10 Questions with ... Diana DeVille

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I grew up in Monroe, Louisiana and got my start in radio there, first at the college station and then at KNOE AM/FM/TV. Inspired by Scott Shannon's Pirate Radio, I made the move to California, hitting the airwaves at Hot 97/KAVS (Lancaster) and KRAB Radio (Bakersfield) before landing at Los Angeles heavy metal mainstay KNAC.com, where I hosted the popular 80's hair metal show, "The Wild Side" until 2013. After leaving KNAC.com, I voice tracked for the East Coast, handling evenings for Radio Buzz 101/WRB-DB (Hartford) and weekends for Country Crossroads Radio (Atlanta). In February 2017, I joined the air staff of 99.1The Ranch/KWSV in Simi Valley, California and currently can be heard there Saturday afternoons 2-6pm.

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

I love what I'm doing, so it's not that hard. I look forward to my shift each time, and I'm usually thinking ahead to what I'd like to talk about. Also, I stay motivated by remembering that there are people out there who actually want to hear what I have to say, so that makes me want to make sure I make it worth their time, because I am truly grateful that they make time to spend with me as opposed to "the other station."

2) Some people get discouraged or enlightened with the business when they actually step out of it for a while. Tell us your observations from the outside.

I took a little bit of a break after KNAC.com because I was feeling burned out. I wanted to do something else for a change and took a detour into working in film and television. But it didn't take long until I was really missing being on the air, and I decided to do some voice tracking on the side, just to keep in the business. But it was when I had the chance to come back and do a live show (on 99.1 The Ranch) that I really fell back in love with radio again. It was new life breathed back into me, and I absolutely love doing a live show again. I changed formats, from Active Rock to Country, so that has been really interesting, building new relationships with the Country music community.

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

Actually for me, it was word of mouth and basically just talking to the right people. When I moved to California, I got into the business out here by striking up a conversation with a program director at a radio seminar I had attended. That strategy seems to have worked for me in all of my radio gigs, as a matter of fact. I've never had a problem with picking up the phone or sending an email to a program director and just making inquiries. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't, but I'm lucky it has worked for me many times.

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

The fact that I am still working in live radio in this day and age speaks for itself! I have done voice tracking before, but it is just no comparison to doing a live show. I strive to improve my show every time I do it and am always trying to provide a quality show for my listeners. I'd like to think that I've made a name for myself by my track record, but you can never rest on the past - you have to continually keep improving yourself, because radio is a dynamic business based on current events, so it comes down to: "What are you doing here and today?"

5) What has been your biggest career accomplishment?

The fact that I moved out to Los Angeles from a small town in Louisiana and accomplished my dream of being on the air in LA radio is something I am proud of. I always say that I am living proof that anyone can achieve their dream if they focus on it and persevere.

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

Well, the one mistake I made was thinking that any particular job will last forever. I learned that you have to make the most of any opportunity because you never know what's around the corner.

7) If you were offered a similar position to what you were doing for considerably less money, would you seriously consider taking the job just to stay in the biz?

I have done that. I guess it depends on the situation and what non-monetary benefits you get from it -i.e. if it will help to put you in the career direction you want to be, that sort of thing. I see a lot of ads that want people to do work for free, and that's great for getting your foot in the door, or back in the door, as it were, but it's not a long term solution.

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

It's really a matter of getting to that one person who can give you the opportunity. It's a lot easier to get your break in a smaller market, so I'd suggest starting small, doing a great job at that, and then moving up where you really want to be. I got my start in college radio, and that was great because I learned so much and had the latitude to make mistakes then and to find out what works and what doesn't.

9) Are you spending as much time listening to radio as you used to?

I must admit, a lot of time in my car is spent listening either to podcasts [I listen to Dave Ramsey a lot] or my Spotify feed. However, I've always been a fan of checking out other stations to see what they are doing, so I do spend some time listening here and there to local stations to see what their jocks are doing, what music they're playing, etc. As soon as I start feeling too much repetition, I move on to another station, just so I know what is going on in my market.

10) Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?

I have really been thinking that I might like to move back to the South eventually - (As the saying goes, "you can take the girl out of the South, but you can't take the South out of the girl.") Because of my newfound love of Country music, I think in 5 years I'd like to be doing radio perhaps in the Nashville market. I have some video and film projects that I am also working on, so I'm hoping to have those out and available and who knows what else. A friend of mine once told me he never sees me anymore because I'm always out "building my empire," and he's probably right. As for 10 years down the road, who knows, but I hope I'm continuing to do more of the same and keep on building that empire.

Any books you can recommend to people who need something inspirational to read?

There is a great book by Susan Jeffers called "Feel the Fear....and Do it Anyway." Sometimes we resist doing what we need to do because we're afraid of what will happen. This book is great at kicking your butt into gear and giving you the reassurance to make that decision. If you don't try, then 100% you won't get it, but if you do, who knows what might happen?