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10 Questions with ... Matthew Hobley (aka Foley)
February 3, 2009
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NAME:Matthew Hobley (aka Foley)TITLE:OM/PDSTATION:KMRQMARKET:Modesto, CACOMPANY:Clear Channel
BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
'80s - Arizona: on-air at KUKQ, KGRX/KZRX.
1991 - Dallas: ABC Radio Networks Z-Rock format, mornings
1994 - Austin" PD/Ops and on -air, KJFK PD/Ops.
1999 - present, Modesto, CA: Clear Channel KMRQ,KQOD, KFIV,KOSO OPERATIONS MANAGER AND PD OF KMRQ, KFIV and KWSX.1) What was your first job in radio...and earliest influences?
I was a board operator at a satellite radio network affiliate. Influences? I used to listen to those guys on FM Rock stations with the deep growling voices and wanted to do that someday.
2) If you were just starting out in radio, knowing now what you didn't then, would you still do it?
HELL, NO! I wish I knew then what I know now. I would be an SVP by now or I may have followed my dream and went into voice acting.
3) What career path would you be following had it not been for this industry?
I am certain I would be involved in some form of entertainment -- male stripper, standup comedian, voice actor or SOMETHING!
4) What makes your station or market unique? How does this compare to other markets or stations you have worked at?
We are the only Active Rock station in the market in competition with every other form of media. Instead of being one of two or three Active Rock stations and competing with every other form of media, I have been in both situations ... and it's slightly better this way.
5) How have the recent FCC regulations impacted the way you program your music and the station's dialogue on the air?
Nothing has changed. The rules have always been in place. The FCC is now enforcing them and the fines have been increased. As far as fines getting larger, it's much ado about nothing. This was a way for certain politicians to get votes from the religious fanatics after Janet Jackson's covered nipple was flashed during the Super bowl's halftime entertainment. If it weren't for TiVo and the Internet, our "children" would have never seen Miss Jackson's (if you're nasty) silver pastie ... maybe after the Supreme Court get through with fleeting expletives they'll take on the flashing 40-something pastie-covered boobs controversy. Hopefully, Barack will tell the boys to lighten up. We just have to be accountable for our own actions and realize our advertisers and a lot of listeners just want an entertaining radio station they can get behind.
6) How have music file-sharing services, affected the way you program to your audience?
They don't. If we are talking about iTunes, those sales numbers are inaccurate and worthless to programming a radio station. How many sold in my area? I program what's relevant to my listeners, not fantasy sales numbers from a service accessible worldwide. Who is buying these singles? Record companies? When a single sells a ton without having any exposure on the radio, something smells funny.
7) How do you feel terrestrial radio competes with the satellite radio and Internet these days?
WHO!? I own a satellite radio. I am not impressed. Satellite is guilty of becoming just as overly voicetracked as radio. It's homogenized, unfamiliar and stale. It started out great and like everything else, the big chiefs get their hands on it's going to hell in a hand basket. Once Lee Abrams left the building the product suffered. The creative types are forced out and the money guys are making the decisions. Buy one today and see how boring it is.
8) Where do you see the industry and yourself five years from now?
Working harder to keep listener focus. My hope is the economy will bounce back soon and we'll have more help in accomplishing that task.
9) What can we be doing with our station websites to better our stations as a whole?
Update content, give your listeners something new with a focus on your listeners interests ... interesting podcasts, video, lots of pictures. If you have a Rock station, freaky pics of scantily clad women can't hurt. Putting something on your stream besides a barrage of PSAs helps. Make listening online a better experience.
10) 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?
We grab a stack of the latest CDs and mp3s and listen to each one. Proven artists get more consideration. New artists go on the back burner. We research the new artists. If the song is impressive, we'll listen to some of the other tracks on the CD and determine whether they'll have a second or third single. We take EVERTHING into account -- sales, video, website. MySpace, charting. Is there money behind them, or is this a tax write-off? Will they get exposure ... who are they touring with? Are they touring? Is the song or band fit? We take the good ones and showcase them on our stream. Sometimes this will create a buzz among our listeners. OR did it make my nipples hard? Either method works out fine.
Bonus Questions
What is the biggest change that you'd like to see happen in the business?
More live local people on the air ... creating a much better product
What is your favorite TV show?
It's a toss up between "Heroes" and "Lost" on the networks. "Dexter" and "Californication" on Showtime.
Have you listened to Sirius or XM yet? How does it compare to what we're doing on the commercial side?
Yes. It's too unfamiliar and it's becoming more voicetracked and predictable than commercial radio, at least more than mine. Someone calls my request line, they get a voice -- not a machine -- to leave a message with.
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