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10 Questions with ... Ryan Maguire
September 26, 2006
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NAME:Ryan MaguireTITLE:Program DirectorSTATION:Sports Radio 1250 WSSPMARKET:MilwaukeeCOMPANY:EntercomBORN:4/28/77RAISED:Grand Rapids, MI
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
1993-1995- WISZ-AM (Grand Rapids, MI), Afternoon Show DJ
1995-99- WMFN-AM (Grand Rapids, MI) Executive Producer, On-Air Host, Program Director
1999-2005- WQSN-AM (Kalamazoo, MI) Program Director, Talk Show Host, Football/Basketball/Baseball play-by-play
2005-2006- WTKA-AM (Ann Arbor, MI) Program Director, Afternoon Show Host, Baseball/Football play-by-play
2006-Present- WSSP-AM (Milwaukee, WI) Program Director1. How did you get your start in radio?
I believe it started the first time my parents made the mistake of giving me a tape recorder for Christmas one year. I was fascinated that I could capture sound by the push of a button... only to play it back whenever I wanted. I would carry it around with me the way other kids my age would carry around a baseball and glove. This became a major annoyance for members of my family... as I developed the strategy of interviewing the drunkest members of the family during family get togethers (hey, I grew up in an Irish family, all right?). It seemed funny at the time... until I'd play it back the next day.
The first actual job I got in the biz was when I was 15 years old. I was hanging out with friends of mine at a local mall in suburban Grand Rapids, MI (my hometown). There was a new radio station that had just opened up studios inside of the mall. It was an AM Radio AAHS station, playing all kids music (the precursor to Radio Disney). Their idea was to have younger kids come in and do air shifts. I auditioned, and ended up getting a regular slot in the afternoons. A few years later (mercifully) the station switched to sports and I went from playing Bob Dylan's cover of "Hey Diddle Diddle" to board-opping Tigers games. I fell in love with it. Not only did I love sports... I loved the idea that talk radio allowed you to well, TALK more.
2. What are you passionate about?
Forming relationships. That's really what it's all about. People forget just how intimate a medium this is. Successful talk show hosts know how to form relationships with their listeners. Talk to people, not AT them.
Successful PD's and GM's form the same kind of relationships with the people they have to oversee. Look, there is no greater a competitive industry than the one we're in. It's showbiz! Every day is a battle. You have to do more than just respect the people you go to war with. You have to trust them...and even like them.
3. After a long run in Grand Rapids and a long run in Kalamazoo, you've gone from there to Ann Arbor to Milwaukee pretty quickly. To what do you attribute the sudden rapid upward movement of your career?
2 things: First, networking! I've had the good fortune to meet a lot of people in this biz... many of them actually make hiring decisions (or talk to people that do). I've had a lot of people put good words in for me. They know who they are... and odds are, they're reading this now. I can't thank you guys enough! Second... I decided to give myself a swift kick in the ass. I stayed pretty close to home for the first 10 years of my career. One day in Kalamazoo, I woke up and realized I wasn't being challenged anymore. That bothered me. I wanted to grow, so I left.
4. If you hadn't gone into radio, what would you be doing today?
Acting, no doubt. Hell, so much of what we do is being on stage, right? I'm a huge film buff. I've always wanted to be in a film by Quentin Tarantino or the Coen Brothers (Joel and Ethan). Several very good friends of mine are actually very talented writers. I've always told them that if they ever write a screenplay that is picked up to write me in... even if it's as an extra! Anything for that SAG card.
5. You're a Michigan native and you've just arrived in Milwaukee- what's your initial take on the city as a sports town? What, if anything, has surprised you about the market?
Not much, really. I've been to Milwaukee before, so I knew a bit about the town before I arrived. It's a very blue-collar town, Midwestern town... very much like the towns I lived in back in Michigan. People take a great deal of pride in their city. No one from Milwaukee says they're from Wisconsin... they say they're from MILWAUKEE!
As far as my take on the city as a sports town: some people look at the market size and feel it's not as intense as Chicago, NYC or LA. I disagree. There is so much tradition here with the Packers (90 minutes North in Green Bay), Brewers and Bucks. We've got NCAA Tourney regulars in U-W Milwaukee and Marquette housed downtown. Big 10 Football and Basketball is just east of here with U-W Madison. Listen to the phone calls we get on this station...or read the e-mails I get from listeners. There is true PASSION here... just as much as anywhere else I've been.
6. Who are your influences?
There are a ton. Family, close friends... they have all been supportive of a career that has kept me away from them.
The biggest industry influence was Steve Trivers. He was the Owner and GM of locally owned Fairfield Broadcasting in Kalamazoo, MI (he has since retired and is consulting for McVay Media). When I was 22 years old, I arrived on his doorstep wearing a suit, looking for a job, thinking I knew everything. He wasn't hiring, but I convinced him to bring me on board.
I made my fair share of mistakes, but his faith in me never wavered. It paid off for both of us.
The most important thing I learned in him was compassionate competitiveness. Steve was a driver and wanted to win. But he also wanted to go home every day knowing he made an honest buck and helped someone along the way.
I grew up as a broadcaster and as a person working for him.
7. Of what are you most proud?
The fact that, as I look back at my career so far, there have been a lot of people that I've hired and coached that refer to me as a "mentor." I want that trend to continue at WSSP. The thrill of being on the air (and I've done plenty of that) is great. But to me, nothing is more thrilling than coaching a team to success.
8. What do you do for fun?
Listen to talk radio. I beam up and down the dial no matter where I'm at. This isn't a job, it's a lifestyle. I love hearing the different styles and personas that are out there.
Following my Lions, Tigers, Red Wings and Pistons. There is NOTHING like the playoffs, in any sport.
Other than that...I do about the same things any Gen X American Male likes to do.... work out, watch "Family Guy" and make additions to my iPod.
9. Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _____________.
...vodka. Wait, that's a Saturday.
Actually, it's coffee. I've tried to wean myself off of it... but I am a slave to the java. And what the hell is the deal with radio station break rooms that have DECAF, anyway???
10. What's the best advice you've ever gotten? The worst?
Best advice- Be patient. So far, I'm still trying to heed that advice!
Worst advice- "Take a look and see what people are posting about you on (insert message board here)!" People used to run into my office and tell me that. Like any radio professional that's enjoyed a degree of longevity, I've been told I'm a posting board bull's-eye. I gave up looking years ago. Based on what people tell me, that's a good thing.
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