10 Questions with ... Lance Hale

NAME:Lance Hale TITLE:PD/MD/Promotions Director/Production Director STATIONS:WOTT MARKET:Watertown, NY COMPANY:Community Broadcasters BORN:Day before yesterday RAISED:To appreciate the fine art of garden gnome extermination

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

WJVC/88-90, WRAY/90-93, WROC/WJST/93-96, WJBX/96-02 (MD/APD), WLRS/02-04 (PD), WRQC/04-07 (PD), WAVF/07 (PD), WOTT/08-infinity (See Above)

1) What led you to a career in radio? Was there a defining moment, which made you realize "this is it"?

It started with me being in a band and thinking to myself that I could go to school for radio, where I'm constantly in contact with the record labels. I would then send them a demo. They would realize how much my band rocked, lavish expensive gifts at my feet and fight over the chance to sign us to a monster deal ... (crickets) ... Many years later I have come to the conclusion that radio has been the right choice for me, not just a consolation, and my therapist says I'm coping well.

2) If you were just starting out in radio, knowing now what you didn't then, would you still do it?

I might have done things a bit differently, but ultimately I would still do it. I love what I do and couldn't picture myself doing anything else.

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

My gut instinct tells me that I would have made one hell of a Wal-mart greeter. I guess that could still come to fruition.

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

It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. You see smaller companies buying their way back into radio. I happen to be part of one of those smaller companies. They're looking to grow, and I'm lucky enough to be in on the ground floor. I'm excited about what the future holds. Of course, radio is still unpredictable and with the multiple options that are out there for listeners growing as well, you never really know. But count me as being along for the ride.

5) How often do you do remotes and which work best for the station?

We've tried to limit the number of remotes, so that they feel more like an event. The ones that work best are the ones where we have actual incentive for listeners to be there. Recently we gave away a Harley Sportster. We had listeners qualify on air or they could find us on location to qualify as well. We were at a bank ... had free food ... a bake sale to benefit Relay for Life ...and a a chance for "one" person to qualify. We had over 400 people show up. It was an event. We had over 500 people show at the grand prize drawing.

6) What was the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you at a remote?

The most embarrassing moment was after I lost a bet and had to wear a dress at a live remote ... and it wasn't even an attractive dress. It was some long, loud, grandma dress that I found at Goodwill for $2. So I'm wearing this dress. It's for some March Madness mess at this dive on the outskirts of Louisville, while working for the "World Famous Walrus/WLRS." These two older guys --who were hammered ... and missing a few teeth -- kept buying me shots and smiling at me a lot. By the end of the night, my wife had to sneak me out a side door. I'm pretty sure nothing happened that night.

7) Who is your favorite air personality not on your staff?

There are a lot of great talents out there. Wendy Rollins at WRFF in Philly is a rock star in the making. Ricker at KISW in Seattle makes me laugh. My favorites, though, would have to be Zito & Garrett at WJBX in Ft. Myers. I've known Zito for many years. The guy is talented. He and Garrett complement each other very well.

8) Tell us what music we would find on your car or home CD player (or turntable) right now, and what is it you enjoy about that particular selection?

Since I've moved to the 1,000 Islands area, I've found myself breaking out a lot of '90s Canadian music I used to dig. You know, trying to acclimate myself to some of the local musical tastes. Lots of Tragically Hip, Our Lady Peace, I Mother Earth and Tea Party.

9) How do you keep tabs on the competition? When your competition attacks you on the air, how do you react?

I've tagged them all, similar to the way you tag livestock. Although we did do this live on the air, they were pretty lucid during the entire ordeal. You'd be surprised how effective an electric cattle prod can be.

10) What's the closest you ever came to getting arrested for an on-air stunt? Or did you actually get arrested?

Okay, not actually a stunt, but while in SW FL, we were broadcasting live from the beach for a week. We had bands every day playing to a "family-friendly" crowd. We tried to stress this to everyone involved. Marq Torien, of Bulletboys fame, had a new band. He's a nice guy, but doesn't listen so well. He got up on stage and dropped f-bomb after f-bomb. The police showed up ... said we were done. Told us if we weren't off the beach immediately, I was going to jail. So we had someone fill in for me back at the station ... and the running joke for the rest of the day and all weekend long, was that I actually was arrested because of Marq Torien. The phones were great.

What gets you upset at work and how do you channel your anger?

It takes a lot to get me upset and usually only happens on little to no sleep. The way I channel my anger is by taking off my pants and breaking out the hoola-hoop, while jamming to the Foo Fighters. This always seems to get me in trouble, though.

What do you do in your spare time?

It's all about the family. My wife and kids dominate my spare time.

How do you handle a confrontation between two people on your air staff?

Rock, paper, scissors ...but with actual rocks, paper and scissors. It can be a bit messy, but I find that usually ends the confrontation.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

I'm still trying not to grow up, so the chance of me actually being something when I grow up are slim and none.