10 Questions with ... Hot Rod Thompson

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/hrtradio
Twitter: twitter.com/hrtradio
Demo: hotrodthompson.com/audio

Hot Rod Thompson is a very experienced radio personality with a work history that includes shows in Sacramento, California; Memphis, Tennessee; Boise, Idaho; Billings, Montana and more. He started his career at 15 at a little radio station in Idaho that literally sat in the middle of a cow pasture. It wasn't uncommon for Hot Rod to be doing his show with the window open and have a cow walk up to moo a hello while he was on the air. Talk about humble beginnings!

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

I've been on the beach since May 20th, 2018 due to a budget cut for our building. The way I stay motivated is knowing that I'm experienced, that I have a lot to bring to the table and that I continue to do whatever I can to be creative. This includes listening to radio stations and jocking their dry segues as if I was the actual personality on the air. This practice helps keep me on point with my skills. There are a lot of great stations in this country and imagining myself hosting a show on one of them again keeps me pushing forward because one of my main sources of happiness comes from what I do on-air for my listeners. I will be there again and I cannot allow myself to quit.

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

Volunteer work has occupied much of my time since I have been off-duty. I have mowed lawns this summer for people who struggle to get it done and even painted a house for an elderly woman who desperately needed the assistance. I also like working on new imaging and logotype work to keep creative and up-to-date with my skills. I even drove a truck for a short while to keep the money flow coming in.

3) 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.

It's no secret that radio has been threatened for years from things like Pandora, iTunes, SiriusXM, voicetracking and anyone being able to create their own radio station on the Internet. My observation has been that in a lot of listening sessions that I have done, some radio station personalities and programmers seem to be losing their uniqueness and creative side. A PD from early in my career once said to me, "Anyone can play the same music ... It's what happens between the songs that wins the game." I completely believe in that line and I live by it. I believe that being local, informative, sensitive and most of all, entertaining are essential to success. If I am on-air and not making the listener feel like my friend first of all, making them feel emotion for what I am trying to portray, then I am losing the battle. We all have an empty canvas to paint our picture when we first walk into the studio every day. If your canvas is still blank at the end of your time slot, what were you doing in the studio to begin with? The goal is to get people talking to others about what you're doing and ultimately to get ratings bonuses as a result. Make them feel something, you will win.

4) Do you plan on sticking with radio?

Absolutely! I have loved radio for as long as I can remember. I am actively looking for the right station and want to get back on-air as soon as possible. I will not stop trying until I achieve this again.

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

Roughly four years. When I first got married to my wife, I chased ideas outside of radio looking for more money to raise my family. What I actually found was that I made about the same amount and I was miserable with the work. When the opportunity came up to get back into radio, I jumped at it and never looked back.

6) What's the best way to get your foot in the door?

That is a great question. For me, it was winning a birthday cake from the local radio station when I was 15 years old and then taking over the morning show by the time I was 16. Some say broadcast school, others say interning. My opinion is trying to get on the station's street team and make yourself known. I also think that if you're in college, try to get on an intern program with a station and get as much experience as you possibly can. There are plenty of "chance opportunities" in this business; it's up to you what you will do with it if you get it. Make a stamp in their mind!

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

Obviously, there are a lot of ways to learn about job openings. The best way I have found is to constantly keep my eye on the job board of allaccess.com. Fortunately for me, I have a lot of friends in the industry so if I happen to miss something, some of them will send jobs my way.

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

I have actually never done anything really outlandish to gain a job. I have heard some good stories though! The most I have ever done is play a little on the interviews to break the ice and show a sense of humor.

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

I would like to be PD/on-air on a Country station in a Top-100 market. I love creating a station and what it's all about, but I also love being on-air as well. Creating something that people love is something that I always strive for.

10) Are you finding salaries/benefits lower than you ever thought, about the same, or have you seen some pleasant surprises?

Unfortunately, I have seen a lot of lower wages in this industry lately. A good number of good companies have disappointingly not offered any "fluff" as far as salary goes. Being a family man in the industry has proved to be difficult in some case. However, a few of the interviews that I have done recently have shown to be better money-wise than I had expected, so that can be uplifting. On average, it's a business that you have to love rather than expect to get rich. My advice, if you want it ... work it as best as you can. There are places that pay well; you just have to be patient and find them.