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10 Questions with ... Carmichael Dave
June 6, 2006
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NAME:Carmichael DaveTITLE:Show HostSTATION:Sports 1140 KHTKMARKET:SacramentoCOMPANY:CBS RadioBORN:8/11/75RAISED:Carmichael, CA
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
I broke in as an intern at KHTK, board opped some overnights in the CBS cluster here in Sacramento, then became a jock over at KWOD 106.5 in Sac, doing Alternative Rock stuff. Did everything there, overnights, promotions director, morning show producer... you name it. Returned to KHTK as a fill in update guy 3 years ago, then was given the 9 to midnight slot in January of this year.
1. From caller (and mortgage company partner) to host- how did that happen? And who's to blame?
Ha ha. Its been a strange road. I decided when I got out of high school that I wanted to be a talk show host, but I had zero experience, other than listening to radio religiously and BSing with my friends about sports.
When I was 18, I looked up the local sports station's phone number in the yellow pages, and got a 5 minute meeting with KHTK PD Mike Remy. I told him my goal, and rather than laugh me out of his office, he suggested I intern and try and catch on at a music station somewhere to learn the business. I took his advice, and paid my dues.
I had such a passion for radio, I began calling in after Sacramento Kings games on the postgame show while interning. Carmichael is a suburb of Sacramento, so when my name came up on the air, I was known as "Dave in Carmichael".....for the better part of two seasons, I started being the first caller after each game, and was eventually referred to as "Carmichael Dave"....and I was given a little mini-segment on the post-game show. The name "Carmichael Dave" sort of stuck.
A few years later, after interning, working at a rock station doing all shifts, and cleaning toilets, I happened to be living with the KHTK evening board op. The station needed an emergency fill in update guy, my roomie suggested my name to Mike Remy, and I got the call on short notice. After that, I was the backup anchor for 3 years, learning and taking notes. I got to watch some of the best in the business- Jim Kozimor, Grant Napear, Whitey Gleason- and they all took me under their wing and let me pick their brain.
Mike Remy was always in the background, and was pretty hard on me at times. I see now that there was a method to his madness, but for a while there I felt like I was pigeonholed, going nowhere fast. In retrospect, he was much like a baseball manager, carefully grooming a top draft pick. I always knew where I stood, and listened carefully.
One afternoon, I got a call from Mike at about 4:30 in the afternoon, telling me that the 9 to midnight host had accepted a job in St. Louis, effective immediately. I had never hosted a show solo to that point, and I was asked if I could go on and take over later that night. Oh, by the way, it was a live remote gig at Hooters. So, 5 hours later, I made my hosting debut.
There was about a 1 month audition process with me and several other candidates. I was awarded the job in late January, and I have never looked back. In the end, much of the blame falls to Mike Remy and the other hosts at KHTK, who acted like older brothers to me, who believed that a guy who used to call into their shows could cross the river into the world of broadcasting, and do it in his hometown market no less. There also aren't a lot of PDs in the country that would take a caller seriously enough to put on his very successful station, that takes guts as well. It's been a crazy ride, but looking back, everything happened for a reason.
2. What are you passionate about?
It sounds cliche, but my job. This is what I was born to do. I have never made any sort of real money in radio, I still don't. That's why I continue to run my mortgage company during the day. But I don't wake up in the morning and get pumped on doing loans. I love talking to people. Outside of the studio, I am kind of a hermit. The longer I have had this show, the more difficult it is for me to be outgoing in my downtime. But when the intro music fades, and its just me and the microphone, I feel alive. Interacting with the audience, covering my favorite team (the Kings), and making people laugh is all I ever want to do.
I truly am doing my dream job. There are very few people in the world that can truly say they are doing EXACTLY what they want to do, and I am one of those individuals. I am always trying to improve my game, and stay ahead of the curve with a lot of the risks we take with the show. I feel like we are trying to break new ground, and the market has responded tremendously. You can't put a price on the feeling you get when you take a chance, and your audience responds.
3. You're doing a show that has a definite younger appeal than most AM sports talk shows, talking about more than just sports and incorporating local music. What elements do you think make for the ideal sports show for people under, say, 35? (In other words, what's the future of sports talk radio? In 10 years, will sports radio be talking about UFC/MMA and the X-Games more than the Kings and Raiders?)
Great question. I feel like we appeal to all age groups, but being a younger guy, I can definitely identify with the younger crowd. Talk radio is filled with middle aged family men and women, whereas I am a single guy out there growing up in front of everyone.
In this day of satellite radio, iPods, and the internet... terrestrial radio is in jeopardy. I knew when I took this show over that I could in no way survive (mentally) doing straight up sports for 3 hours a day, especiallly when I have guys more talented than I preceding me for 5 straight hours, talking about the same subject. So I mix it up.
We have local bands in once a week. I talk video games, and ask Nintendo-related trivia questions. We just had a 2 hour debate over the recent change in Carl's Jr.'s ranch dressing formula, and people freaked out about it.
Bottom line is, the station will have its P-1 listeners that will tune in no matter what. My job is to cater to that audience, but also give the fringe listener a reason not only to tune in, but keep the dial put. Sports fans aren't robots, their lives are not purely ballgames. They love their Xboxes, music collection, and pretty girls. When I'm at the bar talking with my buddies, we glide in and out of a plethora of subjects, without an agenda. I try to convey the same feeling during my show. I want the listener to feel like he's another guy on the couch in the living room, drinking and laughing. A lot of times we refer to the show as "A.D.D. radio", because we jump all over the place. In my generation, attention spans are short. I throw a ton of stuff against the wall, and roll with what sticks.
You mention UFC/Mixed Martial Arts. The sport is a passion of mine, and is gaining a tremendous amount of steam. I grew up a boxing fan, but the sweet science is dying. Many in the older generation don't understand the sport, and feel its barbaric. I try and educate the audience, and the show has become a sort of home base for the UFC. This country is filled with guys who every other month, have all their buddies over for the big UFC pay per view.
Mainstream media has been extremely slow to catch on, and within 5 years the sport will dwarf boxing. That's one of the advantages of being young- I am not a slave to an agenda. I am open to anything interesting, and worth talking about. I have the ability at this point in my career to be constantly morphing, to stay on the cutting edge. I know what the younger crowd wants, because I am a part of the fray. These guys are going to listen to their iPods and play poker online no matter what I do. But for 3 hours a night, I get them to tune in because we know what they want to hear about, we are constantly making sure the show stays fresh and ahead of the curve....
4. Who are your heroes? And why?
My father and mother. Again, another cliche, but I am so blessed to have been raised by two intelligent, loving people. Most of my friends have divorced parents, and step-dads, moms, sisters, and brothers. My parents have been married 40 years and counting, and they are still in love. I cannot convey how lucky I have been to experience that. Without a foundation, no matter how much you put on top, you will always be shaky and unbalanced. My foundation could not have been stronger, which allows me to constantly build onto what I have already experienced, and I never have to worry about falling over...
5. The one video game you'd keep if you could only keep one- which is it and why?
Wow. Probably Mario Brothers on the original Nintendo. Its a classic, dude. No matter how old I get, I know I can always pop that thing in and tweak on it for an hour or two. Video games are so much cooler now in both content and graphics, but you gotta respect your roots.
6. Why do you think stuff like the UFC is as popular with younger sports fans as it is? And if you ran, say, baseball or the NBA, what would you do, if anything, to appeal to people in their teens and twenties?
Violence always appeals. Back to the days of Roman Gladiators, people want to see blood. Unlike a team sport, fighting is man to man, with no one else to take credit or blame. Boxing is our history, but con artists and lawyers have sullied a good sport beyond belief. People want to see the best. MMA (mixed martial arts) combines all aspects of hand to hand combat, unlike boxing. If you put any, and I mean ANY boxer in a ring with even a mid-level MMA fighter, the boxer would be lucky to last 2 minutes.
The UFC is fresh. It's entertaining, and it hasn't been swallowed up by corporate greed. The fighters are smart, respectful, and people that most of us can actually identify with. It is becoming a tradition to gather around with your buddies every month or two and watch the latest MMA pay per view; it's always guaranteed to be a great night. The sport will only get bigger with each passing year.
7. Of what are you most proud?
You know, this business is filled with a lot of ego, and I hope this doesn't sound egotistical, but I am a bulldog. I have a ton of weaknesses, and I am constantly trying to improve. I will never fall into the trap of thinking that I am anything more than a guy with a mic in front of him. I never take what I'm doing for granted, and am thankful every day for the opportunity I have.
But I busted my ass to get here. Many people told me to go to school, to move markets, or just get out of the business altogether. You can't land on a station like KHTK in a host position just by calling in, can you? Of course not. But I did everything else I needed to do, and really became a student of radio. I will never feel that I cannot keep learning, and keep getting better. I have the confidence to know I will continue to be successful, but none of the ego that comes with it. I know that I am only as good as my last show, and this is an ever changing landscape. The fact that I kept my head down, and always knew I would get a shot is what makes me the happiest. If you really want something, and don't give up, you will get there. It just takes time, and effort. And a little luck too....
8. What's a great day off for Carmichael Dave- what do you like to do when you're not on the air?
I'm boring off the air. I have a little girl (a 1 year old yellow lab), and a home theatre that I am very proud of. I lock myself in my house, play with my dog, and watch movies, sports, and play video games while surfing online. I cook as a hobby, and love to fire up the Weber barbeque (none of that lame gas grill stuff here) and eat a great meal with friends. I love to entertain, to have the boys over for a ballgame, and play a little poker. All in all, I'm just a homebody with a very tight knit group of friends I've had since high school... I enjoy just being a regular dude...
9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _____________.
...my phone and my laptop. I am constantly on one, or both. I think there are a lot of people in the sports radio business that don't truly utilize the internet. Between surfing the message boards looking for news around the country, or utilizing email and instant messaging along with my show website message forums, I have done everything I can to capture the internet surfer and allow he/she to interact with my show. In order to do that with any credibility, I have to be constantly aware of what's going on online, and that's an ever changing dynamic.
10. What's the best advice you ever got? The worst?
The best: It is better to try and fail, than to not make an effort at all.
My life has been filled with people that thought I was crazy to want to do this. I have practically walked away from a multi-million dollar mortgage finance company to work in a job that pays me in a year what I used to make in a month. But its not about the money, its about the things you can be proud of, and the passion that fills your life.
The worst: Grow up. I hope to God that never happens, because when you grow up, your dreams begin to die. You begin to settle, to become content with the idea that your childhood goals are no longer attainable. I would rather staple lunch meat to my face and dive into a piranha aquarium than allow my hopes and goals to dull themselves away. I never want to stop dreaming, and I never want to stop believing I can acheive those dreams.
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