10 Questions with ... Daryl Norsell

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Born and raised in So Cal with a few years' detour to New York when I was a kid. Moved back just in time to lose the accent, but the kept the love for the Yankees!

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

I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, listening to legendary stations such as KHJ as a kid and then KMET as soon as I was old enough to realize what rock was. KHJ instilled the idea of radio being really fun and full of energy. And man, did "The Mighty MET" reach down deep inside and grab me. Listening to them made me understand that radio wasn't just somebody playing music and talking; a great station can be the center of a community that you feel a part of and even fight for. I knew I had to be a part of that somehow.

My first radio job was on a cable radio station in Chatsworth in 1982 right out of high school. If you're old enough to remember when cable companies had a guide channel that told you what was coming up and other info channels, we were the place that provided the background music for them and we actually did shows. Amazingly we had people who listened to us every day. That still freaks me out! Anyway, that was experience enough to get a demo together and convince the Rock station up in Ventura (KKBZ, "The Buzz") to hire me. I started on the air there when I was 19.

2) 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 career?"

I was lucky enough to have a couple of great teachers in school. One taught a public speaking class and gave me the confidence to throw myself out there. The other taught audio/video in high school and taught me how to do simple editing and how to put together any kind of project that we wanted to. As soon as I cut into my first bit of tape, I was hooked. Suddenly I had a creative outlet that I loved and I knew I could be really good at it.

3) How long have you been the PD for KCAL and what makes this station so unique?

A couple of years after I started in Ventura, the station went Top 40 and fired everyone. I ended up taking the all night gig here at KCAL on New Year's Day 1985. That quickly turned into nights, and a couple of years later, afternoons, where I've been ever since. I was Production Dir. for KCAL and then for the KCAL/KOLA combo for 17 years. Then I switched over to APD/MD for about eight years and ultimately took over the PD gig a little over six years ago. I've been incredibly lucky to not only work with some wonderful and talented people, but to have worked with many of them like my GM, Jeff Parke, for decades now.

What makes us unique? We are a throwback in many ways here. Like the last of the independents. We've had one owner for the vast majority of my 30+ years here. The company consists of us and our sister station, KOLA (Classic Hits). It really is a family atmosphere in the building, and that is why so many people have stayed here for so long, including air personalities, salespeople, and traffic and office staff. It is so cool to be part of the story of this Class A signal that has managed to rock Southern California for the last 50 years. The best part of the job is being able to have an idea, take it down the hallway and bounce it around with my GM and have it on the air later that day if we want to. We are able to react and turn things around incredibly fast.

4) You have the dual role as PD/afternoons on KCAL. Do you do any special bits or music features in the afternoon?

When Jeff and I first talked about me taking the PD job, one of my biggest concerns was that I might have to give up my show. It had been an off-air position for a lot of years, but I felt with the surrounding group of people around me coming together as a team, I could find a way to pull it off. Yeah, it makes for some long days, but I still love that four hours I'm on the air every day. Special bits and features? We're very active promotionally, so I'm always looking for fun ways to do the giveaways and be interactive with the listeners. I've done many music features over the years, but lately I've been doing the "4:20 Binge" where we highlight a different band or artist every day and put together a block based on phone or text requests.

5) How have the recent personnel changes affected the station?

Quite a bit! In addition to the shift in music direction we began about a year-and-a-half ago, since the beginning of the year we've seen Patrick Tish (and now Patrick & 4orty) take over the morning show, Frank-O Garcia grab the evening shift, and just last month, Nikki Preston coming aboard to handle the midday spot. After having an incredibly stable air staff for years, there are a lot of new voices on KCAL. Honestly, there is such a great energy flowing around the studios and hallways right now. I'm really excited about this next phase of the station and I think we've assembled a really great team.

6) How would you describe the music mix on KCAL in regards to Current and Classic Rock? Do you consider KCAL a Mainstream Rock station?

That's a great, and not-easy-to-answer question. Over the years we have shifted in just about every direction you can think of to fit the music and vibe of the time, from almost a free-form AOR on vinyl when I started, to Mainstream, Active and Classic, but we have always had a rock soul. We have evolved the station pretty drastically over the last couple of years and are really based in the '90s/2000s rock world now. Core artists are Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters, Sublime, Metallica, Green Day and the Grunge crew. I guess you could call us a next generation Classic Rock station. Mediabase does, but we are playing some currents and especially recurrents.

7) What's your take on current Rock music and the Rock formats ... be it Classic or Active as a whole?

After a decade or so of stagnation, there is some really interesting rock stuff out there and a cool melding of styles that gives me hope that there is a "next big movement" starting to swell. Our night guy, Frank-O, does a new music spotlight every night and he breaks out stuff from all over the musical map.

8) While KCAL is part of the Riverside-San Bernardino market, it's also part of the Inland Empire of Los Angeles. How much do L.A. Rock stations like KLOS or KROQ or ALT affect your market or influence any of the music you play?

Not nearly as much as they used to. Our position is not ultra-close to either the traditional Classic Rock or the current Alternative lanes, although we share some library with both, so we have the luxury of being able to focus on what sounds right for us and the unique listener demographics we have in the IE.

9) How much does KCAL use social media like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to help enhance the overall listener experience?

We put a good amount of effort into social media, and we are always pushing to do more. I look at it as an extension of what we do on-air to help extend our fun lifestyle into that community we talked about earlier. You need to be consistent with the kind of topics and bits you talk about on the air and your social media presence. What I never want it to be is just a sales tool or non-stop station promotion. That's the quickest way for people to ignore everything you do.

10) Finally, you're stuck on a deserted island and you only have 5 Rock CDs with you. What are they and why?

Oh man, I think about the kids who would say, "What's a CD?" That's one of my versions of hell questions. Can I make it vinyl and a turntable like back when I started, so at least I can have the fun of flipping the album over? Stevie Ray Vaughan has to be in there; the best I ever saw play a guitar. Maybe the first Rage Against The Machine album for the pure energy and passion. AC/DC Back In Black because there ain't a dud on it. The Stones Exile On Main Street. And let's go with some Miles Davis Kind Of Blue to give me something to get lost in. I have a huge stack of other albums looking angrily at me right now and I'd probably change them all if I keep thinking about it. This was fun ... thanks!