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10 Questions with ... Jim Daniels
February 14, 2006
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NAME:Jim DanielsTITLE:Program DirectorSTATION:KSCF 103.7 Free FMMARKET:San DiegoCOMPANY:CBS RadioBORN:The same year as the Hula HoopRAISED:Southern California
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
25 years, 10 stations, 7 moves and I wouldn't change a bit of it.
1. Since we last talked to you, you left Fox, did mornings at KOLA in Riverside/San Bernardino, then got your present PD post in San Diego- how did that come about?
Well, I'm working at the Fox Sports Radio Network, coast-to-coast, 120 markets, 7 of the top 10, state of the art studios, tight gig. Then comes the typical radio scenario, the PD that hired me, Tom Lee- one of the best managers I've ever known- was replaced by a guy who immediately starts with the "writing on the wall." Within a year, half of the on-air staff quits.
Right about this time, Stern is announcing his satellite plans. I call up KLSX/Los Angeles, one of my former employers, to see if I can get back on there after they re-shuffle the deck. Bob Moore and Jack Silver have always treated me like gold, but tell me it will be more than a year before anything happens.
Out of nowhere I get a call from KOLA Riverside/San Bernardino asking if I would be interested in doing mornings. Perfect, I'll take it and just wait and see what happens.
Fast forward to last November. KLSX tells me the only on air opening they will have after Stern leaves is 3:00Am to 5:00 a,m but ask if I would be interested in programming their new FREE FM station in San Diego. Hmmm, let's see... OK! Now I'm looking at houses in SD.
2. You've been on the job at Free FM for a short time- what's been the biggest challenge for you so far?
The annual CBS managers meeting convened in the middle of my second week on the job. That was just huge. I met with Joel Hollander, Rob Barnett and a number of the FREE FM PD's for three days and they got my head right where it needed to be. That took a lot of the challenge out of getting this thing rolling.
3. Your lineup is mostly syndicated for now; how do you plan to tailor the station to the market? Do you even need to do that?
Yes, we definitely need to do that. Localization is key, and it's how we will make this thing our own. The bar will be high, though: Adam Carolla, Frosty, Heidi & Frank and Tom Leykis all have really strong shows. You will have to have a solid act to join this line up. The FREE FM brand provides unique content that is difficult, if not impossible, to duplicate, so we will be unique to San Diego, but that is not enough. You have to be local.
4. Your station is one of the many trying to replace Howard Stern, in this case with Adam Carolla. How do you think Adam's doing? Have you gotten a feeling on whether Howard's fans are giving Adam a shot or not?
You can't replace Howard; the guy was a pioneer. All you can do is turn the page and start a new chapter.
Adam is off to a great start. He has a smart, entertaining show that will only get better as time goes on. He and Jimmy Kimmel are working with a team of people that have been together for years, "The Man Show," "Crank Yankers," "Jimmy Kimmel Live," film, and much more. He's lived and worked in Hollywood his whole life, and that will provide a great stream of quality guests.
Adam sounds comfortable, confident and is doing some funny original things. He's actually quite a diverse guy. He started out as a carpenter and boxing instructor, he has good knowledge of sports... all of that gives him a broad base to build an audience on. I believe he will appeal to an even wider demo, like females, and that is music to the sales department's ears.
5. Speaking of Howard, with satellite and podcasts and wireless streaming here or on the horizon, what can a station like KSCF do to keep its audience? Where do you see radio in five years or ten years- will it be the same, will there be radical change, or something in between?
On keeping the audience, it's all about content, always has been, and that will never change regardless of the delivery system. The best morning show in any market wins because it provides more compelling content than its competition. Howard's year-long commercial for satellite radio was the best thing to ever happen to terrestrial radio. It was our wake up call. He told us all loud and clear we need to reach listeners at a higher level than ever before if we want to stay in business. We got that message, and we are responding in a number of ways.
The future of radio is very exciting, and it won't take even five years to get here. Take HD, for example. Having several different formats on a single dial position is a mind blower. I can put FREE FM on 103.7-A, FREE FM Spanish on 103.7-B, FREE FM Classic on 103.7-C, and on and on. Then there is the cell phone revolution, on demand, streaming. As an industry we are entering a great new era.
6. Who in radio have been the people from whom you've learned the most?
I have worked with a lot of very talented people over the years but the two names I want to mention are guys I don't think get enough credit.
Ron Escarsega with CBS and Harry Valentine with Sabo Media are two of the brightest people in the industry. They not only know what works in talk radio but why it works. Both of these guys have made a big difference in my career.
7. How difficult has the transition been from on-air personality with lots of interaction with the audience to off-air PD?
Not hard at all. I have been in front of the mic for half my life, and doing a talk show comes easy to me, it just seems obvious what to talk about each day. Programming, on the other hand, is more of a challenge. I've done it before and I understand the job, but the difference this time around is revenue. Today's PD needs to be able to generate NTR as well as ratings. But my on-air work is not done. Just last week our PD in San Francisco, Jason Insalaco, asked if I would fill in for a day on his FREE FM station. There will be plenty of on air opportunities for me to be involved with as we grow this format.
8. What would surprise others about you?
Not much. What you see is what you get. I speak my mind, I give my opinion, and that has gotten me into trouble more than once.
9. OK, looking back on your career so far, what was the single most memorable moment? Pick one- a best interview, a weirdest incident, the highest high, the lowest low, what's the biggest moment so far?
Wow, there are a bunch. Interviewing Kareem Abdul Jabbar, broadcasting completely naked from a nudist camp, singing Hotel California with Tim McGraw, broadcasting from the Superbowl with Jim Lampley.
However the biggest moment came when I didn't even have a show.
Fox sent me to string baseball games for the summer to get me ready to do sports talk. My first game was at Dodgers stadium and as soon as I sat down in the press box Vin Scully walked past me, smiled, winked and turned right into his studio about 15 feet from where I was sitting. I was working alongside a man I had listened to my entire life. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I completely sucked that first night, couldn't keep score, blew my call-ins, forgot to do locker room interviews after the game. It's amazing they kept me.
10. In your career so far... what have we learned?
In Detroit, where I learned how to do talk radio, my PD Al Casey taught me that you can't make the people around you work harder than they are capable of working, and pushing them will only piss them off. That was big for me, because I work non-stop at my job and I always wanted the people around me to work as hard as I did. Everyone is different and goes about their work in their own way, and you have to accept that.
The reason I am so devoted to my work is because I feel fortunate to be here instead of working in the lumberyard. I have had a great run in radio, and tell people all the time that "I haven't had a real job in years!"
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