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10 Questions with ... Eggman
May 15, 2012
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
- Mornings, KRXO/Oklahoma City, 1990 - 1991.
- Mornings, WVTY/Pittsburgh, 1991 - 1992.
- Mornings, KRXO/OKC, 1992 - 1994.
- Production Director, Charlotte, NC, 1994 - 1996.
- Mornings, WWMG/Charlotte, 1996 - 2004.
- Production Director, Entercom Denver, 2005 - 2007.
- News Anchor/Editor, Information Radio News/Memphis, TN, 2007 - 2010.
- Afternoons, KTOK/Oklahoma City, 2010 - 2012.
1) How are you occupying your time, besides looking for a job?
I've been writing and producing bits for one of the national prep services for several years now. (think about that, PDs ... I may be on your morning show already). Every morning I get up and go through a stack of newspapers to see who's done something stupid today. By the time I've had my third cup of coffee, I've got a bunch of articles clipped out, so I head into my studio. A short time later, I've usually got a few bits or parody songs to send off to the service. Doing this stuff feeds my creative streak and keeps me doing something constructive in between checking ALL ACCESS for job ads.
2) Do you plan on sticking with radio?
Yes. Besides the fact that I have no other marketable skills, radio is such a part of me that if I had to, I'd do it for free. It's easy to be jaded about the business with all the changes it's gone through, but I still love it.
3) What's the longest stretch you've had on the beach?
When the station I was on in Charlotte had its plug pulled in 2004, it was a solid year before I found another gig.
4) What's the craziest thing you've ever done to get a job?
I had set up a phone interview one time with a PD in Washington, DC, and his e-mail said we would "get together over coffee" the next morning in our respective cities. So I spent the entire day on the phone until I found a place that would deliver coffee and donuts to the guy's office at the exact moment our phone interview began.
5) What is the next job you'd like to obtain?
I can wear several hats ... production, news, sidekickery. But if I had to choose one primary goal, it'd be to join a good morning show and make it better with ideas and creative stuff in the studio.
6) With consolidation there are definitely fewer jobs. How do you separate yourself from the pack?
You have to be creative. Doesn't matter if you're creating commercials, planning a promotion, or doing a bit for the morning show, you have to be able to do something -- and do it well -- that very few other people would be able to do. That takes time, obviously. But you still can't put a price on creativity.
7) What do you miss most about music/radio? The least?
I miss the three seconds before the intro sounded and my morning/afternoon show began. Each day was a clean slate, and it was up to me to decide what to put on it. By the time the show was over, I got back in my car knowing that I had (hopefully) entertained somebody today, and that's a good feeling.
8) What have you learned about yourself, others, or life in general in your downtime?
That God has a plan. It may not necessarily be what I want it to be, but I do my best to defer to the man upstairs. He gets his 10% cut, so He's happy.
9) Is there anything specific that you regret doing while you were still working?
I was on the air on December 8th, 1980. A schoolmate of mine calls and says he's heard on Monday Night Football that John Lennon had been murdered. I ran back to the back of the station where the teletype was, and ripped the bulletin off the machine that said he was pronounced dead. Ran back to the control room (I was much more nimble then), potted down the record that was playing, stopped the turntable and told the listeners that one of the Beatles was dead. More details in a moment, etc. Re-started the turntable, potted up the record ... and it was 'Another One Bites The Dust.' I heard about that one for quite awhile.
10) How will this experience change you when you get back to work?
With every gig you have, I don't care how long you've been doing this, you take away something new that you've learned, either about the job or about yourself. It's not always pleasant to aim the magnifying glass at yourself ... could I have done this task better, not bitched about this or that, could I have volunteered for this or that job, whatever. Hopefully what you know and what you learn about yourself will make you a more valuable property for the next job you land, and maybe when those situations do come up, you'll be better prepared.
Bonus Questions
Any books you can recommend to people who need something inspirational to read?
"The Wrecking Crew" by Kent Hartman. Great story of the crack team of studio musicians who played on just about every single hit that came out of California in the late '50s through most of the '60s. So well written you can almost smell the ashtrays in the studio. Oh, wait. Who has been puttin' out their Kools on my floor?!!??
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