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10 Questions with ... Cara Carriveau
December 5, 2006
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NAME:Cara CarriveauLAST WITH:97.9 WLUP 'The Loop' in ChicagoPHONE:(312) 636-8908
Please begin by giving us a brief career history ...
My first full-time radio gig was in a motor home in Clare, MI in 1986. I have been on air in the Chicago market since 1989. I spent the past eight years at 97.9 WLUP (The Loop); most of my time there was as hosting middays. I have been part of several great morning shows, including news anchor on the syndicated "Kevin Matthews Morning Show" (originating from WLUP). I have five years of successful programming experience in market #3 and a successful voice-over business, Cara Communications. Currently, I am working parttime/fill-in at WTMX/Chicago. You can see a more complete resume' and hear audio samples at www.CaraCommunications.com.
1) How are you occupying your time, besides looking for a job?
I am grateful for this remarkable opportunity to spend so much precious time with my family. I have a 1 1/2-year-old son who entertains me all day. Plus, I now have time to volunteer at my 10-year-old daughter's school. I also help with my husband's business, Fitness From The Inside Out. And I'm putting the finishing touches on my home studio with big podcast plans in the near future.
2) What's the best way to get your foot in the door?
Send your package priority. Don't wait for a job opening to be posted. Ask for feedback. Offer to help temporarily during the holidays.
3) What has been your best resource for finding out about job openings?
Friends in the business, Robert Feder's column in the Sun Times, and MySpace has been an enormous networking tool! My "friends" list on MySpace has doubled in the past month, with many listeners and industry contacts offering support. It's been wonderful.
4) What's the craziest thing you've ever done to get a job?
When WRCX signed on in 1994, it only had Mancow and Brutus at first -- no women on the air at all. So I sent the program director a package with a huge black bra, my tape, and a note that said his radio station was missing two important things. I secured a lunch meeting with him immediately! Unfortunately, he had just hired Jo Robinson, so he didn't have a spot for me. I was "on the beach" in 1995 and began sending him packages on a monthly basis. Eventually, I got the impression that he wasn't looking to hire another female personality, so I used a harmonizer to change my tapes into a "male voice" and wrote that I had a sex change operation. I was finally hired in 1996.
5) What is the next job you'd like to obtain?
I want to work for an honest, successful company that appreciates me and my talents. Bonneville absolutely operates with those ideals, and I love my current parttime job with WTMX, but there's currently no fulltime position available. I'm open to be working out of my home studio on other stations across the country (and the world for that matter!) while keeping my current parttime job, if possible.
6) Are you spending as much time listening to radio as you used to?
NO! I think it's more valuable for me to spend time living the demo, and the average radio listener does not listen as much as the average radio employee listens. I feel like I am finally able to see radio from a listener's perspective. I am living the demo now. When you work in radio on a daily basis, it is impossible to truly identify with your listeners at their level. Research may somewhat explain your listeners, but I now empathize with their needs. It's been a powerful learning experience that will certainly benefit me (and my next radio station). Plus, I have a toddler, so the cabinet containing the radio in my home is bolted shut so he can't mess with it, making it difficult for me to even get to the radio to turn it on!
7) What has been your biggest career accomplishment?
Besides spending an impressive eight years at WLUP, I am proud of my great run at WABT (The Wabbit) in suburban Chicago. I began as overnight host in 1989, got promoted to nights, then middays, then added APD duties, and became PD there all within two years. I programmed that fine radio station until 1995.
8) What have you learned about yourself, others, or life in general in your downtime?
I have learned that it's very important not to define myself by my job. My family is so much more important to me; my husband and children are by far my proudest accomplishments. But my husband would be the first to tell you that I need to be on the air. My passion for music and broadcasting is obvious to anyone who knows me, and he knows me best and will attest that I am much happier when I have a job on the air!
9) Is there anything specific that you regret doing while you were still working?
I was never one to toot my own horn and brag about the things I did above and beyond what was expected of me. But looking back, my superiors probably had no idea about many of the positive things I did for the company. Who knows? Maybe I'd still be there had they known.
10) 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?
No. Spending time with my children is far more valuable to me than being underappreciated and underpaid at any job.
Bonus Questions
1) Any books you can recommend to people who need something inspirational to read?
If you're just starting out in the business, definitely read Career Perspectives In Electronic Media by Peter B. Orlik. OK, I'm recommending it mainly because I'm on the cover and wrote a piece featured in the book. But seriously, it's very enlightening and educational for a newbie.
Radio Waves: Life and Revolution on the FM Dial by Jim Ladd is very invigorating, especially if you love Rock radio.
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