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10 Questions with ... Larry Mac
July 19, 2022
Have an opinion? Add your comment below. When I was a kid, I used to make radio stations on a small reel to reel, and always loved music. Then, when Curtiss Johnson hired me at KUPD, I realized it could be more than just a fun weekend gig to help me get through college.
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1. What led you to a career in radio?
When I was a kid, I used to make radio stations on a small reel to reel, and always loved music. Then, when Curtiss Johnson hired me at KUPD, I realized it could be more than just a fun weekend gig to help me get through college.
2. What was your first job in radio and early influences?
My first job was at an AM day timer Country Gospel Station in Phoenix. In 1985, I interned at KSTM “The Storm”, before getting hired overnights and weekends at KSLX, and then onto KUPD a year after that. My early influences include Curtiss Johnson and Jonathan L.
3. How long have you been rocking for Lotus in Tucson and what are your positions there including on-air?
I have been at Arizona Lotus for just under 15 years. I moved to Afternoon Drive on 96.1 KLPX a little over a year ago. I did Middays for almost 14 years on the station prior to that. I am also the Program Director for Rock102.1 KFMA, AC 94.9 MIXfm (KMXZ), and Sports Talk 1490AM/104.9FM ESPNTucson (KFFN). This bald head wears a lot of hats.
4. You have the dual role as PD and Afternoon host on KLPX, not to mention your OM/PD duties with sister stations KFMA, KFFN, & KMXZ. How do you get everything done in an effective way?
Coffee, LOTS of Cold Brew coffee. My Tablet and cell phone calendar is my lifeline. I update it daily, sometimes hourly just to make sure that I know where and when I need to be somewhere. I delegate a lot. And I have a great APD/MD with The Razor. I have a great relationship with my Consultants Jeff Murphy (KFMA/KLPX) & Gary Berkowitz (KMXZ) who give me that 30,000 foot view that I may miss in my crazy schedule. We also work with Joanne Grand who shares additional info to help us see the national picture. It is a lot of meetings, and a lot of juggling of my time, but I love it! The pandemic made it easy to work from home when I need to without missing a beat. I work a lot of early mornings, evening, and late nights to get it all done! I also have a great On Air Team, Sales Team, and Promotions Department. I have been blessed to work with some great GM’s. Including Debbie Wagner, who has been leading our stations out of the pandemic mode with great success. Did I mention Cold Brew Coffee?
5. Let’s talk about the music on KFMA. Back in the day the station was Alternative and now is firmly entrenched in the Active Rock world. How aggressive is the station in playing current Active Rock music?
We add about two songs a week on average, sometimes more, sometimes less. For a song to get out of light rotation, it must prove itself to be a hit that our audience wants to hear. We are lucky to have Currents Research, so that helps us weed out the stiffs. We have learned with that sometimes a National Rock Chart Topper is not necessarily a hit with our audience, and visa verse. We are not here to play our favorites, but what our audience tells us they want to hear. Its nice to have that information. Thankfully, when I put my Active Rock Hat on, I can still hear a hit that makes the hair on my arm rise!
6. Now let’s talk about KLPX. Many Classic Rock stations have evolved into playing harder rock and 90’s titles. How is KLPX positioned musically and what’s your take on the Classic Rock format today?
Because of Rock102.1, we don’t dabble too much in the 90s. We do play some of the big ones from the early 90s, but that decade is really KFMA’s Territory. We are more known for being the 80’s Classic Rock station. We play some 60’s, some 70’s, and some 90s, but the 80’s are our Meat and Potatoes. KLPX does play a lot of the harder edge Classic Rock Bands, but we have been adding in some of those MTV Era Classic Bands lately, and our listeners have told us they love hearing Simple Minds next to AC/DC and Led Zeppelin for example. Although Classic Rock Stations are similar in every market, I think that every station in the format is a bit different based on what the other stations in their market are doing to compete with them. If I didn’t have KFMA in my cluster, who knows what other 90s I might play on a Classic Rocker? Funny part is we get a lot of calls from Gen Z listeners, not just Gen X and the Boomers!
7. How much music, if any, does KFMA share with KLPX?
KLPX plays a little 90s, and KFMA plays a little of the harder edged 80’s bands. We do share some bands, but sonically the stations sound different because our target audiences are a bit different. On a rare occasion, there have been times in the building, I’ll hear Nirvana on KLPX, and a Gn’R Song on KFMA at the same time, but the next song is always one we don’t share
8. When a monster new song like Ozzy Osbourne’s “Patient Number 9” is released, given the history of KLPX playing Ozzy, and KFMA playing current rock, how have you dealt with this release on both stations?
We premiered it on BOTH stations around the same time. We spiked the song on both stations quite a bit that weekend after it was released, before adding it officially on KFMA. We played it enough on KLPX to let the audience know there was new music from Ozzy. We still play it on our Specialty Weekend Show called “Saturday Night LOUD!” We throw in a couple currents every weekend on that show on KLPX. Lately we have been playing the latest from Ozzy, Tesla, Def Leppard among others on that Saturday night show. We play a new song like the one from Ozzy just enough at the beginning to let our audience know it is there, but KFMA at this point really owns the current music from him.
9. What is your take on the current state of new music at Active Rock and the format as a whole?
Now that (fingers crossed) the pandemic is winding down, there seems to be a lot of exciting new rock coming out from Veteran Active Rockers and some great new Artists. I am excited to get these songs on the air. I am excited to see what new life some of these baby bands can breathe into this format. What’s great about it, is the Veterans are all putting out great new music too. It is making me excited to get KFMA-Day 2023 scheduled in the Spring because there are so many great bands out there right now!!
10. Finally, with all the radio roles you have, what do you like to do for fun and relaxation when you’re not in “work” mode?
Hang with my wife Kim, and my daughters, Lily and Scarlett. They all love music too, and my kids are getting to the age where they wanna go to concerts. I CANNOT wait to share that experience with them and my wife. Besides that, I love to hike, and read.
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