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10 Questions with ... Lynn Hernandez
August 11, 2006
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NAME:Lynn HernandezTITLES:Middays/MDSTATIONS:KMODMARKET:Tulsa, OklahomaCOMPANY:Clear Channel CommunicationsBORN:Bellefountaine, OhioRAISED:Findlay, Ohio
Please outline your radio career so far:
1987 - WLFC, U. of Findlay, Ohio; WQTL, Ottawa, Ohio; WBVI, Findlay, Ohio; 1992 - KPEZ, Austin, Texas; 1994 Key 103, Austin, Texas; 1996 - KROX; 1998 - Star System and Mix 94.7, Austin, Texas; 2001 - 2005 KDGE, KEGL and KZPS Dallas, Texas; 2005 - KLBJ-FM, Austin, Texas and KSRX, San Antonio; 2005 - present KMOD, Tulsa, OK and tracking KXUS, Springfield, MO. During the past 7 years I've voicetracked many stations in Atlanta, Albany, Colorado Springs and more
1) What was your first job in radio? Early influences?
First station was WLFC. It was my college station at University of Findlay, Ohio. First commercial station was WQTL in Ottawa, Ohio. Grew up listening to their morning show in the '70's and 80's. One of the best I've ever heard. Lot's of characters and theater of the mind. I think their names were Jeff and Brian. (sorry, last night was my birthday happy hour(s) so I'm a little slow today) For all you part-timers reading this: I'll never forget their Saturday night jock named Mohamed. Kick ass pipes and the coolest attitude! Also loved listening to WTUE in Dayton, Ohio. Especially Marshall Phillips. Loved his laid back attitude. I try to do the same.
2) What led you to a career in radio? Was there a defining moment, which made you realize "this is it"?
Listeners ask this all the time and I love this story because it was like a Fender Strat had smacked me upside the head. I finally knew what I wanted to do. I always loved listening to FM 104 WIOT in Toledo. I won tickets on "the magic bus" to The Who at Pontiac Silverdome during the tour where they decided to do the entire Tommy album. I knew when the DJ said "you're caller 10!!!" that he was taping me and wanted my reaction on the air so I hammed it up and went nuts. He DID play it on the air and I was freaking out that I heard myself on my fav. Rock station! Then on the bus to the show my buddy and I sat right behind the promotion director. Damn, wish I could remember her name. She had a giant pitcher of margaritas. I thought this is so cool HEY.... Working in RADIO, hell yeah! That's IT!!! That was1986 and lot's of my own radio station "Magic Busses" ago.
3) What makes your station or market unique? How does this compare to other markets or stations you have worked at?
A Mainstream Rock radio station number ONE 12 + in the market? And that's in Garth Brooks and Carrie Underwood country? Not too many rock stations can make that claim. I'm extremely honored to be at such a heritage station. Especially since these days rock stations are flipping quicker than waffles at Waffle House. What else is unique is my lunch show. It's all request but I control the flow and sometimes the individual song. Since I started doing the All Request Drive Thru Lunch a year ago I've played anything from "Bleep" Her Gently from Tenacious D to Red, White and Blue from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Got No Shame from Brother Cane to Something For Nothing from Rush.
I'm sure there are programmers reading this thinking, that's bullshit. That would never work. Click over to the Arbitron section. The numbers don't lie.
If there's one thing that we should learn from the Jack format and popularity of the Shuffle button on Ipod's is that people love variety. And we plan on letting our older, loyal P1's know we will not forget what they loved about KMOD since the early 70's and we welcome our younger listeners with good, newer rock because they will be the ones that will perpetuate the success and legendary status of KMOD.
4) What can we be doing with our station web sites to better our stations as a whole?
After working at KDGE Dallas and seeing all the full-timers utilize their own pages on their websites with interactive content I realized that's something that we should all spend time doing. Plus it's fun!
Check out www.KDGE.com and look at Jessie's page. Everything from her "Bookshelf" bibliography to a copy of a letter she wrote to Dallas Mayor Laura Miller endorsing the band Drowning Pool to receive the Key to the City for their travels to Iraq to pump up the troops.
We all have our own MySpace profiles to deal with too but the station website should be the first URL we open every day.
Clear Channel has started letting the jocks update our own pages so we don't have to bug the webmasters and promotion department to do it for us. It's a new feature in clear channel stations sites called Personality Pages. CC has certainly embraced it and realized the possible NTR that can be generated that corporate has launched a killer contest for jock's in all markets to keep making their personality pages more interesting, interactive and incorporate it into their show by offering 50 of the best personality pages $1000 each!!!! That's pretty cool.
5) What is your favorite radio station outside of the market and why?
99.5 KISS in San Antonio. Like KMOD they have HUGE numbers in their market and that warms my heart to see a station keep the rock radio world not only alive but also flourishing in a major market. Their PD L.A. Lloyd and I have worked together for many years in Austin and I continue to assist him with artist interviews for his syndicated show L.A. Lloyd's Rock 30. They have Lisle and Hahn who like our morning show has been there forever and still manages to sound fresh and interested in their city for their fans. Plus San Antonio has a killer active rock fan base. Right up there with Phoenix, Philly and Cleveland.
Honorable mentions: The Edge in Dallas, The Buzz in Atlanta (he's based in Dallas now but I think Cousin Deke was doing their imaging when Paul Kriegler was PD. The best imaging guy I've heard), KIOZ in San Diego cause they have The Mikey Morning Show one of the best active rock morning shows I've ever heard.
6) If you could add any one full-time position to your budget with no questions asked, what would it be?
I used to think Webmaster cause it's always been like pulling teeth to have my own jock page up dated but now that we can update it ourselves I guess I'd have to say a promotions/merchandise person. I did promotions at 101X in Austin for years and it's a hard, thankless job that doesn't enough. For one person to handle promotions for 4 or 5 stations is a lot of responsibility and for each station to be the best and look the best it takes more attention than one person can handle.
I included merchandise in that position also because we here at Clear Channel Tulsa have the nicest facility I've ever seen. And I've seen some pretty nice studios including Howard Stern's studios when he was at K ROCK in New York. Adjacent to our lobby is our "Rock Shop". Intended to house swag from all our 5 radio stations and two TV stations (Fox and UPN). However it stands empty because from what I keep hearing no one has gotten it off the ground. When I was in promotions years ago I would get hounded at every remote for station swag once the prize bin was empty. Listeners were willing to BUY swag! I always wished I could just say, come by the station and grab one. We have the facility now but no one to manage it.
7) What's the closest you ever came to getting arrested for an on-air stunt? Or did you actually get arrested?
Well, not really a stunt but got pulled over in the 101X van when I was late to a remote once. The Austin PD let me off after he asked for a 101X t-shirt. Of course I obliged.
8) What are your three favorite artists or songs of this year?
How about fav. three records of 2006 (so far).......
Tool - 10,000 Days
Seether - One Cold Night (live the DVD also!)
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium (glad they gave rock radio a little 'roid shot in the ass)9) What led to your station's recent ratings increase?
The station has always been in the minds of radio listeners in Tulsa due in part to our morning show: "The Morning Zoo with Phil and Brent" We just celebrated their 20th anniversary. I've only been at KMOD for 14 months but from what I hear Brent was a guy that would call Phil's radio show and do crazy character voices. It was only a matter of time before he was on with Phil permanently. They have Greek Theater, Dyslexia the Weather Guy, Stump The Zoo, the producers Weekly Blog and a prank phone call character named Roy D. Mercer. Listeners will have Roy D. prank call their boss, mother-in-law or whoever. He uses a back-woods, hillbilly szchtic that usually involves Roy D. demanding money for whatever problem he has come up with. Roy D. Mercer has been such a success in Tulsa that Capitol Records signed a deal with him and has put out thirteen Roy D. Mercer cd's. AND the sales has earned Phil and Brent TRIPLE PLATINUM status! It was an honor to work legends in Dallas like Jon Dillion and "Bo and Jim" at KZPS and Gibby Haynes (yes, of the Butthole Surfers) at 101X in Austin was cool too. It is also quite humbling to come in the same studio to do my show right after Phil and Brent featuring Roy D. Mercer.
My lunch feature has really caught on also. It's called "KMOD's All Request Drive Thru Lunch". And our afternoon jock has been on for one year. He did mornings at our KISS FM station (till it flipped Hispanic) so he has a nice following that came over to KMOD. His name is KC. I've heard callers say that KC and I have given KMOD a fresh, young sound that have livened things up a bit.
One other thing that has helped is Cox flipping their active rock station to Christian back in November. Their ratings sucked to begin with so it wasn't that big of a deal but every little bit helps. We have a competing classic rock station in Tulsa but they suck.
10) If you are voice tracking shifts or syndicating for stations outside of your market, how do you get familiar with that marketplace/community?
I track middays at KXUS in Springfield, MO. When in Austin and Dallas I tracked a ton of stations. The best person in the world to learn voicetracking is from the guy who helped launch the whole technology and that's the PD/RVPP I currently work with, Don Cristi. The Internet has made this big spinning blue ball we call Earth much smaller. I check out websites of the local newspapers, sporting teams, chamber of commerce and even yellowpages.com to get local info. Many markets I voicetracked I call businesses in that market like Atlanta, Colorado Springs, Waco, Albany and get some good local phone bits. Learn the local lingo. I remember DC saying in a jock meeting at Star System: "If you're tracking a station in Waco, Texas and you don't know what the Baylor Bear Claw is, have some work to do".
Nothing is better than a market visit though. To see the popular places, take pictures with the locals for the website and meet your other co-workers/jocks at your other station is invaluable. Not to mention to thank your PD in person for the chance to rock out on their station!
While in Texas (Austin or Dallas) I would cruise down IH-35 to Waco for KBRQ station events, while tracking The Buzz in Atlanta I flew (yes, MY EXPENSE!!) in for a big Linking Park/Hoobastank show (thanks for taking me to the strip clubs English Nick!!!), while tracking Z94 in Lawton, OK I flew in for a concert with ten thousand people on the military base of Fort Sill (I got to introduce the headlining act) and while tracking Mother 96-1 in Colorado Springs I flew in for a remote at a bar where I let a listener spank me live on the air. Made for great photos for the website.
My first visit up the historic Route 66 to visit my new station in Springfield, MO is next week.
Bonus Questions
What is your favorite TV Commercial? Radio Commercial?
The Real American Hero Bud Light commercials show you the impact of well-written copy and concept. I remember when they first came out I actually had listeners call me requesting for play a commercial!! Saluting "Really Loud Cell Phone Talker Guy. Hilarious.
Favorite artist you have met?
Probably Ted Nugent cause I was scared shitless before the interview but he made me real at ease. And had me dying laughing by the end of the interview. He even returned my email the next day. That's right I got an email FROM Ted Nugent! I printed it out and hung on my wall. Tommy Lee (or T-Lee now I guess) was the same way. And them Seether boys are cool to hang with. Very jager-rific.
What do you like best about working in this format?
Being able to play cool classic rock stuff AND new rock stuff. Especially the Drive Thru Lunch. The success behind it comes from the freedom my PD Don Cristi gives me. I can't tell you how many times I'd play something like Tenacious D, Presidents of the United States of America or a DEEP cut from Rush thinking, shit the hot line's about to ring only to have DC come in the control room saying Dude, cool song!!
What's the best hire you've ever made?
Well, I guess I hired him. When I was promotion assistant at 101X in Austin I was in charge of all the "interns". They got paid in free cd's and pizza. That only goes so far except for the ones with the passion to learn and make a career. Toby Ryan or as he was know in 1996, Keith Hill was one of those persons. His was KICK ASS at remotes and did what needed to be done. And put up with my shit when I should've been slapped in the balls (BanKOK, eh Toby?). He learned all he could and now he's the music director and afternoon jock on 101X. And has been for what, 10 years?
Oh, and an intern named Shane. He was the first intern ever hired at 101X and is still there, in fact the ONLY one at 101X left from the original crew when we launched in '96. Except he's gay. (kidding)
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