10 Questions with ... John Moug

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

DEMO:

There's more at www.johnmoug.com/onair but you'll have to email me for the most recent audio =)

Started on the street team at KLUC in Las Vegas in 2006 when I was 19 years old. Worked my way up from part time on-air to eventually full time overnights, then nights for a total of six years; along the way I added production and imaging director to my resume, and then I left for my first shot at doing mornings on The Wolf in Denver in 2014. In early 2016, I came back to KLUC as afternoons/imaging and JB's right hand guy for two years until I got the opportunity to come to San Diego and do mornings at 91X.

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

I've taken this time as an opportunity to get off the couch. My fiancé Stacy and I both bought bikes (we live on the beach in Pacific Beach), so we're out riding around Mission Bay and the beach, trying to get in better shape. I believe radio is becoming a more visual medium and truly think that your "look" can be a deal maker or breaker when getting gigs these days. Plus, we're getting married in April and I don't want my tux to look sad.

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

I've built a pretty nice home studio and I'm very lucky to be tracking a few stations from here daily, doing some freelance imaging and voice work here and there, and I have a new project I've been working on--an idea that I've had for well over a year that I've finally been able to put some time into that I can't announce quite yet, but will in the next few weeks. All I can say is that I'm really excited about it. I'm not good at secrets so I kinda want to tell you more but... Nah, I'll wait.

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 went to Morning Show Boot Camp in Chicago for the first time this year and I'm more in love with radio now than ever. The amount of information that I learned in just two days was incredible. I cannot wait to get back in the saddle in my next gig and kick ass with a great team.

4. Do you plan on sticking with radio?

Oh, for sure! I've been in love with radio forever. Radio is ever evolving and I think if you evolve with it, you won't get left behind. I always tell people my first love was 98.5 KLUC. My fiancé understands that radio shares my heart and I'm grateful to have the support I get from her. Shout out!

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

This one right now. So as of the moment I'm writing this it's been one month and six days. I'm ready to go! No lease or anything holding me back. I can be in your market next week!

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

The squeaky wheel gets the grease in my experience! You gotta make some noise, you gotta make sure that people know you exist. So whether you're emailing the big programming guys at the top of the company or sending some attention grabbing package to a PD (all the things that I've been doing), you have to make sure they know you exist, and you have to stand out!

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

I refresh the All Access jobs page about 20 times a day, I hit the individual company careers sites, I keep an eye on Facebook for news of openings. There doesn't seem to be a ton opening up right now but I know something great will pop up. It'd be even cooler if it happened relatively quickly, 'cause I'm still living in San Diego, and I don't know if ya heard, but this is an expensive place to be "on the beach." But more than that, I'm just excited for the next chapter!

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

When the job in San Diego opened up, I was doing afternoons on KLUC but also doing a morning show from my home studio that aired in Searcy, Arkansas and Burlington, Vermont. I aired an abbreviated version of this in pm drive on Radio 104.1 in Hartford and Jammin' 107.7 in New London. My co-hosts were Jared Dey and Angie Morales. (Sidebar: How no one has picked up Angie to be on their station BLOWS my mind. Although I'm kind of glad cause I would kill to have her on my next show, wherever that may be.) Jared (who's now killing it as producer for the Billy Madison show) and I went to work as soon as we saw the opening. We found a single bass drum on Craigslist, had it wrapped with our logo, and within 48 hours of the post hitting All Access, Jared was in the lobby dropping it off along with our other materials. These days there are fewer and fewer radio jobs, so you have to make a statement and you have to make some noise. And it worked!

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

I would love to get back into mornings. I've been blessed to learn from some of the greats in my career; working for Cat Thomas and JB King I learned how to be fiercely competitive, working with Chet Buchanan I learned how to own a market, and now with the knowledge I've been able to learn working weekly with the great Tracy Johnson the past couple of years, my arsenal is stacked and I'm ready for battle! So mornings would be ideal, mornings/imaging and APD or PD somewhere would be a dream come true. I love doing imaging, and I love being the guy who puts the TLC into making the station sound as close to perfect as possible. I also love working with upcoming talent to help them get better and achieve their goals.

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

I've actually seen some pleasant surprises, especially out of the smaller markets or cities that have lower cost of living.

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

Since it's always summer in San Diego, this always sounds good... A listener of ours dropped off a key lime pie (and yes I ate it, I don't assume all listeners are trying to kill us lol). I had never baked a pie but this was super easy so now whenever I break from the diet, this is my go-to:

• ½ cup key lime juice (Nellie & Joe's is a great one)
• 3 egg yokes
• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk (14oz)

Hand mix all ingredients until smooth.

Pour into a standard size graham cracker crust pie (easy to just buy one at the store).

Bake at 350° for 15 min. Let cool for 15 - 20min. Chill in the fridge for 2 hours minimum. Serve and enjoy.