10 Questions – The Best Quotes Of 2020

This week, we look back at 2020 with the best answers to some of our best questions.

Lou Brutus
Host
hardDrive (1/7/20)

“I'm a firm believer in the old adage ‘Be meticulous in your preparation so that you may be chaotic in your work.’ I am a creature of habit when it comes to production schedule as the structure keeps things on track. Although I constantly generate notes and ideas, I generally write content for each week of shows on Sunday. I then track on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.”

Derek Madden
PD
KXXR (93 X)/Minneapolis (1/14/20)

“We're aware that rock is a niche in our current culture, but we believe in its power and we believe there's a bunch of really cool types of music that can fit in that umbrella. Every music consumer has the entire music world in their pocket, and people grab what they want now, they're less concerned with genres and tribes, and so we try to respond accordingly.”

Roger & JP
Morning Hosts
WBAB/ Long Island, NY (1/21/20)

Roger: "I've always used this phrase: 2 guys walk into a bar and start a radio show. It's just us being ourselves, talking like we would with friends (listeners) while having a drink. And it's really unpredictable where that will go on any given day."

JP: "No bullshit! No one is trying to be anything that they're not. Just a bunch of guys (on Long Island we have our producer Brett Fiumara and out news/traffic guy Ted Lindner that are both a part of what we do on-air) breaking each other's balls incessantly. Our audience LOVES to get in on that action as well. Most importantly, we're not afraid to make fun of ourselves.”

Marty Linck
Brand Content Director
KSHE/St. Louis (1/28/20)

“KSHE has done a really great job of embracing technology over the years and turning old things into new things by repurposing analog content in the digital world. Yes, the songs are old. Yes, we've all heard "More Than a Feeling" thousands of times. You can't change that. But I think you can re-invent everything that happens between the songs, and you can present yourself as an active and in-touch station, both on the air, on the web and on the streets.”

Maria Musaitef
Owner
MNM Media Services (2/4/20)

“I’m happy seeing the crossover action happening with, say, Whiskey Myers...I think it’s healthy for the format, triggers creativity, keeps it interesting and brings in new fans. Just like I think country radio should give Black Top Mojo a shot. I love seeing bands like Dirty Honey and Royal Bliss do as well as they are charting and touring as independent artists as well, and would love to see more ladies on these charts for God’s sake!”

Phil Kaso
National Rock/Alt Promotion Dir.
Roadrunner/EMG (2/11/20)

“I’d have to say some of my proudest moments would be working bands like Slipknot, Nickelback, Theory of a Deadman, Twenty One Pilots and seeing their careers grow to be career artists. Seeing some of those bands grow from being in small clubs to arenas – is amazing. Also working with other great artists like Motionless in White, Trivium, Paramore, Panic! At The Disco, Young the Giant – just to name a few.”

Jesse James Dupree
(2/18/20)

“Jackyl was the last band to be signed when the music business was fat and happy! John Kalodner pulled up in a limo, in his solid white suit and signed us under two conditions: One, we stay on the road, and two, I had to lose 7 pounds, because he wanted me to look hungry. So I didn’t eat until the album went platinum. We went into a Longhorn steak house with a chainsaw, where George Cappellini was having lunch with several high- level program directors and cut their table up. The patrons didn’t care too much for the stunt and filed a class action lawsuit that cost us $1,000,000.”

Scott Ellis
PD
KQRA (Q 102.1)/Springfield, MO (2/25/20)

“KQRA is unique because it represents, not only rock music, but also the rock attitude of the Springfield and Southwest Missouri area. We want to do more than just play music for the community, we strive to be part of it, while also being part of the daily routines of our listeners and showcasing the lifestyle of the community through Social Media, live events and On-Air.

Mistress Carrie & Mike Hsu
APD/MD/Middays & Afternoons
Former WAAF/Boston (3/3/20)

Carrie- "We sat down on Wednesday afternoon and talked about how to do it. How do you take 50 years of history and boil it down into two days? Joe and Mark told us it was our station, and to do what we wanted. We started reaching out to labels and bands. We also started calling all of the old staff, looking for former WAAF jocks that have scattered like the wind. Since it had hit the news, our phones were blowing up. People thought it was a prank. I describe it like this. Imagine your best friend in the world is killed suddenly in a car crash, and you are asked to deliver the eulogy. Your entire world is a wreck, but you owe it to your friend to hold it together and send them off properly. That’s what we did."

Mike- "Carrie and I were shocked to say the least. But we knew we had to get listeners on the air, as well as former staff members and the bands we had strong relationships with. It was important to try to include everyone involved. A lot of people put a lot of blood and sweat into WAAF and we were fortunate that OM Joe Calgaro and GM Mark Hannon trusted us to do that.”

Ben Bruce
Asking Alexandria (3/10/20)

“As you now know, I formed the band a very long time ago. I came up with the name. Honestly the name doesn’t actually really mean anything. I had spent ages struggling to find a band name and decided, in the end, that a band name starting with the letter A would be the best idea as it would appear on shelves at record stores first due to reorders being shelved in alphabetical order!”

Steven Lewis
PD
WNDX (93.9 X)/Indianapolis (3/17/20)

“The station launched a year ago May. I arrived in October. We have brought back a rock sound that hasn’t been in Indy for several years. Bands like Godsmack, Shinedown, Glorious Sons, and Disturbed have a radio home again. It has a very Midwest feel and the response has been amazing!”

Jade Springart
APD/MD/Middays
WRIF/Detroit (3/24/20)

“I’ve been hosting the ‘New Music Breakdown’ for almost two years and I love it! I have an outlet to talk about lesser known music and share what I’m passionate about with people online. It’s been a ton of fun and I’m finally starting to figure out what to do with my hands on camera! HA!

Frank Canale
PD
Former KICT (T-95) & KFXJ/Wichita (3/31/20)

“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!”

Rob Cressman
PD
WDRV (The Drive)/Chicago (4/7/20)

“We will always work hard to be the best rock station in Chicago. However, the reality is that The Drive transcends the rock format and, in many instances, the radio platform. We strive to remain among the most entertaining options available to consumers every day via traditional radio hardware, seamless and reliable streaming audio, mobile apps, smart speakers, podcasting and the digital dashboard. Unduplicatable, irresistible content drives success today. Hubbard’s commitment to talent development and associated original content rivals the best efforts of competitors across our industry.”

Jimbo Wood
PD/Mornings
WRTT (Rocket 95.1)/Huntsville, AL (4/14/20)

“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.”

Dave Rickards
‘The DSC Show’ Co-Host
KGB/San Diego (4/21/20)

“Chainsaw and I are still together, like an old married couple. Shelly made it to a couple years ago before retiring. Chris Boyer has been with us since the start. Emily “Suave” Maguire produced for years, before moving up to co-host. Our producer now is Sarah Beebe, who also has been with us for years. Nina Reba was also on the show for over 20 years. Funniest is, our stunt boy, “Bromo” is a big shot PD in Bismarck. Anna Reynold joined us recently. She’s our next star. All of them are the best crew I’ve ever been blessed to know.”

Tyler Connolly
Theory Of A Deadman (4/28/20) 

“Rock radio is great in the states! We’ve been blessed with playing with so many bands over the years that we’ve admired and followed on radio and it’s crazy to think now that we’ve been doing it for almost 20 years. We’ve had so many great times with radio stations whether it was in studio performances with winners to cook outs and festivals. I DO remember when I said the F- bomb LIVE on air once and I never felt so embarrassed. Not a favorite moment but a memorable one.”

Jackie Kajzer 
SVP/Head Of Promotion
Better Noise Music (5/5/20)

“Breaking The HU at radio has been fun. Who would have thought that a Mongolian Rock Band would get played on the radio here in the U.S.? And get asked to be on Coachella? “Yuve Yuve Yu” with From Ashes to New went Top 5!”

Jeremi Schlader
APD/MD/Morning Co-Host
KQXR (100.3 The X Rocks)/Boise, ID (5/12/20)

“I just hit the 20-year milestone. So that fact alone makes it difficult to answer the second part because I’ve never worked in another radio market. I think one aspect is that through all of those years the station has seen some change. Even though we went from the Alternative Panel to the Active Rock panel we’ve always done a great job of listening to the audience. Even when it was an Alt station we always leaned on the aggressive side. Boise likes to Rock! Sure, the Pop stuff is going to make a big splash, but Hard Rock and Metal is the meat and potatoes of this town.”

Mark “Elwood” Mailler
PD/MD/Mornings
WRXQ (Q Rock 100.7)/Chicago (5/19/20)

“The name ‘Elwood’ came honestly because when I was hired my On Air Name had always been ‘Jersey’ which stuck with me from Myrtle Beach being that ‘Jersey’ kid at the station, but when I came to RXQ in the Midwest they stated ‘everyone will hate you before you even start’ hahaha...Blues Brothers was filmed just around the corner from the station so a Jake and Elwood reference worked well, and I don't look like a Jake.”

Jeffrey Naumann
Owner/President
Jeffrey Naumann Promotion (5/26/20)

“It started way back in my life with some close friends. I guess we just see humor in certain nicknames. Some of my favorites include:

• ‘Don Ameche’ is Ken Anthony. In his younger days at KSJO he had a mustache and he looked like Don Ameche.
• ‘The Attack Hamster’ is Michael Plen. He looks kind of like a hamster and is relentless at promoting radio.”

Leigh Kakaty
Pop Evil (6/9/20)

“I came up with the name when Dave and I met. The name really is this simple. We were making music and noticed quickly that we weren’t your typical rock band. We were writing music that had many influences. We had a heavier side of our writing and a lighter side, which has become more extreme over the years. This duality is Pop Evil.”

James Kurdziel
PD/RVP Cumulus Rock Formats
KQRS/Minneapolis (6/16/20)

“Like anyone my age it was being a little kid and hearing Howard Stern for the first time and thinking ‘oh my God I want to do THAT!’ For me, that feeling never went away. As I got into my teens, high school, college, etc., I only wanted it more. So I started paying attention to local radio and really just wanted to work on a morning show. I didn’t even know what that meant. It wasn’t until my first year or so in that I saw what other possibilities were there. The more I was exposed to programming, the more I started to lean in that direction.”

Glenn Garza
MD/Afternoons
KLAQ/El Paso, TX (6/23/20)

“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!”

Robert England
Owner
Bob UK Enterprises (6/30/20)

“I work out of the house. One of my favorite things to do was to see live music and my friends and associates in person. I look forward to when we’re paroled. Other than that, my work hasn’t really changed, with the exception of going out buying office supplies in a biohazard suit. I’m just trying to be creative and help artists connect with stations and listeners.”

Frank Brinsley
Morning Host of The Frank Show
KLPX /Tucson (7/7/20)

“This Summer 2020 marks 10 years as host of mornings for KLPX, and a decade on sister station KFMA prior. Ratings history has us #1 with men 25-54 and top three persons. Quite literally the only reason I'm in the same chair for 20 years. If I don't have these number's you're hitting up Famous Amos for ten questions!”

Troy Hanson
VP/Corporate Programming
Cumulus Media (7/14/20)

“My primary role is to be of service to our great Programmers and Market Managers however that might be. To be both a listener and personality advocate. Equal parts talent recruiter, coach, consultant, someone to lend an ear and or eye on any aspect of our rock brands our local managers feel they need an extra mind in the room on.”

Paul & Al
Morning Hosts
WHJY (94 HJY)/Providence, RI (7/21/20)

Paul: "I headed to law school after college but another radio job opened up and was having too much fun playing rock’n’roll. After I got my first morning show gig and the ratings meant acceptance and security, I never looked back. Best job EVER!"

Al: "My utter failure in several sciences I tried majoring in, including Geology. But I always signed up to be a part of the campus radio station because I thought it would be fun. You could say I went from rocks to rock!”

Steve Huber
PD
WZBA (100.7 The Bay)/Baltimore (7/28/20)

“I started as PD at 100.7 The Bay on 10/2/2017. I’ll never forget it because it was the day Tom Petty passed away. I thought I’d have an easy day of getting to know people, having a few meetings, learning a few names, then heading home. I sure was wrong. That day showed me quickly how much everyone at WZBA cared about the station, the music, the listeners, getting the proper info out as well as paying proper tribute to Mr. Petty.” 

Sparky
APD/Afternoons
KIBZ (104.1 The Blaze)/Lincoln, NE (8/4/20)

“I’m a total music junkie. I know more about music than anything else in life. Since I suck at playing a musical instrument, this was the next best thing.”

Josh Kennedy
The Black Moods (8/11/20)

“Rock radio has been very good to us and we are extremely grateful. It’s not an easy thing to do, play shows at night, be at the radio at 7 a.m., sometimes 5 a.m., play a show and do it all over again. In doing so, we have made some great friends and relationships and wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Max Volume
APD/MD/Afternoons
KOZZ/Reno, NV (8/18/20)

“I have a lot of rejection letters, like the one that you wrote me Ken Anthony that said ‘although your qualifications meet our criteria, we do not feel you are a good fit for us at this time’.”

Mark Abramson
Content Producer
hardDrive (8/25/20)

“I always knew I would find my way back. But I also knew I needed a change and so this is a DREAM JOB! I get to rejoin my community and help to build bands AND do something different from what I was doing!”

Pat Martin
Middays
KRXQ (98 Rock)/Sacramento (9/1/20)

“Pat, we like you, you’re a good kid, we think you have a lot of potential, but we don’t have a lot of money to pay you. I’ve got a hundred guys who would kill for this job, so you’re going to have to take $18,000 a year.”

Judy Libow
Owner/President
Classics DuJour (9/8/20)

“I think we can agree that most of us would love to see more new music supported at Classic Rock Radio, and that would include many of the programmers! The audience is there!”

Lajon Witherspoon
Sevendust (9/15/20)

“We were originally called Crawlspace and then found out someone else had that name so we had change it. Vinny came in with a bottle of Sevin Dust (a gardening product) and for some reason or another, it just had a cool sound to it. So, we changed up the wording and decided on Sevendust.”

Andy Hall
PD/Afternoons
KAZR (Lazer 103.3)/Des Moines, IA (9/22/20)

“Corey Taylor mooned my mom. This was more than 15 years ago now, but all the parties involved remember the incident like it was yesterday. Mom and my youngest brother Nick were in town visiting – they didn't know it at the time, but Corey and I had become really good friends. So I decided to swing by his house. I got within a couple blocks and called Corey to let him know I was in the neighborhood. "Let me know when you're out front," he said. "OK, I'm driving up now," I replied. Just as we caught sight of his front door, a bright white figure appeared in the doorway. It was Corey...or, more specifically...Corey’s naked ass. Mom screamed "OH MY GOD!" Corey heard the commotion and yelled into the phone "WHO IS THAT??" ‘That's my mom, Corey.”

Kaytie Kelly
Digital Content/Middays
WZOR & WAPL/Green Bay-Oshkosh, WI (9/29/20)

“In my first six months at Razor, we lost Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington. After such heavy losses with mental illness, Cutter and I decided to go live on Facebook and just talk. We didn’t know what was going to happen, but we knew that our community needed something, so we gathered some basic information on local resources, poured a drink and turned on the camera. What happened that day… it still gives me chills. From that first live video, we now have an entire page on our website dedicated to Mental Health resources in Northeast Wisconsin.”

Haleigh Dever
Midwest Regional Rep
Sumerian Records (10/6/20)

“2020 has been hard on everyone in this industry, especially bands. Seeing our artists persevere by writing new music, live streaming acoustic performances on social media, starting up new twitch channels, going above and beyond for radio promo opportunities etc. has been awe inspiring. We are a tough bunch of misfits here, and together we make up one powerhouse of a label!”

Chris Daughtry
Daughtry (10/13/20)

“There’s so much anxiety that comes with releasing new music. Will they love it? Will they hate it? I think of touring kinda like the celebration of the birth of this new music. And you’re going from city to city sharing the new babies with all the friends and family and letting the older kids visit as well.”

Mattman & Nine
Morning Co-Hosts of The Rise Guys
WTPT (93.3 The Planet)/Greenville-Spartanburg, SC (10/20/20)

Mattman: "My co-host and I are life-long best friends, and we knew each other prior to The Rise Guys. He was actually my intern when I did overnights, and unlike most morning shows, we're actually natives of Greenville, South Carolina. We might be best friends but we disagree like hell and it works and it's no showbiz.”

John Larson 
PD
WRXK (96 K-Rock)/Fort Myers, FL (10/27/20)

“I love music and listening to the radio. I figured out the Power rotations on WLS-AM/Chicago when I was 12 and used to amaze my friends when I would tell them what would be played next, and very often it was!”

Cutter
MD
WZOR & WAPL/Green Bay-Oshkosh, WI (11/3/20)

“There was also a moment when working at Chuck E. Cheese in high school (no I was not the mouse) that I was announcing the orders being up and one of the cooks said to me that I had a good voice and if I had ever thought about doing radio after high school.”

Adriana Martinez
Regional Manager/West Coast Promotion
ADA/Warner Music Group (11/10/20)

“The greatest challenge with any rock and alt band is verifying programmer perception of the artist with the music. We just dealt with this at Alt with Neon Trees. While Daughtry hasn’t been at the format in a minute, culturally he is a force at Rock. “World on Fire” came in Top 3 most added at Active Rock in week 9 alongside AC/DC and Greta Van Fleet – it doesn’t get more ROCK than that.”

Meltdown
Afternoons
WRIF/Detroit (11/17/20)

“I love some of these bands! Greta Van Fleet is awesome, Corey Taylor, the new Zombie kills, new Royal Blood. It's so killer to be able to play some classics, but also bring newer music to people, too. I get pretty fired up when I'm playing a new song on the air, as I suspect most radio guys do.” 

E Curtis Johnson
PD/Afternoons
KKBZ (105-1 The Blaze)/Fresno (11/24/20)

“The worst day in radio is better than the best day of a real job. Changes for program directors started in the late 90’s. Since then, the industry is experiencing what Ries and Trout (Marketing Warfare) called, “a fractured attack.” Radio now competes with a host of other technologies and entertainment mediums. That’s as simple an explanation as it gets.”

James Howard
Regional SVP/Programming
WCHI (Rock 95.5)/Chicago (12/1/20)

“Chicago needed to hear music and content from their formative years. WLUP had a profound impact on the Chicagoland listening area, and its vacancy left an opening to deliver a true lifestyle content brand to the city.”