10 Questions with ... Charese Fruge

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I have over 20 years in the business, 10 of those with CBS Radio, most recently as the VP/Programming for the Houston cluster where I programmed Hot 95.7, KKHH and Mix 96.5, KHMX. Before that I was the VP/Programming for CBS Radio/Las Vegas, where I programmed Mix 94.1, KMXB and X107.5, KXTE. During my time with CBS, I also programmed Alice @ 97.3, KLLC in San Francisco, 100.5 The Zone, KZZO in Sacramento and Sophie @103.7, KSCF in San Diego. At the time, I was traveling between these cities as well as Las Vegas and handling the day-to-day programming of these stations all at the same time. Before that I programed Hot AC Star 98.7, KYSR in Los Angeles and flipped it to its current Alternative format, and before that Alice 105.9, KALC in Denver.

I started on the air at 14 in a little town called Eunice, LA. I worked for free in college until I finally got hired and went from a Promotions Assistant to "official" on air talent. I was on air for about 15 years, mostly doing mornings, including a short stint with Johnjay Vanes at 93Q, KKBQ in Houston, and B97.1, WEZB in New Orleans.

1) What do you do to maintain a positive mental attitude and stay motivated?

So far? I've watched the entire Shameless Series from Showtime (several times). I realized that I was missing genuine laughter in my life at the time I was let go. There is no better cure for burn-out than laughter and no better way to stay positive than to keep looking for the positives in life. Gratitude and patience are a must.

2) How are you occupying your time, besides looking for a job?

I'm checking things off my bucket list. Being unemployed is not ideal, but it's the first time in my life I've been able to focus on the things I've wanted to do. I've been on the Disney Cruise to the Bahamas, I went to Cancun for my best friend's wedding, took my sister to Hawaii for her 50th birthday, spent New Year's Eve with my best friends in San Diego, celebrated Mardi Gras in New Orleans with my family and went to Rome to see the Pope and attend the Easter Sunday Mass with him at the Vatican. Most importantly, after 20 years of being on the West Coast, I've been able to spend quality time with my family getting to know my nieces and nephews who grew up without me, re-establishing relationships with my brothers and sisters and enjoying my parents and their wisdom and humor.

3) What has been your best resource for finding out about job openings?

A combination of things: All Access Job site, company job sites and constant contact with decision makers at each of the individual radio companies. I'm very lucky and know how important it is to build and maintain relationships in the business. The timing for radio jobs right now is odd, but I think we all believe that that's going to get better once all of the mergers and acquisitions shake out. Don't get me wrong, you realize who your real friends are very quickly when you lose your job, but I am very lucky to have friends in influential places who are genuinely interested in what I bring to the table and continue to look out for me and encourage me.

4) With consolidation there are definitely fewer jobs. How do you separate yourself from the pack?

You have to be able to see the big picture. That means you have to be invested in not only the programming side of the business, but you also have to be invested in the digital and revenue sides. You have to be able to handle multiple positions, but you have to be able to do that well. I am confident that my previous experience and success have made me focused, organized and a great team player with good leadership skills. I feel like I am a full-service programmer with the ability to navigate through all of the challenges the industry is throwing at us right now.

5) What has been your biggest career accomplishment?

Watching the growth and success of proteges like Justin Chase, who started as my Imaging Guy in Las Vegas and is now the EVP/Programming for Beasley Broadcast Group; Brandon Bell, who was my APD in Las Vegas and is now the APD/MD for KBIG in LA and the Brand Coordinator for iHeartMedia's Hot AC format and MD of Premium Choice for the format; J Love was my APD in Las Vegas and is now the PD of KMXB in Las Vegas; Chris Jackson was my APD in Vegas and is now a PD/OM in his home town, and Jon Manley who was another of my APDs is now the APD at the End in Seattle. Also, watching the growth and success of talent like Mark and Mercedes in the morning on KMXB back in the day, and the growth and success of The Dave, Mahoney and DK morning show. I'm a big believer in training and coaching your team for success. Ultimately you want your team to learn from you and be challenged. If your team is happy, they will want to kill for you, and there is no better accomplishment than that.

6) What do you miss most about music/radio?

I miss the feeling of discovering new music and watching the growth of a song across all platforms. I miss live shows and I miss being around creative, clever loud personalities who constantly challenge me, but constantly make me laugh. You will never find a more passionate group of people. You've heard this before, "There are people in radio, and Radio People." There's a big difference.

I DO NOT miss budget cuts.

7) What have you learned about yourself, others, or life in general in your downtime?

I've quickly learned who my real friends are. I am lucky. The friends who stuck around are genuinely good to me and still care about me no matter what.

What have I learned about myself? That I'm stronger and more patient than I thought, and that I am not defined by what happened to me in my last position. I've learned to keep the narrative in my head positive and that I have a lot more than just a job to be grateful for. I have an amazing family, a great reputation and a lifetime of experiences to share with the world.

8) Is there anything specific that you regret doing while you were still working?

Not laughing enough and allowing other people's insecurities to influence my decisions.

9) Having been through all you have dealt with in this biz, what advice would you give people trying to break in?

Be a self-starter. Be willing to volunteer and learn every possible aspect of the business you can. Begin to build relationships by reaching out, showing up at events and being proactive. In the beginning, most likely, you will not get a response, so start by discussing music with people in the business. Everyone is passionate about that. Don't rely on just e-mails. You most likely won't get a response from them and if you don't, you will read too much in to it. Get creative.

10) How will this experience change you when you get back to work?

I'll obviously be refreshed and foaming at the mouth to be busy again. I'll choose my battles wisely, search for good challenges and laughter and rekindle the passion and creativity that got me in to the business in the first place.

Uh oh ... now you're on your own for getting new music. If applicable, name your three most recent purchases since leaving the biz.

Musically? Mondo Cozmo Shine, Hey Violet Guys My Age, and Missio Middle Finger.

Non Musically? An exercise bike I've used once and is now currently listed for sale on Facebook Market Place, the sprocket, which is a pocket sized portable photo printer, and a Deebot, the wireless vacuum. I was hoping to catch one of my cats riding on it like the YouTube video. Sadly, I am still waiting for that to happen.