-
10 Questions with ... Jon Ballard
September 10, 2019
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. -
1) What led you to a career in radio and was there a defining moment that made you realize "this is it?"
It's the usual story ... five-year-old kid goes to car dealership and sees local radio celebrity (KJR-AM's "Emperor" Smith) wearing a crown and holding a scepter ... kid decides that's what he wants to do with his life. Seriously, that's what got me to start thinking about radio.
Then, listening to KISW, with "Those Dudes" John Langan and Mike West, Gary Crow and Bob Hovanes (#RIP), "The Boss with the Hot Sauce" Steve Slaton ... hearing the stuff they were getting away with, well, that sealed it. Actually getting to work with some of those guys was a dream come true.
2) Can you give us a brief recap of your radio career up to now?
At this point, there's nothing brief about it, but here goes . . .
- KZOK/Seattle (Lowly intern)
- KPLM/Palm Springs (First paid gig)
- KISW/Seattle (Started with weekend overnights, and finished in afternoon drive)
- KZZP/Phoenix (First attempt at a morning show)
- DC 101/Washington, DC (Afternoon drive)
- WBIG/Washington, DC (second attempt at a morning show)
- WVRK/Columbus, GA (PD /Afternoon drive)
- KKBZ/Fresno (PD /Afternoon drive)
- KOZZ / Reno (Third time's a charm?)
Good Lord! I've become Dr. Johnny Fever!
3) Before you joined KOZZ for mornings, you programmed KKBZ (105.1 The Blaze)/ Fresno. What were some of your proudest achievements rocking The Blaze?
Evolving the station from Classic to Mainstream, including a total rebranding, was a lot of fun, but I'd have to say I'm most proud of the people who flourished under my watch. "Izzy" was doing a night show in Illinois when we brought her out for mornings, and after four years with us, she's now doing mornings at KOMP/Las Vegas. "Rash" came to us from across the street, where he'd had very little coaching, and with the help of Mike Stern at Jacobs, has turned into a real solid solo morning show performer.
Some of the other people in the building might not have gotten a shot had the circumstances been different, but now they're growing and developing into the next generation of rock radio talent. Since I don't have children of my own, I refer to them as my "radio kids," and I'm incredibly proud of them.
4) Congrats on joining a heritage station like KOZZ in Reno for mornings. How long have you been in the morning chair in Reno and how is it going so far?
Been getting up at WTF:30 for about a month now. It seems to be going well. The people in the building, and in the area, have been exceptionally nice, and very welcoming.
5) Before this gig, you did afternoons in Fresno and have a long history of being a solid on-air personality in markets like Washington DC and Seattle. How fun is it to just focus on doing a key air shift like morning drive?
Honestly, as much as I love programming, it's nice to not have to worry about every little thing. GM Mike Murray, PD Jave Patterson, and the team here at Lotus Reno are a well-oiled machine, so my main responsibility is to not screw anything up.
6) I know you're just starting to rock on KOZZ on your morning show. Do you do any special programming or music features at this point?
Not really. I'm kind of treating the show like I'm treating the move ... I'm unpacking slowly. I'm trying to get a feel for the station, and the market, to see what things in my arsenal will make sense and be successful. But, believe me, they're coming.
7) On a broader note, you recently programmed an Active Rock station and are now doing mornings on a Classic Rock station. With this perspective, what's your take on the health of the Active Rock and Classic Rock formats?
Classic Rock isn't going anywhere anytime soon, although at some point, the format will have to embrace songs from the '90s and beyond, otherwise it'll just be "Music of Your Life" with guitars.
Active Rock is at a crossroads. There are some great newer artists putting out some incredible music, but nothing seems to have any staying power, and I think a lot of that has to do with the pursuit of spins and chart position.
Songs move in and out of rotation so quickly, they don't get the chance to become ingrained in the format. I was as guilty of that as the next guy when I first started programming, but in the future, should I ever sit in "the chair" again, I'd definitely have to rethink that strategy (sorry, label friends).
8) Now that you've compared the two Rock formats you've been working in, how would you compare your last market Fresno to your current city of Reno?
They couldn't be more different. Reno is a 24-hour town, and, for the most part, the sidewalks roll up in Fresno at midnight (10p on a school night). Fresno is almost completely Ag based, while Reno, in addition to the hospitality industry, is branching out into tech and distribution, and is growing like crazy. Seems like there's always an event or festival happening here, while, in Fresno, they're fewer and farther between. There are great people in both places, though, and the people are what I will the miss most about Fresno (and the wings at BC's Pizza).
9) On a personal note, your Bio on the KOZZ website describes you this way: "Baseball Fan. Dog Father. Bacon Aficionado. Comic Book Nerd. Proud #12. Reasonably Tall." Does that about cover it?
Yeah. I'm not terribly deep.
10) Finally, your bio also claims that "Snark" is your native tongue. Care to elaborate?
The aforementioned Steve Slaton once told me, "A good jock can say it in nine words, but a great jock says it in three." The same goes for snark, A couple of well-chosen words can get your point across more effectively than ranting and raving until you're foaming at the mouth.
I love words. I always have ... and, I'm thrilled that I was able to find a way to use them for fun and profit.
-
-