10 Questions with ... Jay Nunley

NAME:Jay Nunley TITLES:PD STATION:WKLC (Rock 105) MARKET:Charleston/Huntington-Ashland COMPANY:LM Communications BORN:Logan, WV RAISED:Logan, WV

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

WVOW-Logan, WV 1985-1988
WKLC-Charleston, WV 1987
WRVC (now WDGG)-Huntington, WV 1988-1989
WKLC-Charleston, WV 1990-1991
WKLC-Charleston, WV 1992-1994
WXRC-Charlotte, NC 1994-1996
WHCN/WMRQ-Hartford, CT 1996
WRQK-Canton, OH 1996-1997
Cromwell Group-Illinois 1997-1999
Cromwell Group-Tennesee 1999
WKLC-Charleston, WV 2000-2003
WRVC-Huntington, WV 2003-2006
WKLC-Charleston, WV 2006-present

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

I wanted to be on the radio as long as I can remember. My parents got me one of those old flatbed cassette recorders when I was 6 or 7 years old, and I used to make fake radio shows. The news director at my hometown station, an exceptional broadcaster named Bob Weisner (he's still there) was the guy who solidified it for me. I can remember listening to him on winter mornings and thinking that being the guy who gets to tell people schools are closed had to be the coolest job in the world.

I knew for sure the first time I cracked the mic. Most radio guys will know what I mean. I get a rush every time a go on the air even today. That first time was an amazing feeling. The first time a hot chick actually talked to me in high school because I was on the radio helped a lot too.

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

Yes. No doubt.

3) What makes your station or market unique? How does this compare to other markets or stations you have worked at?

WKLC has something no other station or cluster I've worked for has. It is very hard to quantify or define. Part of this is simple. It was the station I grew up listening to once I discovered music. It was (and is) my dream station. The other part is not so simple. There is a special kind of feel or atmosphere to the place. There is a specific WKLC culture that keeps you coming back.

4) How have the recent FCC regulations impacted the way you program your music and the station's dialogue on the air? What are your feelings about these recent changes?

Because Rock stations are always being specifically targeted, you have to live in fear all the time. You have to give your audience the content they demand, and at least a portion of that content can get you fined into the ground. Rock radio has suffered because of this. We are less able to compete and less entertaining now. This has encouraged our audience to adopt emerging competition from Internet and satellite faster than everyone else has. I'm mostly angry about the whole thing. I have no desire to air a bunch of obscenity or disgusting garbage, but I would like entertain and serve my audience without fear.

More than anything else it's a freedom issue for me. The rules are vague and seem to be arbitrarily enforced. I have no desire to air a bunch of obscenity or disgusting garbage, but I would like to entertain and serve my audience without fear. Rule by fear is patently un-American. If I was given clearly defined rules and if they were enforced uniformly and universally, I would have no problem at all.

5) How have music file sharing services, affected the way you program to your audience?

None. Download and sharing figures are basically another chart. I pay the same attention to it as I do any other chart, which is not much beyond using it to help with decisions on a few currents or recurrents.

6) How is the relationship between programmer and record label changing? For better or worse?

There are a fewer and fewer relationships. That's the best way to sum it up. There are fewer programmers, fewer label reps, and fewer relationships. Also, the fact you have to do a day's worth of paperwork, get three of four lawyers involved, and provide a notarized transcript and aircheck just to get some "win it before you can buy it" CDs makes it all pretty stupid.

7) What do you view as the most important issue facing radio today?

There are two things that are equally important.

We all have too many jobs, especially in small markets. Every single staffer is doing what used to be two or even three full time jobs. The product has suffered mightily because of this. Even the most energetic and dedicated person simply cannot give the proper amount of time and effort to that much work.

The other thing is there are no overnight guys anymore. We have no farm team.

8) Describe your weekly music meeting. A) What is the process when you listen to new music? B) Approximately how important by percentage is gut, research, sales, video play, and chart position when determining the status of a record?

My MD brings in the best draft picks for that week. I will also add a few into the mix on occasion. Everyone is invited to our music meetings. I like to hear opinions on new stuff from as many people as possible. Most of the time it ends up being the two of us (everyone else is usually too busy to join in).

We listen to the tunes one by one. We throw out the ones that do not rock or do not fit well with the station. After that we choose the best ones or the ones that appear to be the most popular.

The percentages are like this.

Gut/Ear: 85%
Research: 0% (I'm not sure there is any point in researching music that no one has ever heard before.)
Sales: 10%
Video Play: 0% (Do any of the TV channels actually still play videos? How about Rock videos?)
Charts: 5%

9) What is your favorite radio station outside of the market and why?

WEBN and WAAF are tied. The reason? They kick ass.

10) What's your take on current music? Is it as good as six months ago, better, or about the same?

Rock has been in a major doldrums for longer than I like to think about, certainly a lot longer than six months (more like six years or more). I can think of maybe 15 songs from the last two years that we'll still be playing five years from now. We have a lot of marginally decent rock tunes and very few truly great ones. As far as non-rock music goes, with the exception of a very few country and hip-hop titles, it's all crap.

What is your favorite TV show?

Right now it's "Rome" on HBO. My all-time favorite is "The Simpsons."

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

Marijuana Farmer/Moonshiner.

What was the first song or full-length release you purchased?

The untitled fourth Led Zeppelin album on cassette.

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

Beyonce.

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

Alice in Chains "Dirt"
Black Crowes "Southern Harmony and Musical Companion"
AC/DC "High Voltage"
Soundgarden "Badmotorfinger"
Robin Trower "Bridge of Sighs"

Fill in the blank: I can't make it through the day without _________?

Coca-Cola and Marlboros.

What do you like best about working in this format?

Rock has always been and still is about rebellion. Even the suit-and-tie guys who listen to rock gravitate toward this format because it's their chance to "stick it to the man." There is a non-conformist vibe that no other format has (well, maybe Talk has a little of it).