and, honestly a page full of names I know I’m leaving out. That includes our team here at Entercom Memphis and 92.9.

7. Of what are you most proud?

My wife, Stacy, and my son, Jake, are the first. They are incredible and I’ve been blessed with a wonderful family.

I’m very proud of 92.9 FM ESPN as a brand because this team has been able to build something special that appeals to Memphis fans.

In my career, I’m most proud of the friends and teammates I work with that have grown and developed over the years. Seeing the success of Jason & John on WMFS is very rewarding. We put J&J in prime, and they have been able to grow into something very special. Another recent example is Chris Malone in Boston; we worked together at WSNA in Memphis. He filled in for me for a few weeks when my son Jake was born 10 years ago. Chris was amazing then, and is doing amazing things now at 97.7 R&B-Boston.

8. You're doing music shows (voice tracking? I hope so, for your sake) on weekends on other Entercom stations, and you do voiceover work, too. How do you manage your days? Do you adhere to a strict schedule, or do you wing it? How do you find time for family and other things?

My smartphone certainly helps! But generally I make a list and start rolling. Dan Barron here in Memphis has been very supportive of me. My family helps me stay focused.

One of my biggest commitments is producing one of our local shows, the Gary Parrish Show, every weekday from 4-6 p.m. That has given me the opportunity to stay connected to the station in a unique way. I’ve learned a lot by working closely with Gary.

I’m fortunate to have the support of Chris Michaels, Chase Daniels, and JR Ammons in allowing me the opportunity to do something I am passionate about- connecting fans to the music they love in my role as a DJ.

The voiceover opportunities started in New Jersey and expanded in Memphis, thanks to GVC Productions in New Jersey and some other relationships.

9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _____________.

....my iphone.

10. What's the most important lesson you've learned in your career?

Hire great people and give them the resources to do their jobs well. Listen and learn constantly. Work hard and smart. Creativity is king. Learn from the wins AND the losses. Fail fast. Be nice. Keep smiling.