10 Questions with ... Jeremy Nicolato 'Nic'

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

The first station that I was lucky enough to work for was KOOL/Phoenix. I was a weekend overnight board op, remember when that was a thing? I ran Dick Bartley's American Gold syndicated show and put in the local spots.

But that job allowed me access to state-of-the-art studios, so every weekend I would go into a production studio and teach myself digital editing with the equipment there. Believe it or not, I only knew how to edit reel to reel at the time (I was great at it, BTW!). I would put together short, terrible, demos every weekend and leave them in the PD's mailbox. Somehow, that worked and they offered me my first full-time job about six months into that gig.

Reitman and Mueller from KTI/Milwaukee, Howard Stern and John Holmberg all made an impact as I was starting out - and in some cases, still do.

2) What led you to a career in radio? Was there a defining moment that made you realize "this is it?"

I took a tour of a radio station as a Cub Scout when I was like 11, and it was the coolest thing I had ever seen. That's when I really fell in the love with the business. Of course, when I started college I had the goal of being a lawyer. About two math classes into that, I realized radio was the path of least resistance, and most importantly, least math.

3) How long have you been at KQXR (100.3 The X) and what makes this station so unique?

I just celebrated my 11th anniversary at The X, which is nuts when I think about it. I came here in 2007 with some lofty goals and visions in my head. Amazingly, we've gotten there and somehow exceeded them.

I've said this before, but I think the difference-maker for us has been and continues to be our talent. Big J is The X. Period. He's been here so long, everyone in the market knows who he is and what he does. That's an incredible leg up. Jason Drew in middays, Adam in afternoons, and now Randy taking over the night role from Dan Woodz - they make the rock go.

All these guys love this station, this music, this lifestyle and they do their shows live in studio every day. Live, local radio. Everything we do, starts and ends here. I truly believe people can tell the difference and that it matters to most.

4) You have the dual role as PD and morning show host of The Morning After with Nic and Big J. How do you balance your time so both roles are effective?

The secret for me is to never to compartmentalize the two jobs. I am the PD, but I also need to prepare and put forth an entertaining, fun morning show five days a week. When I am working on something in a PD capacity, I always think how I can make it work for The X first, followed immediately by how it will sound on the morning show?

How can I deliver that message to my audience in an "X kind of way"?

That gives me a different perspective on how to approach and come up with creative ideas for The X. At the end of the day, if it doesn't sound good on the air, it's pointless. I think that translates into our other dayparts as well.

5) KQXR has a reputation as a "tastemaker" station ... especially when it comes to new rock and metal. How do you balance that so it doesn't adversely affect the station's cume and TSL -- especially during the day?

We don't go out of our way to try and break new bands or songs. We do, however, go out of our way to make sure new bands and songs have a chance. Then, we let our listeners do the rest. If it resonates and does well with the audience, we'll play it, regardless of chart position or label.

We've done it with Avatar, Adelita's Way, Dead Sara, Like A Storm and plenty more. Being one of the first stations to play bands that are now format standards, such as Five Finger Death Punch, Volbeat, Halestorm, Ghost and In This Moment just goes along with that philosophy.

When we came up with the formula for The X, we wanted to be the big, bad Rock station. Holding a mirror up to our lifestyle and our culture -- while incorporating relevant pop culture, news and Treasure Valley happenings. Our music spans decades, focuses on the artists that turned us into rock fans to begin with, and folds in the best in new and yes, local music.

Listening to those that listen to us was the foundation of this station and it continues to be a huge part of what we are. We often say, you can travel the country and you won't hear another station that sounds like The X. We are really, really proud of that.

6) Okay ... put on your music hat now. What's your take on current Rock music and the Active Rock format as a whole?

You're not gonna believe this, but I think Rock is in a pretty good place - product-wise. We have so many songs on the station that are working for us right now, and a ton in the "man, we need to play this" pile that I can't help but have hope.

There's some great new bands out there, but the vets are still punching out great stuff ... Shinedown, Godsmack, Breaking Benjamin, Disturbed, to name a few.

7) What are the three "new" Rock bands you think will become breakout bands at the format in the next year?

1. Glorious Sons - That song "S.O.S". is crazy good. We played them a while back with "Heavy" and this is just another feather in their cap.
2. Fever 333 - Rock makes its biggest impact when it's angry and has a message. Couple that with a one-of-a-kind live show and you get something special like these guys.
3. Badflower - "Ghost" is blowing up for them right now, but do yourself a favor and go back into their catalog and listen to a song called "Soap." We played that a few years back on The X; it's a great song and proves these guys aren't a one-trick pony -- they will be in it for the long haul. Great band.

8) Congratulations to you and the staff at KQXR for being the #1 station overall in the Boise market during this most recent Spring Rating period. That's quite an accomplishment. What are some of the factors that contributed to this book's success?

It's insane is what it is. You know when you program a Rock station, you aim for success in particular demos - and to our credit - the X has been a powerhouse with Men 18-34 and 25-54 for years. We are incredibly proud of our history, but when the ratings came out this year and we were #1 12+, in every single daypart, by ... like ... a lot, I didn't know what to say.

I again point to my staff, it wasn't one daypart that carried the day. Every single one was #1 and that's a testament to how hard they work. We have also upped our community and charity work in the past year. A big goal for us in doing that was to tear down the stereotypes that go along with rock and metal music. If you aren't familiar with what The X is, you hear Metallica and Parkway Drive and think -- black T-shirts and anger. Well, that's a small part of it, but not at all the whole story. We are professionals, we have kids, we own houses, we drive new cars ... and we also just happen to love rock music. So, I wanted people who don't listen to this station see us at community events that mean something to us - The Run For Autism, Walk to End Alzheimer's, and more. Let's people know there are tons of us that love rock and we are adults that love our community as well.

I like to think that has played a part in the station's mainstream success.

9) How did you and the station celebrate this momentous occasion?

Well, shots. I mean ... we drank shots.

But also - by coming at it with a level head. Ratings giveth and they taketh away. We've been kissed and we sure as hell have been kicked in the past by ratings. We like this feeling a lot more.

10) Finally, when you're not in "radio" mode, what do you like to do for fun and relaxation?

Sports. Movies.TV Shows. Video games. I'm 41 going on 19, probably helps the morning show in some way. But, I also have a family; spending time with them is paramount.