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10 Questions with ... Frank Canale
March 31, 2020
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
1994-97- WXRK/New York- Promo Coordinator
1997-99- WHTZ/ New York – Promotions Manager
1999-2001-KXPK/Denver – Marketing/Promotions Director
2001-2002- KXTE /Las Vegas – Marketing/Promotions Director
2002-2004- KHTT- KBEZ /Tulsa -Marketing Director /APD/On air
2005-2007- WHTG/WBBO/WKMK-Marketing Director/APD/On air
2007-2011-WFOX /Norwalk, CT- Air talent
2011-2015-WPLR/ New Haven, CT -Air talent
2015-2018-WXPK /White Plains, NY- Air talent
2018-2020- KBYZ /KACL/ Bismarck, ND – On Air/PD
2020- present- KICT/KFXJ/ Wichita KS- On Air/PD
1. What was your first job in radio and early mentors and influences?
My first job was interning and then working at WXRK in NY in the early 90s. Having to work with Howard Stern and his show on a couple of projects was a huge influence on how a winning show dynamic works. It was something I’ll never forget. Also being there when Kevin Weatherly, Sam Milkman, and Steve Kingston launched the Alternative station was a great experience on how that process is done.
2. Can you give us some of your best radio career highlights before you started your current programming gig in Wichita?
Starting my career in NYC gave me some big ones. The Howard Stern Birthday parties and film events, being on the team that brought Z100 back in the late 90s, the Jingle Ball 72 hour production processes with no sleep. Then there’s being on the air during the blizzard of 2010 at WPLR talking to an entire state that lost power and just wanted to request songs. There’s the great people I worked with in Denver and KXTE in Las Vegas, tight knit groups that got some really crazy and unique contest and promotions put together like Leap day (out of a plane with listeners) with Red bull and the XXX Cruise to Ensenada among so many others. Most recently is the chance to work with such a great family environment in Bismarck ND (of all places) at the Townsquare media cluster. Local radio is truly alive and well.
3. How long have you been at KICT (T95) and what makes this station so unique?
I’ve been here almost three months. What I’ve found most recently is that while this station has heritage (over 40 years) it continues to evolve. This station is as relevant to the community today as it was back then. You have your average 25-49 Kansas rock fans that are your core, but there is also a hipster community, a metal community and others in town that we try not to ignore. Wichita has a tremendous live music scene and we’re major players in it. Also, a great thing about working for a company like Summit Media is that they give us the tools (research, etc) to win, so, if we do take risks, they’re calculated ones.
4. I’ll ask about the morning show later, but can you walk us through the T-95 on-air lineup outside of mornings?
Yep, I handle Middays from 10-3pm, Kevin “Meatball” Kerr handles afternoons 3-7pm and Hardy holds down nights from 7p-12am.
5. Being the new PD at T-95, what is your take on current Rock Music and the Active Rock format as a whole?
I think the format is trying to find itself. I find myself balancing different sounds a lot lately. You have staple bands in this format with new music like Pearl Jam, Tool and Volbeat, but there are also roots rock influenced bands like Greta Van Fleet and Dirty Honey mixed with bands that have a great deal of production value like Highly Suspect, I Prevail, Breaking Benjamin and more. I think that finding the right mix works and as long as we don’t follow a specific sound down the rabbit hole, we can ride this out. Rock is not Dead!
6. What are some of your favorite new Rock artists or tunes since the beginning of this year?
Personally, The Rival Sons “Shooting Stars” and Dirty Honey “Rolling 7’s.” I’m really into both Pearl Jam releases (Clairvoyants and Superblood Wolfmoon) And Crobot “Low Life.” I also like that Hu record.
7. You’re also programming Classic Rock KFXJ (104.5 The Fox). What does the Classic Rock format need to do TODAY and in the future to continue to stay relevant while playing music that is sometimes over 40 years old?
I always looked at that format as the one with the most flexibility. Yes, the music has been around for a while but there’s a reason it has. Some of that music is timeless. I think it’s all about creativity with this format. Play off the passion for these artists and devoting specialty features to them that bring out that passion. We do a feature at the Fox that pre-dates me called Vinyl Thursdays. It’s when we play 2 or 3 songs from a legendary album every hour from 10-7pm. The Albums are played OFF OF A TURNTABLE IN THE STUDIO WITH POPS AND ALL. That has created a huge amount of buzz in town here. Depending on your strategy you can go into the 90s now with some of the big artists but realistically it is how many different ways can you say the same thing in this format.
8. Now let’s talk about the morning shows on either station starting with Todd and Tyler on T95. How is this morning show performing for you?
Todd and Tyler dominate in almost every demo here and we try to recycle them as much as we can. Their chemistry is infectious.
9. For years The Fox morning show consisted of Jan and Phil in the morning, and then Phil and Amber. Now Phil is on his own, how is this show working out for The Fox?
I think we’re getting there with Phil. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like losing a member of your team in a morning show but he’s taking the bull by the horns and I think it’s working for him. Phil has a lot of heritage in this town and is very creative. Adding a little structure to his show has already helped. The guy’s like the Mayor of Wichita!
10. Finally, with the Coronavirus in full swing across the country, how are you and your stations handling your day to day business during this pandemic?
On T95 we are running news reports 3x a day from our sister station KFDI News. We also have pertinent videos on our websites about the virus and how to avoid it. On air we focus on different ways to incorporate the virus into our content whether it’s a concert that got postponed or a local business that’s offering free lunch or supplies. Things have gotten super local with us but we are always trying to balance that with the escapism of radio.
On the Fox, news runs every hour 10-7p and while we are also doing the same as above, we are in the middle of our March Band-ness music feature 4x a day which is very interactive and entertaining (bands going up against each other in March Madness fashion). No one can ask for a better escape than that.
Overall as you know, this is where radio lives, when disaster strikes. So we’re just trying to do our job and entertain our community with these huge brands.
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