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10 Questions with ... Glenn Garza
June 23, 2020
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1. What was your first job in radio and early influences?
My earliest influence was my older brother Michael who was the PD for KLAQ when I was in high school. He went on to C101 in Cruces and the Zoo in Dallas among other things and certainly inspired me. My first gig was running what we called “God” shows…early morning, Christian and public service shows. They aired Sunday mornings from 6am – 8am. Syndicated shows like “Flashback” followed until 10am. Then, I was off.
2. Was there a defining moment, which made you realize “this is what I’m going to do for a living?”
See question #1. One morning, the midday guy was late and I was pressed into service to handle the first couple of breaks. When the girls at school told me they heard it and how cool it was, etc, etc … there went the “Ah-Ha” moment!
3. What have been some of your most memorable/proudest moments in your radio career up to now?
I’ve been around a minute so, there have been many. Literally, right off the top of my head, I’d say earning each promotion/new opportunity. Meeting and getting to know some of my favorite artists, especially those I grew up listening to like Ozzy, KISS, Maiden for example. Also addressing my beloved El Paso at KLAQ events and other concerts for sure. I love this city and they have truly made me feel loved back. The cheers, being recognized in a bar, gifts arriving at the station, have all been a blessing and very humbling at the same time.
4. How long have you been at KLAQ and what makes this station unique?
Approximately 27 years. (I started out when I was 5 of course…) The people, plain and simple, both in the building and outside it. I have worked with some true characters over the years who colored KLAQ’s overall character in many ways. That has carried over as I hear from people all the time that have left El Paso but still share their memories of “The Q” and listen when they can. Outside the building, we’re unique in the fact that we serve such a wide and varied audience. Culturally, we’re very diverse as we sit on the southern border of the United States and a big chunk of our audience lies in a foreign country. El Paso itself has, of course, a large Hispanic population but, that’s not all. We serve a huge military audience as peeps are listening on several major military installations. Fort Bliss, Biggs Army Air Field, Holloman Air Force base and White Sands Missile Range all fall within our signal. Those groups, in turn, are made up of people from all over the states and the world. (Side note: At one time, the German Air Force had an outpost at Biggs which opened us up to all kinds of European rockers. Now, thanks to the internet, a lot of them STILL listen.)
5. Before we talk about music on KLAQ, you host the afternoon show as Dubba G. Do you do any special music features during your daily shift?
My regular shift doesn’t really feature any music features or, ‘by request” type things, but Fridays we do kick-off the weekends at 5pm with a 6-Pack, 6 tunes from one core artist along with soundbites whenever possible, often re-living El Paso concert memories too.
**Beyond the normal work week, I host a Sunday night show which features nothing but new rock … basically, trying to squeeze in the up and comers and get in a few things that there just isn’t time for in the “real world” as I like to call normal programming. It’s also our chance to fit in local bands from El Paso’s rich, local music scene.6. Now let’s talk about the music on KLAQ. How would you describe the music on the station and what Rock stations in the area would you consider competition?
We ARE all things Rock. New, classic, heavy, lighter … we have it all. I don’t know that I would say we really have direct format competitors. Ratings wise, sure we’re all fighting for the most shares, but there’s no one else quite like us in the Borderland. When you’ve been doing it since 1977 and you’re still around you’ve got to believe you’re doing something right. I’ve been here through so many competitors and so much of the recent rock history, the boss says I, “bleed the station colors and ride for the brand.” What really makes us special though, is the fact that we ALL do because we all love being here and saying we’re part of the Q. That is a thing to be said with pride.
7. Now let’s look at the Active Rock format overall. Give us your take on current Active Rock music and the Rock format overall?
I think it is fairly healthy. I know a lot has been written over the last 10 years about “rock is dead,” and such. We sold out Metallica in 20 minutes. Our last Disturbed show had 15,000. ZZ Top plays here every year and always sells out. Ghost did an advanced sell out of 3,500 and people on the street were getting 2X face value. Fozzy even drew 5,000 on a Sunday night. At least Rock is alive and well in El Paso.
8. What do you think that Active Rock can do a better job at?
As a format, own the music and create identity for our artists. We do lots of imaging that creates artist association. From labels, from management, tour folks, we hear it all the time…they say the Q sounds larger than life and you know you’re listening to El Paso’s Rock station.
9. What are your three favorite artists or songs of this year so far and why?
That is a toughie… I’d say Volbeat for one because I like the mix of rock genres they bring. Rock, metal, rockabilly, (dash of country), all combined into this great rock “stew”. The (fairly) new Pearl Jam release, “Superblood Wolfmoon” really got my attention. It helps to offset the almost depressive nature of a lot of their past work. It perks you up as a listener as well with an almost “punkish” feel. For the third, I’d have to stray a little from the word “new”. For music fans and radio fans, and for classic, active and new rock formats alike. Across the board – Metallica never disappoint. Their new music is always great, their older songs never stop sounding great and, with Metallica Mondays serving as a fine example, they always find a way to stay relevant. No matter when the new record is/was released.
10. Finally, what do you like to do for fun and relaxation when you’re NOT in “radio” mode?
Beyond family time, which is in short supply these days, I have a couple of interests. I’m a wannabe musician and frequently sit in with local bands. (I have to crash their gigs since I can’t seem to form my own band.) Rolling around on my Harley and/or dirt bikes round out my hobbies.
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