10 Questions with ... Scott Lockwood

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Born: Frederick Thomas Krepps

1) What was your first job in radio and early mentors or influences?

My first job in radio was working as an air personality. That's all I ever wanted to do growing up. Oddly, my first job could have been at KROQ/Pasadena, yet I passed up the opportunity to work at KPSI/Palm Springs. A radio friend talked me out of the KROQ gig. The station had been dark in the mid 1970s for almost 18 months and they were a bit shaky in putting it back on the air. No one remembers that "dark" time anymore. It would have been fine, yet I'm glad for the choice I made as my career would have taken a much different path. I have a great life.

My early influence was Boss Radio. I loved KHJ as a kid. As I got a bit older, and with FM coming of age, one radio talent - Damion at KLOS -- was a big favorite of mine. Once in the business, I worked for some amazing people including Bob Hamilton at KRTH and Jhani Kaye at KFI/KOST. I learned from everyone, although I must admit I learned more about radio and it's finer points from Jhani. He is amazing man.

2) You have quite an extensive radio background. Can you give us a quick radio career resume?

Forty-one-plus years, two continents, two languages. Many large markets. The first notable years of experience were 1977-1989. These were the L.A. gigs at KIIS-FM, KRTH and KFI/KOST. In the 1990s, I relocated to Central Europe and literally built, programmed and consulted great companies with stations in Nuernberg, Munich, Hamburg and Berlin, to name a few. I would like to think it was my good looks and talent that brought all this on, yet the truth is that I got lucky. First for having been raised in Southern California, then later lucky again because I entered Europe as private radio was beginning. I had just enough major-market experience and it was a great help to speak German.

3) I understand your media company founded the first two genuine Rock stations on the European continent. Please explain.

The start of private radio in Europe saw the first stations as being very mainstream, hit-oriented. A/C was extremely popular. Most of the established stations were Public radio and mainstream formats -- if they had a format at all. Rock stations were nowhere to be found on the dial. Rock music and the format is something that is uniquely American in nature (yes, I know the Brits do it, but still). Many owners were skeptical of the format. Others were frightened by it. No one understood or knew how to do it. It was widely perceived as a format that no one would listen to and no one could sell to advertisers.

I was working for David Dornier in Berlin when he was awarded a special deal through VOA (Voice of America) and the MABB (Media Authority Berlin-Brandenburg). The license for frequency 87.9 mandated that we do a format that is uniquely American in nature. So there were two choices. Country or Rock. We went with Rock. The station is Star-FM Berlin and I'm proud to say they just celebrated their 20th anniversary. Some of the folks I hired are still there. They are still one of the top-five stations in town.

Star-FM grabbed the attention of RTL (Radio Television Luxembourg) who contracted me to found a similar Rock station for their company in Vienna, Austria. We did, it became extremely popular, yet bit the dust after a hostile takeover. There are many memorial sites on the web, RTL Vienna fan clubs and what not. It's kind of lived on like KNAC did after it's unfair demise.

4) What was the origin of xxxRock.fm?

Perfect question! The origin of xxxRock.fm is the demise of RTL Vienna. It was my way of keeping it alive. True, it's a different name, yet it's the same format with updated songs and we still have some of the original air talent. Veronika Pavlicek (former evenings) does our news and Harald Huto (former afternoons) does specials for the station with a show called "Mulatschag." I think a lot of our listeners in Austria know that it's just RTL Vienna rebranded. It "was" Unf*ckingbelievable then and it still "is" now.

5) Can you give us the lowdown on some of the station staff/personalities and any specialty programs or shows?

I am really blessed to have a small, yet highly diverse array of talent on the station. First there's Damion of KLOS and KHTZ fame. Then Darrell Wayne, a veteran of KROQ. Add to that international talent such as The Captain (Brian Burgess) from Nuernberg, Germany (Radio Gong 97.1) and Veronika Pavlicek from Austria. Damion produces a weekly show with a mix of Rock and Country music. Darrell stays on top of Classic Rock artists and what they have out now. The Captain brings us an hour of established Classic Rock with fun contests and interviews. Our station voice is the very talented Bryan Simmons of KOST and KTWV fame. He has an incredible range from soft to hard rock.

What keeps us fresh, though, is the discovery a very talented man named Tylor Kelley. He goes by "The Tiger" and announces all of our new currents. Tylor is a perfect fit for the station; I know he's got a great career ahead. He's our "Marlon Brando." A true entertainer, he does countless character voices and takes direction just like Marlon did. I can ask him to do something 17 different times and he'll do it 17 different ways. That's rare in our business. The Tiger is a star.

6) xxxRock.fm has been rocking since 2003. How is the station doing overall and how are you monetizing it?

The station has exceeded my expectations. What I thought was going to be a fun station with about 10k listeners has actually grown to a total audience cume of 450k as of April 2018. That's worldwide, of course, so there's still more room for growth. We did a bit more than 1.27m sessions in April 18th. Every indication points to the station continuing to grow at least 10% a month. That's being conservative.

The station is monetized through two separate sources, with a third coming by year's end. We successfully run PI spots through Higher Power Marketing and allow Target Spot to insert spots on a geographic basis. It works and we eek out a small profit every month. No one is getting rich off this, yet I believe Warren Buffett would say it's a good business because of the percentages.

I mentioned a third source coming. We are currently negotiating a deal with a major terrestrial company to rep us and sell spots directly utilizing their sales staff. I'll be able to say more when the deal is consummated. I believe it's going to be an excellent deal for both sides. Stay tuned!

7) What in your opinion are the main differences between "terrestrial" radio and Internet radio, and what advantages does Internet radio have that terrestrial doesn't?

Besides the obvious of delivery (signal v. fiber), we have at least one advantage that stands out. We can play the real version of a song without censure. Beyond that, Internet radio allows us more creative freedom. We can take chances that terrestrial broadcasters aren't willing to make any longer. Such as being first with new music. Also because of Internet radio's "worldwide" nature, we serve many markets around the world that are either underserved for rock, or ignored all together. There's no fear of a local advertiser back lash.

8) Being a veteran radio guy, what's your take on the Rock format and current Active Rock music as a whole?

It's alive and well. This despite the fact that all I've heard for 40+ years is that it's a dead format. It might be misunderstood, but it's far from dead. I see Active Rock as alive and well with a great future ahead. And look, if it was dead all these years, how did Ozzy Osbourne accumulate $200m in wealth?

9) Are there any Rock bands that are working on xxxRock.fm that terrestrial radio should be playing?

Yes. The group would be Eisbrecher. They sing in German, yet their songs are enjoyable despite any language barrier. Great hooks. If a station plays Rammstein, they should play Eisbrecher as well. If not in rotation, then at least in a Cage Match. Their songs are always a tune-in for us. They're on Metronome in the U.S.

10) Finally, like yours truly, I understand you're a big Oakland Raiders fan. How do you think the team is going to do this year with Jon Gruden returning as the head coach?

Wow! You're asking me to speculate, predict ... but it's a fair question. I think they'll do well with Gruden. He's in a special position now. He knows how to win with the Raiders; he knows how to beat them. He's won a Super Bowl. He can "Pound The Rock." Might be a bit rusty after being in the broadcast booth, yet I think he'll sharpen up real quick. With the Raiders moving to Las Vegas, he'll want to show the world what the team is really made of. All he has to do is make progress. It was a good pick; he'll do well. So will the team. There's no snow in Las Vegas. (ha ha)