10 Questions with ... Tammi Price

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

From Michigan to Florida to Kansas City to the East Coast. I've been in this business since I was 15 ... too many too list. However, mostly Nashville, including three Active Rock middays ... mornings Triple A ... Country and Classic Rock. Positions range from jock to APD to Music Director.

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

My father and grandfather owned radio stations in Michigan ... primarily Christian. Early influences? Take any gospel quartet on vinyl and try not to scratch your eyeballs out.

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

There was really no defining moment for me. I got into radio from a different avenue than most people. It was my first job. While some people, in my time, were serving up onion rings at A&W, I was playing DJ on my family's radio stations. My family has held a heritage in radio, in their own right, for many years ... 60-plus ... my earliest memories are of broadcasting a live Christian radio show from my grandfather's basement. Oh, how far the apple falls from the tree ... and, by the way, I love onion rings.

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

That's a tough one for me. Radio is what I have always known ... so, therefore, it has always been a part of me. Did I or do I have other career aspirations? Yes. However, the pull of radio was always stronger; it is my comfort zone and it makes me happy. It keeps me guessing, that's for sure. The industry has changed so much since I first began in radio. Had that question been asked of me 10 years ago, I would have unequivocally said "yes." It's harder now ... there is a lot of fear and a lot of "consolidation" ... it has changed the game. It will always be a career that I love, but I'm not sure it will always be a career I can count on with the state of the industry today. Nothing to do with my company now or anything of the sort ... it's reality, radio is changing and being challenged in many ways. So, just starting out? Did I answer the question? Maybe I should have been a politician.

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

I would be a therapist. Being a preacher's kid AND in radio ... I really understand the necessity of a good therapist.

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

Ahhh...Nashville. I have been a bit of a hopper ... not necessarily for radio, but for school ... "to find myself" ... you name it, therefore I have worked in quite a few markets. I can honestly say that there is no market like Nashville. It would be hard for me to give the subject justice in a few lines, but I will try. Nashville is full of talented people -- both in radio and in music. It allows a certain edge, more freedom in music selection and also a certain expectation. I love that about Nashville because it keeps you on your toes. Many of the record labels are right next door and because Nashville is known for music, although mistakenly often times just for Country music, people seem to appreciate and gravitate toward an "outer edge" of the norm. However, it can make it more difficult to know where the line in the sand is drawn. Sometimes it feels like people appreciate the product more and sometimes it feels like they are waiting to make the "final judgment". Mix that with the right amount of southern culture ... and you've got a lot to think about.

6) What can we be doing with our station web sites to better our stations as a whole?

Local ... daily ... personal. I know this and yet I find it hard to keep up with it myself. Radio requires one position taking care of many responsibilities -- the old "wearing many hats" cliché'. In a perfect world, my opinion, based on some knowledge and some gut feelings, is that if we kept our blogs and our content based on our community, something new every day keeping in line with our format, and even something personal, it would keep people coming back.

Look, I'm not saying that people care about what I or any other personality does from moment to moment, but I am saying that with all of the social mediums these days, it is easy to really miss the personal touch. Why do we have friends? Because we feel like we can relate to them in one way or another. We need to reach out with that in mind more often. There are so many resources for people to rely on for information; making our website our own and our blog pages specific to our own personalities makes a difference.

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

I can't with 100% confidence comment on this. I can tell you, from my own experience, that it is more tense. It is more difficult for labels to make money these days. There seems to be more pressure on just a few, which extends right back to our own back yard. In other words, that's the state of the industry ... on our end and theirs. Sometimes the labels depend on their "sure things" because they have to. They are fortunate if they have the "sure things" ... the bands that will almost undoubtedly have a top 10.

However, there aren't enough of them to go around or sustain a living for the people who represent them. So, there is a lot of pressure, a lot of push on some bands just to get one or two spins a day ... combined with less money for expenses and "wining and dining" ... it's tough. They have a unique challenge to try and present their artists as new and "the next thing," while the Internet has already allowed people to form an opinion on those very artists. I appreciate every label and every person I speak with; there are a lot of talented bands, not enough room to play them all and not as much money as there used to be to promote them. I consider them all just like me -- people who believe in what they are doing, with a lot of heat under their behinds to make it happen.

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

The fight to keep it local. The fight to keep talent inspired with so much competition ... not to get defeated and live in fear ... not to second-guess themselves ... especially with so many of our own struggling to survive. So many companies have to resort to voicetracking or company programming. It is a real struggle to cater personally to a specific market and meeting that market's needs -- and that's what makes radio best. It seems to come down to budget, more often than not, and that leaves little time and resources to get into the mind and heart of your own community. That's the challenge.

9) 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?

This brings me back to the question of Nashville being unique. I am really fortunate to be in a city that embraces new and a little on the edge. We are able to take a few risks and understand this market and its listenership a little more. Charts are a consideration, but they certainly are not the bottom line. Obviously, "playing the hits" is a tried and true theory, however we have the ability to take into consideration the appreciation of music in Nashville. More importantly, we are locally owned. We have an owner, downstairs, who believes in us. Combine that with the knowledge my Operations Manager, Troy Hanson, has with music and his absolute appreciation for music on its own, it's a pretty cool experience. It isn't always about the numbers; it's about what works. I've learned a lot since I've been with Cromwell.

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

That you never know ... and that's what I love about it. You may think that it has been your best book ever, that you surely HAVE to have a good book coming, but you never know. Sometimes you're right and sometimes you're not. At the same time, you never know when a person will call you and tell you that listening to you or your radio station is the thing that keeps them going...gets them through the work day....a rough day, maybe. You just never know.

As an air talent, how has industry consolidation helped or hurt you? What effect has industry consolidation had on the way you program your station?

It has only helped our stations. While the others are having to think about their show and God knows how many more markets, we get to focus on what happens within our own four walls and Nashville. We get to see the response to our programming out on the streets ... at the shows ... in the jail cells. You get the picture; that's a huge advantage

Name the artist/act (living or dead) you'd love to meet and why?

Jim Morrison ... because he's Jim Morrison. A fascinating, disturbed and beautiful man. His music and process was so unique. Mostly, I'd love to suck on cactus juice with him ... the peyote kind.

How often do you aircheck your own shows? Is it mandatory that you run tape everyday? Also, can you honestly critique yourself?

I am my own worst critic. We have a logger system built in, so every time the mic is opened, it is taped. I try and listen to myself after each day while I'm doing other things. Sometimes, I like it ... and sometimes I wonder what in the world I was thinking. I have consistent airchecks with my OM; those are helpful.

What is your biggest challenge working at this station?

Keeping the workday audience. Active Rock is not the most accepted format in the office. We are in the south, so you've got 10 guys deciding which station they want to listen to ... and Skynyrd wins many times. Trying to keep the audience that is out working and actually has a choice... I battle that and an extremely competent and well known host in my daypart for competition....that plays Skynyrd. By the way, I have nothing but respect....for her.

What do you do with a song you don't like? It's not about what I like. It's about understanding the marked and the needs of the station. Music is like art...everybody perceives it differently. What might be beautiful to me is not necessarily beautiful to another. I try and keep that in mind and look at the song objectively. Does it fit the audience? The station? Are people responding to it? That's all that matters.

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

There is a noticeable difference. Active Rock is tricky. You HAVE to remember the "at-work audience". Pantera "Walk" will get turned down in most businesses or flipped to another station. I have to keep in mind the vocal minority for requests and know that things loosen up as the majority of people are away from their office or job site ... then, things begin to get a little harder. Hardcore rock release begins.