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10 Questions with ... Dave O'Brien
July 2, 2019
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
SOCIAL:
facebook.com/morningswithdaveobrien twitter.com/daveobrienradio instagram.com/daveobrienradio www.youtube.com/channel/UCGD20rF0z3VUdVqVLNgyTeg
DEMO:
- Morning show host - WLHK (Country 97.1 HANK FM)/Indianapolis 2005-2019 (5-time ACM nominee, 3-time CMA nominee, NAB Marconi nominee in 2016)
- Morning show host - WNOU (Radio Now 93.1)/Indianapolis 2001-2005
- Morning show host - KCNL (Channel 104.9)/San Jose, CA 1999-2001
- Morning show host WRZX (X103)/Indianapolis 1996-1999
- PD/midday host - WROV/Roanoke, VA 1992-1996 (PD from 1995-1996)
- Night host - WWWV (3WV)/Charlotesville, VA 1989-1992
- PD/morning most - WUVA/Charlottesville, VA 1985-1989 (PD from 1987-1989)
1) What do you do to maintain a positive mental attitude and to stay motivated?
I feel lucky to have had a great career up to this point and to have just left a really fun job with a great company, so my mental attitude is pretty positive to begin with. I've had a lot of support from people in the Indianapolis community, the Nashville music community and on social media. It makes me happy to know that I have had a positive impact on the lives of a lot of listeners and community members and charities. Keeping a regular schedule helps a lot, too - setting an alarm, grabbing a shower and accepting that my new job is looking for my next job. Paying for a kid in college is also excellent motivation!
2) How are you occupying your time, besides looking for a job?
I make sure to spend several hours each day looking for opportunities, networking, meeting with friends and colleagues, working on new audio and firing up my home studio. I have also continued to work with some of the charities that I have supported over my career, now as a "civilian" volunteer. My daughter (and only child) is also home for the summer from college, so I'm taking the opportunity to spend quality time with her before she heads off into the world. My daughter is a competitive horse rider so we spend a lot of time at the barn with our horse. I'm also now able to have a weekday social life with my wife instead of going to bed at 8p!
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.
I am, and will always be a believer in radio. I have never been one of those people who talks about the "good old days" and how things used to be better. Everything in life changes and we have to adapt to that. I've been excited by some of the new opportunities that the industry now has, whether through podcasting or digital platforms or co-branding partnerships. I do think we need to do a better job of selling our story. The entertainment landscape is jammed full of options now from YouTube, Netflix and Hulu to streaming to gaming, pure plays, social media and beyond. Radio very much deserves a prominent spot among those choices. We are in the content delivery business and now have even more avenues for that delivery. As long as industry leaders maintain their focus on the core concepts of radio (entertainment, community service, a unique emotional connection with the audience, authenticity) we'll survive. We need to execute the basics better, no matter the platform, instead of chasing trends. We also need to be strategic and innovative and recognize that listeners have different expectations from us than in the past. Maybe things like eight-minute long stop sets and 18 or 20 units an hour are no longer the blueprint our audience wants from us.
4) Do you plan on sticking with radio?
I would love to since it's all I've ever done in my adult life! I have to be realistic and entertain other options as well but I would love to get back behind a microphone. I am also very open to anything in the record label world.
5) What's the longest stretch you've had on the beach?
I have only been on the beach one other time in my life and that was for two months back in 1992. I have just recently broken that record. And let me tell you, the beach here in Indiana is not as exotic as you might think so I'd like to get off it soon!
6) What's the best way to get your foot in the door?
Networking is crucial. Talk to everyone in your network to find out if they know someone who knows someone. A personal referral will always get you further. Maintaining a good reputation and being a decent human being while you are working can also come in handy the next time you are looking for work.
7) What has been your best resource for finding out about job openings?
Aside from personal networking, I'm not sucking up when I say that All Access has been a great resource. I have seen a lot of opportunities in the Jobs posts before I see them other places. My friends over at Country Aircheck have also had some good leads and, of course, the "Careers" pages on the iHeart, Entercom, Cumulus, etc. websites are great.
8) What's the craziest thing you've ever done to get a job?
I don't know if it was crazy but it sure was naïve when I got out of college and sent out my tapes and resumes exclusively to large and major markets then sat back and waited for the high-dollar offers to roll in. When not a single offer came in (or even phone call or e-mail) I ended up taking a job in market #246 doing the weekend overnight shift for $8,000 a year.
9) What is the next job you'd like to obtain?
I would love to continue doing a morning show in a large or major market, but I have also been a PD in my past and would definitely consider programming opportunities. I have great relationships with my friends at record labels and would be very open to joining any one of them in some capacity. And if that doesn't work out - astronaut, lion tamer and Instagram model have always looked fun.
10) Are you finding salaries/benefits lower than you ever thought, about the same, or have you seen some pleasant surprises?
You're assuming I've received any offers to compare ... actually, from what I've heard, the salaries are on the lower side but I am not surprised by that given a lot of the cost cutting that has been going on. I am realistic about what the next job may be able to offer.
Bonus Questions
Care to contribute a recipe for our "On The Beach" cookbook
Sure! This is one of my recent favorites. It's my "On the Beach" cocktail:
- Place four ice cubes in a glass
- Open your favorite bottle of whiskey
- Cry two tears into the glass
- Stare into the mirror for three minutes questioning your life choices up to this point
- Cry two more tears into the glass, push it aside and drink whiskey straight from the bottle
Optional: Steal a loaf of bread as a side snack.
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