10 Questions with ... Long Paul

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

DEMO:

• KNAC - Afternoon drive
• KLOS - Afternoon drive
• KDKB- MD/Afternoon drive
• Sirius - Buzzsaw, Classic Rewind, Hair Nation
• KNAC.COM - Co-founder/PD

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

Once you stop taking it personally, that's no longer an issue. I stay pithy by tormenting people on FB and Twitter. I also still program KNAC.COM.

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.

For as much as it's changed, it hasn't changed at all. It's just a lot more competitive. Just like I told all those broadcast students, have a backup plan! Be aggressive. The real-life job market is really tough. You'll get through it.

3) What's the longest stretch you've had on the beach?

I'd say five days. We use to go to Mexico a lot when I was a kid. Corona Beach Ensenada. Chick-O-Sticks and Mariachi bands! Oh, wait...

4) What's the craziest thing you've ever done to get a job?

Call out a PD while doing an On The Beach piece for AllAccess.

5) What is the next job you'd like to obtain?

Anything and everything at Rock 98.9 in Seattle. It rocks in all dayparts, the imaging and attitude is through the roof. Dave Numme is building a great brand there, with a great company. Hubbard is quickly starting to dominate the Rock format.

6) How are you finding the "courtesy level" at places you've applied? (Callbacks, e-mails, rejection letters, etc.)

Well ... applicant volume is way up. There's the out. Having said that, it's overall pretty poor. The majors are pretty responsive, but I often wonder what the smaller markets think when they see something from former major-market jocks. I really would have loved to call Pismo Beach home!

7) What's the most unbelievable question you've ever been asked in an interview?

One well-respected PD asked me if I could sound more like a part time jock. Would you like me to stutter a few times an hour?

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

I spend about four hours a day with radio. One hour locally, three with the station listed above, DAVE!

9) What has been your biggest career accomplishment?

In looking at the original mission statement? Going #1 in afternoons on KLOS seven times. That's a station I grew up with. And competitively speaking, BITE IT KROQ!

10) What do you miss most about music/radio? The least?

Volume knobs and bar tabs. Okay ... caring about a job. Real camaraderie. A clear mission statement. High-stakes competition.

The clap. That sucks.

Care to contribute a recipe for our "On The Beach" cookbook?

It's not my recipe, but one every carnivore should know. Alton Brown's method of cooking a ribeye. You'll need an oven, a cast iron skillet, and a stopwatch.