10 Questions with ... Adam Peterson

NAME:Adam Peterson TITLE:MD/Middays/Metal Director STATIONS:KDJE MARKET:Little Rock. AR COMPANY:Clear Channel BORN:Little Rock . AR RAISED:Small town with one restaurant called "The Mammoth Orange" just south of Little Rock. (Yes, it looks like an orange.)

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

KDJE is where I started as a scared intern when I was 18 ... and I've been here ever since.

1) What was your first job in radio? Early influences?

I started out interning for our current night jock/Promotions Director Matt Cruz when The Edge first became a station. He was starting a local band show and I was running a website that promoted local bands at the time, so he basically used me to get the word out to the bands. I was shy scared, and thought I was just going to be a guest on the first show. Five years later, I'm still here and I don't know why or how.

2) What career path would you be following had it not been for this industry?

I actually graduated with a BA in Professional and Technical Writing in the spring of '07. I learned early on to have many different trades and not to put all of my apples in one basket. I've been doing graphic design since I was 13 and photography for the past six years, so maybe one of those. But in all honesty, if it wasn't for radio, I would probably be living on the streets with a pen and paper, running from the student loan people.

3) Where do you see the industry and yourself five years from now?

Maybe I'm just an optimist, but I'm really not all that worried about the "will radio still be here in a few years?" I truly believe that the HD Radio technology will catch on and will become the "rebirth" of terrestrial radio -- if we really focus on its potential. When gas is almost four dollars and people are pinching pennies, I think terrestrial radio with all the extra HD stations will be a no-brainer to people. Finally, after seeing the huge success of Clear Channel Little Rock's recent Storm Aid to help out tornado victims earlier this year, it showed me the power we still have within our communities.

4) What can we be doing with our station websites to better our stations as a whole?

Content and frequent updates! When I was working on launching our new website, I wanted it to be a one-stop shop for our listeners. Why make listeners go everywhere to get information? Luckily, Clear Channel is able to give us amazing new content, so I tried my best to supplement it. Why do you think sites like Perez Hilton are so big? The awesome MSPaint artwork, yes, but also because it's constantly updated! If people see that something's not changing, don't expect them to come back day after day.

5) What is the biggest change that you'd like to see happen in the business?

I would love to see programmers be more willing to try something new. Everyone always tells me about what radio "used" to be like. All I know is what it's like now and how people my age think of radio today. There are some younger bands out there like Saosin, Underoath, Soilwork, etc. who have sold hundreds of thousands of records with absolutely NO radio support. Why? They might scream some of their lyrics or they might sound too "different." I think it's easy to go along with the crowd and not try something just to see what your audience thinks. The rock demo is ALWAYS changing. Either we change with them or we die in hair metal Aqua Net Hell.

6) Besides your own, what is your favorite radio format?

Not to toot our own horn, but our locally programmed HD2 Alternative station is pretty amazing. Jeff Cage, our program director, has truly made a station that I think any fan who considers themselves Indie rock would love. In any given hour, you can hear everything from Rilo Kiley to Mutemath and Built to Spill to the Chemical Brothers. I have yet to find an "Alternative" station that is as good as ours. Arkansas Pride. I can't help it.

7) If you could add any one full-time position to your budget with no questions asked, what would it be?

A person who could fill out all of the paperwork that we now have to do each and every day. I would much rather focus on productive things than trying to fill out request forms.

8) What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?

I never thought I'd be in radio and never planned on being in radio. I was the shy kid who couldn't do a speech in front of a class with 10 people. Just a few weeks ago, I talked to over 15,000 fans at our annual Edge Fest. I am lucky to have the job I do. Have fun each and every day at work. We're in the freaking music business! Enjoy it!

9) Please describe the best or worst promotion you've ever been part of?

I will never go on a "party" bus to a concert out of state again. There is just too many variables that can and will go wrong on that type of thing.

10) Of all the skills you have gained through the years, is there an area you'd like to improve?

Most people who know me personally find it hard to believe I'm in radio, because I'm a chronic mumbler. I would love to be able to actually get into a speech class and learn to enunciate better. Saying "hundred" and "puddle" kill me each and every time.

As you look back over your career ... any regrets? Missed opportunities?

Yes, never go live on-air when you've had no sleep. You'll forget your station name and words you've never spoken come out instead. Then all you can do is just stare at the hotline light and hope it never lights up.

What is your favorite TV show?

Scrubs, The Simpsons, Lost

You're stuck on a deserted island and you get to pick one artist to be stuck with you. Who would it be and don't limit it to our format?

Maynard James Keenan. I could only imagine the talks we could have.

You're stuck on a deserted island and you only have 5 CDs with you. What are they?

Tool "Lateralus"; Dragonforce "Inhuman Rampage"; Sigur Ros "Ágætis Byrjun"; Silverchair "Diorama"; Isis "In the Absence of Truth."

How much difference is there between your programming at night, versus programming in the day?

There's hardly ever a difference. You can hear Pantera in the morning and at night. We want you to stay awake at all parts of the day.

Do you have any musical guilty pleasures?

Trance and House music. Josh Groban. Yea, I said it.