10 Questions with ... Jim “Poorman” Trenton

1) Ok Jim…let’s start at the beginning…What led you to a career in radio?

First, I appreciate All Access interviewing me. Thanks! I got into radio purely by accident. It all began in the early 80s. At the time, I was going to Law School at Loyola Law School in L.A. My intention was to become a lawyer. My mind has always been like manure, growing wild ideas and making them happen. Right around Christmastime, I decided to write a book entitled "The Poorman's Guide To Gourmet Dining In Pasadena For Under $6". I self-published the book. While selling my book on the first day it was published at one of the restaurants in the Pasadena guide, there was a long-haired man dressed in leather in the buffet line listening to me giving my spiel to the restaurant owner. This man asked for a free copy of the book. He said I'm Rick Carrol, program director of KROQ FM. I had never heard of KROQ. I wasn't giving away any free copies to anybody. There was a moment in my mind where I weighed the decision as to whether to give this hippy looking dude a free copy. I didn't realize this split-second decision was a career decision. Ultimately, I gave him the book. A year and a half after meeting Rick, I contacted him about getting some publicity for the books. At this point, The Poorman's Guide was critically acclaimed by The L.A. Times along with my second self-published book, "The Poorman's Guide To Gourmet Dining On The Westside Of Town For Under $6" (Beverly Hills Dining for under $6). They were wildly popular with college kids and middle-aged housewives looking for the great hole in the wall restaurants. I was studying to take the California Bar Exam, having just graduated from Law School. He suggested giving away some books, and the KROQ jocks would talk about the restaurants. I said it would be much more legitimatized if he had me come on the radio and do the giveaways since I wrote the books. I'll never forget his reaction. "Wow Man, that's really heavy" since I had never been on the radio. About six weeks later, he agreed to put me on the air with DJ Ramondo R.I.P., having a 5-minute restaurant feature Monday thru Friday, with the express proviso that I would get free meal certificates at each restaurant for Rick so he could eat for Free. I agreed. On the first day right before I went on the air, Ramondo asked me what we should call you. I answered "How about Poorman, since the books are titled The Poorman's Guides. The rest is history. I was a natural on the radio. It was like taking a dump. Within three weeks, I was blowing up burritos in the KROQ parking lot, getting Punk Rockers to eat raw eggs off the hot pavement...on and on and on. I've taken the bar exam four times since and flunked each and every time. I say this laughingly and proudly, as I knew almost immediately, I loved radio, not law.

2) You’ve had a long and storied career in radio, particularly in Southern California. Can you give us a quick overview of some career highlights?

Boy, where do you begin! The whole thing is really a "high" light. I guess you've got to start with being invited on Oprah as one of the most outrageous DJs in America in 1986. This was back when there were only three talk shows, Oprah, Phil Donahue, and Geraldo. There were five of us on that panel besides me, Scott Shannon, Moby, Tom Joiner, and Jonathan Brandmeier. I wanted to do something outrageous on Oprah. All the other DJs were talking about their wives and kids. That's when I knew the timing was right. I said wait a minute, I'm single!  A buddy of mine made a stick figure, pop up Poorman with a photo of my face where the head was supposed to be. It popped up with a pair of hands giving my home phone number "to any ladies in America who thought I was cute and might be interested in going on a date." I got nonstop calls for six weeks afterwards, filling up message machine after message machine from all across the USA with quite a "variety" of comments, not all favorable. From a pure radio standpoint, I would say creating and hosting "Loveline" on KROQ for the first 10 years was massive. The show was immediately a hit, always number 1 in its timeslot from Day 1. We were a 10 to Midnight show one day a week for the first 8 years, and then went 5 days a week as an experiment. KROQ did not know how successful a talk show on an all-music station would be, and they didn't have to wait long. The 5 day show launched Valentine’s Day 1992. We became KROQ's 1st ever number 1 six plus show in our 1st book with a 12 to 14 share of the audience. Our ratings and numbers were so huge that we would have been the Number 3 morning show in L.A. even though we were in a late nighttime slot with 1/3 the listening audience as morning drive. The excitement, celebrity guests, and career opportunities this show provided were insane! There are so many other things. If we fast forward to today, my new morning show "Poorman's Morning Rush" is doing things no morning show has ever done creatively and financially. It's super exciting! We've expanded to 5 markets, and I think we'll add quite a few more. During the following questions, I'll expand on this. 

3) You started “Poorman’s Morning Rush” on Classic Rock KOCI back in April 2019.  How did that gig come together for you?

It came about quite unexpectedly. At the time in early 2019, I couldn't get arrested in terms of a radio gig. I was broke, but my attitude was good. After being bitter for years with the whole "Loveline" situation where I lost my show and got fired from KROQ when I was #1 for bringing 500 listeners to Bean's front lawn at midnight, I decided my "job" was to find something positive every day. I trained my mind in this manner and turned things around. It only took me about 25 years to move on. I met my fiancé Aime in 2018 (we're getting married July 30th), and now I own my first house with a wife to be and a dog. The domesticated Poorman. In February of 2019, I was getting my computer fixed at The Mac Guys in Costa Mesa, Ca. My good friend Tate told me I should be the surf reporter at KOCI. I didn't take it seriously, knowing the station was uber local. I forgot about Tate's suggestion. Then in March, he mentioned contacting KOCI again. I went by their studios later that day. The door was locked, and there was just a business card on the door. I thought the station had gone off the air. I called the number anyway, and the phone was answered by Brent Kahlen, former KROQ jock in the seventies. We had talked on the phones several times through the years, were friendly, but had never met in person. I had no idea he was the owner. At the time, the entire station was automated with a deep cut Classic Rock format, and just a few specialty shows. I mentioned doing the surf report. Shortly thereafter, we met in person, and I walked out with a morning show. "Poorman's Morning Rush" started April 1, 2019 from 7 to 9 A.M., and the rest is history. 

4) KOCI is a non-profit radio station, so I understand you sell all the sponsorships yourself.  How is that going for you and how are things going with the morning show overall?

I couldn't be happier and more excited! I'm now beginning my fourth year, and the hours are 6-11 A.M. The markets have expanded from 1 to 5. The other thing I can do well is sell sponsorships and set up marketing plans. My entire salary is based on a revenue split with KOCI. It has proved lucrative. Currently, I have 17 sponsors. Many of them have been with me more than a year and a half. One has been with me since day 1. I care about getting results for my sponsors as much as if it was my business. Every time I bring on a new station, I bring sponsors with me, and instant revenue to the table for the station and myself. What I'm doing Dollar wise with a group of small stations is innovative. What I'm doing format wise with my morning show is the most innovative and creative in the country. I'm the only one who is doing this format, which happened organically, in the entire history of morning radio. I welcome station owners to join me.  

5) You’ve also added affiliate radio stations over the last few years. What other stations are running “Poorman’s Morning Rush”?

I put together all the syndication deals myself. Besides KOCI, "Poorman's Morning Rush" now airs on bilingual "Radio Suerte" KLIE (90.3 FM), another low-powered community station in Orange County, Ca. as well. KOCI covers Costa Mesa and Newport Beach; KLIE is licensed to Fountain Valley but can be heard as far away as San Pedro, depending on the weather. Both stations can be heard via streaming on their webpages (KOCIradio.com and radiosuerte.com) as well as on various smartphone apps. Three additional morning shows air daily in Phoenix, AZ, Classic Rock KBSZ (THE RATTLER 97.3 FM & 1260-AM) M-F 10 A.M.-2 P.M. APACHE JUNCTION/PHOENIX, AZ, Classic Rock KZFX (Z 93.7) M-F 6 A.M.-10 A.M. RIDGECREST, CA serving the ANTELOPE VALLEY, CA area https://kzfxradio.wixsite.com/kzfx and the Tri State along the Colorado River (Lake Havasu, AZ, Laughlin, NV, Needles, CA, Bullhead City, AZ, and Kingman, AZ) Classic Rock KLUK (LUCKY 98 FM) M-F 6 A.M.-9 A.M. http://www.lucky98fm.com 

6) Do you do any special programming or music features on your Morning Show?

Yes! Let's just say my musical format is driven by engaging the listeners. If station owners and their teams are interested in learning more, I'm happy to discuss the intricate details of how and why this is working. I will say one more thing about it. I'm excited about what I'm doing musically and more as much as any show I've done my entire career. As I mentioned earlier, the entire format has evolved organically.

7) Let’s talk about the music on your Morning Show. Who programs the music and how interactive do you get with your listeners regarding requests?

The listeners are intricately involved in programming the music. They are invested in the daily playlist. They have become radio personalities with their involvement in the music. There is not a traditional programmer. 

8) Doing a solo morning show is a lot of work. Do you have any show regulars or listeners that contribute to the content?

You're right! I do all my own production, and just recording the ad spots is a full-time job. Not only that, I'm at the controls during the entire live show. There isn't a call screener, in studio producer, or anybody in studio with me. Despite this, there are a plethora of personalities, segments, and regulars every day. What helps me is I'm a long-distance runner, putting in 8 to 12 miles a day, usually late at night. The one thing I wish I could change is I'm a night owl trapped in an early morning riser's body. My usual bedtime is 1:30 A.M. I get up between 5;30 and 6. Constantly sleep deprived...but once the mic goes on, I'm fired up the entire show. Afterwards, I'm ready for a nap within the first half hour.

9) You had a long run at the legendary Alternative KROQ back in the day, as well as stints at Top 40’s like Power 106 and KIIS. Now that you’re working at a Classic Rock format, what’s your take on the State of Rock Radio in 2022?

I don't like labels on formats. The listening audience can access any music they want, and most of them do. "Classic Rock" listeners like more than just traditional "Classic Rock" in my opinion. It's being proven with what "Poorman's Morning Rush" is doing every morning. At the same time, young listeners access classics, and more than just traditional new music labels and genres. Further, I don't see why Morning Radio has to be all talk and can't integrate a combination of an innovative music format and talk.    

10) Finally, what is the origin and back story on the “Poorman” name?

Refer to Question Number 1 above. I think I answered where my name came from extensively. I can't thank you Ken, Matt Parvis, and Allaccess.com for giving me the "Rock10 Questions" opportunity. This is also is a big thank you to the radio industry, and those of you reading my answers. I bleed radio like you all do. I'm very optimistic about the future of radio. To me, it's simple. Don't be afraid to try new things. Radio needs it! Thank you all!