10 Questions with ... Ron Roberts

E-MAIL: ronroberts@iheartmedia.com
WEBSITE: mix977.iheart.com/onair/the-ron-show-55736/
SOCIAL: facebook.com/Mix977Ron

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Got my start at 16 for (then) WMTZ, working weekend/swing while also stocking shelves for Winn-Dixie and covering high school and college sports for the Augusta Chronicle; oh, and while going to high school.

Worked at WGMG/Athens, GA while (then instead of) attending the University of Georgia for about a year before going to Greenville, SC to work at the (then) newly-launched B93.7 (WFBC) under the tutelage of Rob Wagman.

At age 20, I was hired full-time to work with the personalities I grew up listening to at WBBQ/WZNY, and by age 21 I was doing AM drive on the Top 40 Y105 where I’d stay for nearly five years, helping to bring that station to its best performing years, along with PD Bruce Stevens and APD Michael Chase.

After that run, and with the initial shake-ups of consolidation changing the landscape, I fled for “locally owned” and landed at WABB/Mobile for morning drive for about 18 months before I sought my first programming gig at KQID/Alexandria, LA. I stayed there five years, snagging two 12+ #1 diaries in the process while keeping Q93 top of the heap persons and females 18-34 and 18-49. From there I spent a little less than a year at WEZB/New Orleans sharpening my skills under Mike Kaplan.

The call to come back closer to home was always in my ear, though, and the opportunity arose for me to head to the beach - Myrtle Beach - in 2007 to program WWXM, and I’ve been here ever since. About 14 months ago I was offered the expanded role of managing the Myrtle Beach/iHeartMedia cluster. 

1) How would you describe your first radio gig?

A throwback and a hodge-podge. It was very "hands on" … remember, 1991 was when the compact disc was still new, and working at a Variety Hits station, we had everything from vinyl to disc -- with jingles on cassette, even.

2) What led you to a career in radio?

Growing up listening to the legendary WBBQ-A/F in Augusta, GA … a well-programmed station with jocks who were personable and fun to listen to. I wanted to be a part of that.

3) What makes your station unique? How would you compare it to other stations you've worked at?

Mix is an amalgamation of all the stations I've worked at with a hint of the one I grew up idolizing, really. I like that Mix has its own "personality," and love to let our voice guy channel it through his reads. I like that we live in a destination market and aim to make Mix's uniqueness something they remember (and hopefully opt to stay with us via iHeartRadio like a souvenir). There's a LOT of "structure" that comes down from the top in today's radio climate, but I try to let our personalities be themselves while "checking off" the "must-dos" simultaneously as much as possible. We strive to even localize the syndication. I have a guy who comes in one day each week to "produce" our syndicated weekend programming so the station calls are prominent in-show. If Ryan Seacrest and Hollywood Hamilton can (and they do) record station IDs, by golly we're going to use them so their shows sound like they're solely FOR Mix 97.7.

4) Are you wearing more "hats" than you have in the past?

Undoubtedly. There's so much to keep up with it's not even funny. Music, imaging, digital, on-air, promotions; heck, we've changed batteries in station vans and it's on my "to do" list to go buy a replacement closet door later today.

5) Who handles your imaging, and what voices are you using?

Scott Matthews is and has been the voice of Mix 97.7 almost from day one for me. There is almost NOTHING you can ask of him that he won't do behind a microphone. His outtakes are worth the tab, too!

6) What is the most challenging part of the job?

Time management.

7) If you could add one full-time position to your budget right now, what would it be?

It's not feasible for a market our size, but a full-time imaging director would be manna from heaven.

8) What's the most unbelievable on-air bit you were allowed to do?

I called a bar on Bourbon Street in New Orleans during a Super Bowl week, wondering what they were doing to draw in the thousands of fans in town for the game that week. I was told they had DJs and dancers in from ALL over the country and that the place was packed all week. I then asked to describe their typical patron and realized I’d called a gay bar. This was late 1990s, mind you, when folks (particularly in the south) were a little more uptight about social issues then than they are now.

My news anchor was cracking up as it is but when I followed up with ‘which team are most of your patrons rooting for,” hearing “the Packers” as the answer had us both on the floor, doubled over laughing for several minutes.

9) Who were your mentors? Who would you say has influenced your career the most?

I've had some really awesome programmers over the years. My "go-to" people are Rob Wagman and Chase Murphy, whether it's venting or insight (or both). It's funny now, but Bruce Stevens and I had a bit of a "rebellious teen vs. pragmatic father" relationship, but a lot of what he said sunk in, nonetheless. Here's a curveball: Eaddy Thomas (actress Eaddy Mays, most notably from MTV's 'Teen Wolf') was my PD at WGMG in Athens and she - at age 23 then - did the BEST aircheck sessions with her jocks.

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

I hate that I never got to see Prince perform live. And I've a hunch he'd had been a blast to hang out with. Huge regret.

BONUS - Which character on a current TV series most reflects your personality?

Mitch from 'Modern Family.' Except I can throw a ball.

Bonus. I say "family", you say ______________?

LOVE!

Uchiko - Asian fusion
Eddie Vs - steak & seafood
Huts - several decades of great burgers on W Sixth. Iconic here.
Maudie's - Tex Mex chain store that I probably hit 2x weekly
La Barbecue - the greatness of Franklin's brisket, sans the lines.

Final question, what is your favorite Austin venue to see a concert and why?

Ask any Austinite that question, and he'll tell you it's some place that's closed -- the Armadillo, Liberty Lunch, Raul's, etc. Today, I like the Moody Theatre at ACL Live for its sound and sight lines. It's a venue for regular gigs, but also the home of PBS' Austin City Limits TV show. It serves its purpose well, but I do miss the old Studio 6A on the UT campus. It's about a tenth the size of the new taping venue, so getting one's hands on exclusive passes was really special. Patrons were welcome to a couple of complimentary pints of Shiner Bock on the way into a performance; the same pair of pints are less tasty at twenty bucks in the new venue. But again, great sound & sight lines...and taping tickets are usually get-able.