10 Questions with ... Perry Stone

1) What led you to a career in radio? Was there a defining moment that made you realize "this is what I want to do for a living"?

In my teens and way back in the '70s, after trying a hundred times to win a prize off the popular New York Top 40 99X, I finally won on their "Rock the Boat" weekend (a stupid Hues Corporation album). The jock conversed with me on the air. I hit puberty at that moment and I knew I wanted to be on the radio.

2) Can you give us your radio career overview with stations and positions up until now?

The Stone Road Tour: Mornings-WAAP/New York; Afternoons-WBAB/Long Island; Mornings KSJO/San Jose; Mornings KITS/San Francisco; Mornings WQFM/Milwaukee; Mornings, Video Jockey-V66/Boston & WZOU/Boston; Mornings/WMGG (now WBZX) Columbus, OH; PD/Mornings, WROX and afternoons on News/Talk WNIS/Norfolk VA; Cumulus-OM & afternoons on WQUL & WTAO/Carbondale, IL; Group OM for Cumulus/Wilmington, Fayetteville, NC & Myrtle Beach, Florence SC; Afternoons on WKXS/Wilmington, NC. Saga - PD afternoons for 3WV & News/Talk WINA/Charlottesville, VA ... Damn, I really need to settle down!

3) In full disclosure, I worked with you as your PD when you did mornings at the old KSJO/San Jose back in the late '80s. In a very short time, you and your partner Trish Bell dominated the ratings in San Jose. What were some of the most memorable highlights for you of that run in mornings in the Bay Area?

Folks still comment on "the whale penis" event. We had tickets to a major concert. My sidekick Trish read a kicker story about a dead whale that washed up on a local beach. I said "The first person to bring the whale penis to KSJO, will win." Thousands converged on the whale, engraved my name in the whale and yes one lucky listener cut it off and brought it me. The receptionist was so horrified that she ran out of the building! It made the lead story of all the Bay Area TV newscasts and PETA was very angry! I'm not sure why. The whale was dead. I told PETA that when I die, they can cut mine off if it'll make them feel any better. That made things worse.

Then as Ken will recall ... "Baseball with Chuck." We did fake interviews with the warden to bring Charles Manson to a S.F. Giants game. We held a contest for one lucky listener to go to the game with Chuck, "Tell us why you want to watch a baseball game with him," We received hundreds of letters mostly from teachers and psychologists. The day of the game with Chuck, we ran fake traffic reports saying Charles was in a limo headed to the stadium. I got a call from Ken saying I had to come back to the station because the Giants received so many complaints that were going to cancel the game because too many people were afraid to go. I had to announce on the air that it was just a crazy radio stunt! Certainly, those were different times but boy, did I have a blast. I'm sure Ken did as well, but he probably lost a few follicles.

Perry Stone and Trish Bell dominated mornings at KSJO/San Jose in the late '80s

4) You recently joined Midwest Family in Springfield as OM and WQLZ PD. How is WQLZ performing at this point?

The station overall is doing very well and exceeding expectations on the revenue side but I believe there's an incredible opportunity to grow a larger audience and generate even more revenue. That's all I'm going to say at this juncture because I'm actually competing against my former employers -- Saga on two important formats overseeing WQLZ and News/Talk WMAY. After seven years with Saga, I believe that I have a pretty good understanding of how they like to program their Rock and News/Talk stations. So ... stay tuned!

5) What can you tell us about the 3rd String Morning Show on 'QLZ?

Mo is consistent with his energy and has a very quick wit. He plays lots of music in the morning and knows the Active Rock format and lifestyle inside and out.

6) You're also doing afternoons on 'QLZ. Having done mornings for most of your career, what kind of show are you doing in the afternoon on 'QLZ?

Well unorthodox to say the least. For the past 10 years between Cumulus, Saga and now WQLZ, I've been doing a morning show of sorts in afternoons but I also play lots of music. There's topics, lots of calls, funny bits, etc. It's different for PM drive but effective. In the past, my afternoon show has generated a lot of talk in each market. It blows me away that I'm still getting tons of e-mails and social media posts from disgruntled listeners from Charlottesville, VA who are none too happy that I'm no longer on 3WV. In a way it's very touching. I believe that in order for radio to survive, we must bring back the personality and fun! Imagine that. There's too much competition from the likes of Pandora, Spotify, XM, etc. that we can't just be "that was, this is" and "isn't 'Stairway to Heaven' a great-iconic song?" (for the millionth time). I can download all my favorite music and create a playlist in a matter of minutes, so why do I even need radio? For me, listening when I travel has become a big bore and most stations are cookie cutter. We need as an industry to make radio special again. Unfortunately, there aren't many companies willing to take chances anymore and that's a shame.

7) Let's talk about the music on 'QLZ. Just how active are you in playing new rock as opposed to your library catalogue?

We do play and expose a lot of new Rock. I'm not going to tip my hand, but like I mentioned above, there's great opportunity to grow the audience and grab a bigger slice of the revenue pie in Springfield.

8) What's your take on current Active Rock music and the Rock format overall?

I'm cautiously optimistic that New Rock from the likes of Fozzy, Ghost, Badflower, Halestorm will keep Rock radio relevant and fresh. Classic Rock is still very successful but with each year, the audience gets older to the point where the lines are becoming blurry between Classic Rock and Classic Hits.

9) How active is QLZ with social media like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter?

You name it, WQLZ is all about social media. We are all very excited as WQLZ will be launching a new website within a matter of days. We have an incredible digital/social media guru in my midday guy Kyle. He's been working his tail off and I'm very fortunate to have him.

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

I'm quite boring. Maybe open up some nice Blanton's Bourbon on the weekends, watch my shows on Netflix, HBO, AMC, football and of course, listen to lots of radio. I know I need to get a life. Cheers!