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10 Questions with ... Bounce
July 15, 2014
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BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:
Started as an intern at 102.7 KFRX in Lincoln (now 106.3 KFRX) in 2006 and three months later worked my way up to be the night guy in my hometown, so that was pretty awesome.
Spent about three years with KFRX, then my son was born and I just went to a part-time role there. I got bored of a regular 9-5 job selling phones, and my old radio buddy from Lincoln, JJ Ryan, hit me up about an opening doing nights at Channel 94.1 in Omaha and it's been an awesome ride so far!
1) What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?
INTERACTIVE! It's so important to let listeners know you are live in a studio. And be topical, be different, bring up a relatable Hollywood thing and watch it turn into a great call.
2) What led you to a career in radio?
I used to pretend I was Brent Musburger as a kid and recorded myself doing play-by-play during football games. That later turned into me doing play-by-play for my Mario Kart games. I was kind of a nerd. Then after years of listening to Casey Kasem's AT40, I realized that would be the best job ... to talk on the radio and be involved in music. And about a year after high school I hit up the KFRX MD/APD JJ Ryan about an internship and fell in love with it the first night.
3) How would you describe the radio landscape in your market?
Omaha has a lot of options, and we have a competitor in town, too, so it's always important to remain relatable and have great interaction on air and on the streets with our listeners.
4) Are you wearing more "hats" than you have in the past?
I have a hat obsession. I also have a fear that my hair is thinning and I'm getting bald at age 27. My hats can cover it up.
5) What is your favorite part of the job?
I have the best of both worlds. Being the night guy, I'm not in the building until later in the afternoon, which means I get to spend the day with my son. Of course, that saves on daycare money, too. And having the listener interaction is what keeps you going; it says there's at least one person listening to you.
6) What's the coolest promotion you've been involved with recently?
Every year in December our station does a Diaper Drive and it's always amazing to see the community and the businesses come together to donate diapers for one of the shelters in town. It's their year's worth of diapers and awesome to see we are the station making it happen!
7) Who is your favorite air personality not on your staff and why do you like them?
I always listened to JJ Kincaid at Z100. I love his personality on-air and the interaction he has with listeners.
8) What was your favorite station to listen to when you were a kid?
My favorite to listen to as a kid was the station I ended up spending several years working at, and it's KFRX in Lincoln. I can remember the days listening to the Donut Holes in the Morning, Brett Andrews and Adam Michaels.
9) Do you have a favorite hobby outside of radio?
I'm a big sports guy, so since we have the AAA affiliate for the KC Royals, it's always nice to catch a day game before work ... and of course, Nebraska is the home of the best football fans, so Saturdays are spent glued to a Husker game.
10) What advice you would give people new to the business?
No matter how little you are being paid (if you're being paid at all), doing whatever it is you're doing keep it up! Learn it all and be willing to do it all! Put in the hours and just show you have a passion for what you are doing. Listen to other jocks, different guys/gals do different things ... you can learn a lot from what others are doing outside of your market.
Bonus Questions
What was your last non-industry job?
I sold phones for Sprint for about two years. I realized that working in sales and helping people who depend on their cell phone functioning more than they depend on eating was a little too much for me; I was more than happy to get back to radio.
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