10 Questions with ... Jared 'JC Cruz' Catalano

NAME:Jared 'JC Cruz' Catalano LAST WITH:WCDV/Baton Rouge, afternoons PHONE:(225) 288-7776 EMAIL:jitaly79@yahoo.com

Please begin by giving us a brief career history ...

At 18 I started as an intern for CBS Radio-Austin, TX (now Entercom). I did promotions and eventually overnights at KAMX/KQBT. I landed my first gig doing nights at WYOY/Jackson, eventually becoming the Music Director, before moving on to nights in Baton Rouge at WTGE. Sixteen months later I took a midday gig at KXBT/Austin, and one year later it flipped to Talk. Next was nights at KTBT/Tulsa, where I'm proud to say I posted a 20+ share while on the air. I decided that I should be closer to my fiancé and took the afternoon gig at WCDV/Baton Rouge. A format flip 17 months later forced my hand, and I took a short "temp" afternoon gig at WKBU/New Orleans.

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

I try to be positive and keep good people around me. I'm all for self-improvement, so I have gone back to school part-time to keep myself busy.

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

I eat a lot of Mexican food and drink margaritas.

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

On and off the beach for about eight months now. Prior to this my longest stretch was about two weeks.

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

CEO of Disney? I'm up for any new challenge! I'd really love the opportunity to get back into programming and help mold another top-notch station. Nothing is better than doing what you love 10-12 hours a day and having it all pay off when those books come out.

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

By knowing more people! It's no secret that it's all about who you know. I've always tried to make more friends than enemies in the biz. Never had the "radio ego" and always learned as much as possible. Networking is a must; I used to think I was doing a good job with it. I have had the privilege to work with some of the best PDs in the business. (Mark McCray, Jason Kidd, Tommy Austin, Scooter Stevens, Mike Kaplan, Randy Chase...) So if they are reading this ... umm ... call me?

6) What has been your biggest career accomplishment?

This may sound silly to some people, but never having been let go for disciplinary reasons or due to poor ratings is something I am very proud of. Damn format flips.

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

MOST: Making station decisions that affected others in a positive way. Whether it was giving advice to on-air staff members that helped them improve, working with sales to improve their productivity, or adding that new song that was an immediate hit with my listeners. LEAST: Hanging banners!

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

I was young when I started, so my only goal was to end up in NYC doing nights at Z100. I wanted to move up to the bigger markets any time I had the chance. If I could do it all over again I would have slowed down, been more patient, and taken a PD gig.

9) 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?

Absolutely. If it's what you love to do, you will make sacrifices to do it!

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

Make sure you have a huge savings account! Don't put all your eggs in one basket, and make yourself as valuable as possible. Gone are the days of just being a jock and that's it. You better learn promotions, web design etc...

Uh oh ... now you're on your own for getting new music. If applicable, name your three most recent purchases since leaving the biz.

I like to support local peeps. I'm a big fan of a local guy here in Austin who tours quite a bit named Bob Schneider ... very cool dude. The latest album from Spoon, and I can't go very long without some Kanye West.