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10 Questions with ... Tony Florentino
August 2, 2011
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
My first PD gig was at WYDD/Pittsburgh ... not my best work, but it was a tremendous amount of fun. I went on to program KSTT/San Luis Obispo, CA, WKJY/Long Island, WTVR/Richmond, WMTX/Tampa, then OM for Citadel in New Orleans, OM for Saga in Columbus, and now PD of the mighty WNCI!
1) What led you to a career in radio?
A pure love of music. I went to college with the intention of being a Music Therapy major (an under-appreciated and under-publicized profession), but quickly realized that I didn't have enough chops. So I wound up at the college radio station, and I haven't looked back since!
2) What makes your station unique? How would you compare it to other stations you've worked at?
WNCI's heritage in the format and its storied success is incredible. I have a "WNCI Hot Half-Hundred" chart newsletter from 1971 with Steppenwolf on the cover. Yikes!
3) Are you wearing more "hats" than you have in the past?
Of course ... and it couldn't be more exciting.
4) What is your favorite part of the job?
Being able to walk around saying, "Yep, I'm the boss of Dave & Jimmy."
5) What's the coolest promotion you've EVER been involved with?
Back in 1997, we gave away a family-four pack of circus tickets to the 9th caller! Boy, that was an unforgettable promotion. Kudos to Paige Nienaber.
6) Could you give us a little insight into your on air staff?
WNCI is so lucky to have ridiculously long-term talent in our most important dayparts. The syndicated Dave & Jimmy have been doing mornings here for just over 20 years, and afternoon star Chris Davis has been here for 24 years. Middays are handled by some dude from L.A. named Ryan. My MD/night guy is Sean Cage, who we stole a year ago from Clear Channel's Kiss in Des Moines. Logan handles overnights, and we have some incredibly talented mixers and part-timers who do stellar work on the weekend.
7) If you could add one full-time position to your budget right now, what would it be?
A customer service manager. Someone whose only job would be to answer any listener question, respond to any e-mail, post responses on Facebook, etc.
8) Do you have a favorite hobby outside of radio?
I'm a voracious reader, and I love throwing on my iPod and riding my bicycle.
9) What is it about our industry that keeps you wanting to do it for a living?
Music, music, fun people and music.
10) What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?
Success follows passion, not the other way around. If you lack passion, you wind up being mediocre.
Bonus Questions
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
Like most boys growing up in New York, I wanted to be shortstop for the Yankees. I literally cried when I watched Derek Jeter get his 3,000th hit.
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