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10 Questions with ... Diane Ray
January 16, 2007
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NAME:Diane RayTITLE:ProducerSTATION:Hay House RadioMARKET: The WorldCOMPANY:Hay House PublishingBORN:Fort Lauderdale, FLRAISED: Fort Lauderdale/Miami; currently in San Diego, CA
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
I started my career at WLVE Love 94 running the David Sanborn Show and begging for part time air work. Finally got my foot in the door and spent many years in the Miami market at WSHE and WBGG Big 106. I went to Austin, TX in 2000 to work with Star System, voicetracking everything from Rock to Country stations. Spent some time with the nationally syndicated Lex and Terry Network as their newsperson, then I got a great offer to come to San Diego to work at KGB and took it. I spent a year there and got downsized, went to non-commercial NPR station KPBS in San Diego then I came here to Hay House.
1. How did you get into radio? Why radio?
Growing up in South Florida, WSHE was the flamethrower rock station. They used to do an amateur hour on Sunday nights. On a dare, I did the show and got the radio bug. My plans for a journalism career went out the window! I always loved music and still do. I just wanted to be around it and this was a great way to get free CDs and concert tickets.
2. What are you passionate about?
I'm really passionate about what I'm doing here at HayHouseRadio.com. I love to learn new things and be challenged. I'm passionate about what's going on online because it's like the Wild West. There's no FCC restrictions and there is so much room for creativity. I'm having so much fun with what I'm doing now. I don't have some huge company with some corporate drone manager sucking the fun out of things. I'm doing everything from hosting a show on air to writing promos, booking voice over talent, working with the other hosts, working with marketing, contesting you name it!
3. You've gone from jock to Lex and Terry's newsperson back to jock and now you're producing unusual programming for unusual outlets- what brought you to Hay House and what attracted you to the self-help/motivational talk category?
I actually saw an ad on Monster for "Radio Producer" and had no idea what it was. I was totally jazzed when I found this gig- I thought "what a diamond in the rough!" I knew this could be something really cool. I was burnt out on where terrestrial radio was going and looking for a change. I liked San Diego and wanted to stay; I was sick of looking for jock shifts.
The company is a publishing company that thought it would be a great idea to market their authors by giving them radio shows. It's the only publishing company that has its own online radio network. Well, it has been a great idea, with sales up considerably! When I came on board my goal was to make us sound like a real radio station with imaging, contesting, etc. I think we have done a really good job. Our team produces thirty live original talk shows a week- it's pretty incredible. Our hosts broadcast remotely from places like Australia, Hawaii, Maine, Chicago, all over the place. How we do it is really amazing. As far as the content, I'm interested in all that stuff anyway! I've always been interested in any self help- you should see my book shelf at home.
4. The shows you work on air not on terrestrial broadcast radio but on Sirius and online instead. Do you see this as the future of radio? What do you think talk radio will be like in ten years- specialized and online/podcast or same as ever, or a combination thereof?
I definitely see this as the future of radio. A huge amount of our content is downloaded for later use, and it's a challenge to program for people who are doing that. I've had to shift some of my old radio ideas to fit this new format. The people that are doing creative programming are online and I think it's where things are going. There will be a place for terrestrial and satellite, but the real growth is going to be online. Niche programming is what people have to look at. Our network is a gold mine of women listeners. 90% of our audience is women, and we provide then with exciting content. Our broadcasts are free, just like a regular radio station.
What I think is really exciting is programming for a global audience. We have people from all over the world listening to our live broadcasts and calling in during the shows. It really makes the world seem a little smaller. We also produce feature content for satellite and terrestrial stations as well. I'm trying to push us out there. The network has only been around for a little over two years and the growth is just amazing. Not to sound corny, but I get email from listeners all the time who say how much they enjoy the programming and how they have been helped by it. I really like being able to do that.
5. If you hadn't gone into radio, what would you be doing today?
I was 19 when I got into the biz, so I forget what I was interested in before! I would probably be in communications in some form or another. I was on my high school newspaper staff, so I probably would have continued in that direction. Anything media or arts related.
6. Who are your mentors, your inspirations, the people you've learned the most from?
I've learned as much from all the lousy managers I've had as well as all the good ones! I worked with Shirley Maldonado in Miami and she taught me a lot. I thought it was so cool to work for a female PD and she was great. Bill Pugh was a great PD in Miami as well. My friend Diana Laird and I sort of came up in the business together too. We were both jocks at WSHE in Miami. I've learned from every job I've ever had, whether it was a good situation or not. I have to also mention Don Cristi, currently at Clear Channel Tulsa, and Jason Kane, who I worked with at Star System in Austin, TX. Those guys are awesome!
7. You were one of the earliest radio people involved in large-scale voicetracking. What would you say the overall effect of voicetracking has been on radio- boon, scourge, or something in between?
Wow, that's a tough question, because I took what I did at Star System and the stations I voice tracked so seriously. On the business side, I can see how effective it is on a cost saving level and why stations would want to utilize top talent in smaller markets. I did massive amounts of research in the cities I broadcast in so I wouldn't sound generic, so I know you can do a great job with it. On the other hand, the last station I was at was a ghost town on the weekends because there are no live jocks and many big market stations are voicetracked in major day parts. I think you lose something with that. You need live, breathing people to really make a human connection. I also see the talent pool dried up because there is no place for newbies to hone their skills on overnight shifts. Voicetracking is a great tool, but it doesn't replace the human element.
8. What do you do for fun?
Have you been to San Diego? The weather is awesome all the time!! I go to the beach, hike, eat great food at cool restaurants, golf with friends, etc. Come out and visit sometime.
9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _____________.
...laughing! If you can't see the humor in situations you're screwed. People need to lighten up.
10. What's the best advice you've ever gotten? The worst?
I would have to say the best advice was to always believe in myself and my abilities. There are those that have been fired and those who will be, and you will fall into one of those catagories eventually. Don't take it personally!
Worst advice: "I think you'd look great with these blonde highlights!"... I didn't.
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