10 Questions with ... Jimbo Wood

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

My first job was at WERC-A/Birmingham, AL. I was hired as a sales intern during the Summer of 1979, the summer between high school and college. I quickly began to understand that I belonged in the programming side of the building. My influences were the huge personalities on WERC and WKXX. Early inspiration came from Birdman, Coyote J. Calhoun, Mark Thompson [Mark and Brian] and Chris Trane.

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

I knew all along I belonged on the air. There wasn't anything that came close to the feeling of walking up an intro and hitting a post. My mom says as a young guy, I used to point to the car radio and say, "I want to go in there." I was so young I thought all of the bands and the announcers were somehow actually "in" the radio.

3) How long have you been at WRTT (Rocket 95.1) and what makes this station so unique?

I was hired in 2000 and the station went on the air on Valentine's Day that same year. Rocket 95.1 was well-researched before we decided on Active Rock, which was a new format back then. We seemed to pick the right balance between the new bands coming to the format and the right Classic Rock songs. The station was well-received from the beginning.

4) You have the dual role as PD and morning show host; how do you balance your time so both roles are effective?

A supportive OM, Kevin Daniels. He allows me to be half of our morning show, Jimbo & Casio [Matt Mitchell], then start my PD duties after noon, generally connected to my office from home. I usually do meetings from 10a-noon as needed, then I head home and take about a 15-minute nap, then start my PD duties. I'm usually finished with everything by 3 or 4.

5) Tell us about your morning show (Jimbo & Casio). How long have you worked together and what are some of the morning benchmarks that you guys do?

We've been a team for almost seven years. Casio and I get along really well on and off the air. He's a stand-up comic and a veteran of the Groundlings in Los Angeles and very funny, so my laughter is genuine. Some of our benchmarks are Missed Connections, where we read from Craig's List personal ads. We also do Stupid News, Would You Rather Wednesday and lots of really bad impressions and characters.

6) Now let's talk about the music on Rocket 95.1. How aggressive is the station with current rock in its balance of current to library rock?

I'm careful with that integration. It took me a long time to decide to play newer music during the day. I'm super-sensitive to the listener's need to know the artist and title of the new songs. I make sure the new songs are color-coded to look different than catalog songs on the log. That way, the jock can clearly see the upcoming new artists and introduce them in the intro. It's a lot easier to start new bands in the daytime due to the fact that we've been on the air for 19 years. Listeners have come to expect it.

7) What's your take on current Active Rock music and the Rock format as a whole?

I think it's just fine. I'm tired of the doom-and-gloom predictions about the format. I love some of these new bands that are stepping out with new, original sounds. My favorite thing is to be turned on to a new, young band and help them along if I can. I can do without some of the screamy and growly bands. but I'm older and have to take that into consideration when one comes looking for airplay.

8) The Huntsville market also has a Classic Rock WTAK and the recent addition of an Alternative WQRV, yet WRTT continues its strong market ratings overall. How does Rocket 95.1 continue to hold off the competition in the market?

Heritage status, supportive ownership and an excellent air staff, all of whom live here and are raising families here. These huge companies we're fighting have a lot of money and national power, but their weakness is that they're not live and local. When we can, we use that to our advantage.

9) How much does Rocket 95.1 use social media like Facebook, Twitter and its website to help enhance the Rock experience with its listeners?

As often as we can without being invasive. No station wants to be spam. We use Facebook to do contests, interactive content like live polls, and the morning show puts up live videos from the studio so the listener can see the studio that they listen to every day. We like breaking that wall.

10) Finally, when you're not in "radio" mode you have an interesting scuba diving hobby. Tell us about it.

I've been a scuba instructor for 25 years. I love it as a hobby because nothing about it reminds me of my radio work. For the past 16 years, I've worked part-time as an instructor in the Underwater Astronaut Trainer [UAT] at United Stated Space Camp here in Huntsville. The UAT is a 120,000-gallon pool that's 24 feet deep. We teach kids from around the world a basic scuba lesson, then take them underwater in order to demonstrate to them how micro-gravity feels. We teach all kids including physically challenged and seeing and/or hearing-impaired kids, too. It's a very rewarding job and I love being a small part of a kid's experience at Space Camp.