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10 Questions with ... Doug 'Sluggo' Roberts
September 17, 2019
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1) What led you to a career in radio? Was there a defining moment, which made you realize this is what you wanted to do for a living?
In grade school, we were asked once what we wanted to be when we grew up. I said "race car driver," but was told "that's not a profession! You can't choose that!" Since I spent all of my pennies and dimes on 45s, I said "DJ" next, and that was frowned upon, too, but I stuck with it, since I had been playing with my voice, records and cassette recorders for most of my life already. It just came naturally.
2) Give us a brief history of your Radio career (stations/positions) up to now.
I foolishly dropped out of high school and needed a job, so I took a 6 month radio school course and, after driving my audition tape all over Arizona, I landed a job at 600am KCLS. Got in to Phoenix 9 months later, first at KOPA and then over at Guy Zapoleon's KZZP. At KZZP, I met Kevin Weatherly, Kevin & Bean, Jimmy Kimmel, and Darcy Sanders-Fulmer, who I ended up working with at MTV years later. Andy Schuon hired me to do nights at KROQ a few years later, in 1990, where I stayed until Howard Stern's K-Rock in NYC flipped to Alternative in '96. Helped launch the format with PD Steve Kingston and the amazing, incredible, awesome Tom Chiusano doing afternoons, and I also voiced MTV2 during their first year on the side. I returned to KROQ in '98 while also doing nights on WXRK in New York via remote control (sometimes simultaneously LIVE on both stations) until 2004 or so. Joined SiriusXM then, and became a part of JACK FM the day they signed on, writing lines and eventually scheduling music until May of this year.
3) You spent quite a few years at the "World Famous KROQ" in Los Angeles. How was that experience for you?
Insane. Everything you'd expect. Working alongside Jed The Fish and Freddy Snakeskin and Richard Blade and on and on and on was a blast and something unexpected was always bound to happen. Starting there was akin to my first few weekends at "Rocky Horror" as a teen. Way off the wall and constantly rowdy and fun.
4) You're also still doing a weekly air shift for Sirius XM's '80s New Wave/Punk station 1st Wave as well as '90s Alternative/Rocker Lithium. How is that going for you?
Love it! The interaction with my '80s peeps I grew up with and the '90s crowd that I played all that Alternative Rock for is fun and very personally rewarding, as dorky as that may sound. The audience is super interactive, and that's my favorite way of doing radio. Audience participation is always appreciated, but if someone wants to just sit back and drink it all in - great!
5) Congrats on your new position as APD/MD of KLOS. I know you've been working in the LA market at other stations but how does it feel to be part of the programming dept. at one of the most iconic Rock stations in America?
I've always admired KLOS and have always had it in the back of my mind that I'd like to come play the hard stuff. It's what I have often defaulted to for listening to music on my own, whether it be sitting in traffic or alone on the couch at 2am. I grew up with Sabbath and The Stones in my mix of music, so to be able to be part of this particular team is very exciting.
6) What are your main responsibilities in this new position for KLOS?
A little bit of everything - it's old skool radio. I've been scheduling all of the music on the station (with, of course, the exception of our specialty shows and what happens at 5 with Gary) since late August now, but I do whatever it may be that Keith needs for me to do. As long as it's mostly legal. So far, so good...
7) This year KLOS is celebrating its 50th anniversary of playing Rock in Los Angeles. PD Keith Cunningham has done a great job of keeping KLOS strong and relevant in 2019. Working with Keith on a day to day basis, what have you learned about the power of the KLOS brand in Southern California?
It's amazing to see how much the bands we've played over all these years love this radio station. It's a special connection that only a handful of radio stations across the country have to the artists. We're all fans of KLOS.
8) KLOS also has a history of legendary talent from Mark and Brian and Frosty, Heidi and Frank in mornings to music jocks like Jim Ladd, the late Bob Coburn and now ex-Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones and his weekly "Jonesy's Jukebox." How is it working with such a talented group of KLOS air talent?
I've had the very rare privilege of working with some amazing personalities who've experienced more in life than lots of us combined will ever live through. As you know, those people have a certain air about them, and it was no surprise to find that glow in the KLOS building, too, so, I'm very happy to be around more of it and continue to learn more about the people that make KLOS what it is.
9) Now let's talk about the music on KLOS. With decades of Classic Rock available to play, and a legendary history in the market, if you had a sentence or two to best describe the station's music position in the market, how would you?
Everyone knows 95.5 KLOS is the Rock Of Southern California, and as long as we're all sucking air, that'll be true. Clearly, we are also Southern California's Classic Rock, and we're building on that foundation all the time.
10) Finally, one of the programming challenges of a Heritage station doing a Classic Rock format has been how to keep the station sounding fresh and relevant while it's playing Rock music that's sometimes 30 or 40 years old. With your fresh perspective in recently joining the station, what are your thoughts on this subject?
We are such an integral part of Los Angeles, I feel it's important to connect to this city as much as humanly possible. When something affects what I consider to be my hometown, whether it be good or horrible, I want KLOS to address it on the air and get the feedback of our people here in town. If they're partying in Hollywood, we wanna turn it up for them. If they're stuck on the 405, FHF will entertain the s*** out of them in the morning. (I really love that show, btw! I was rarely up before 10am until recently with my old schedule, so I am loving the 3 of them in all new ways.) And then, when it's the weekend, be it Chris Carter and his Breakfast With The Beatles or whatever theme we've come up with, we want to make everyone's day better and much louder.
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