10 Questions with ... Jud Heussler

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I started as an intern my senior year of high school at Entercom/Buffalo's WGR 550. I would go on to intern with Kiss 98.5 for the next couple years until Sue O'Neil finally hired me! I worked weekends and fill-ins after that, until April 2012 when I was given the opportunity to do afternoons and handle MD. I was named APD in 2014. I left Entercom in January of this year to take my current PD job at WPLW/WWPL (Pulse FM)/Raleigh, NC.

1) How would you describe your first radio gig?

It was a dream job. I was working for the station I grew up listening to! I had looked up to these personalities for years and the chance to learn from then and call them co-workers was incredible.

2) What led you to a career in radio?

I actually won a radio contest for "Take Your Kid to Work Day" and was an "adopted kid" with Janet & Nick in the Morning on Kiss 98.5. I was completely fascinated and hooked! I was also a chatty kid and prone to oversharing -- which kind of fit the job requirements.

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

Working at Curtis Media is a bit different than working for a large company like Entercom. I see the owner of the company almost everyday. We have our own GM, dedicated sales team, dedicated promotions director and more. It's a privilege to be able to make local decisions that are best for our station and our listeners.

4) What are you doing social media-wise?

Everything! Just like everyone else. We're posting to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Instagram Stories and more. We really use our socials as a great way to interact one-on-one with our listeners -- and it makes a big difference.

5) "Local local local" has always been radio's mantra. How do you keep your station visible and involved in the community?

We are very community-oriented. Some local charity efforts include our Pulse FM Prom Dress drive, which helped over 300 local girls attend their prom, and the UNC Children's Hospital that we participate in and host events for throughout the year. We also just completed a summer-long series called Pulse FM Park Pop-Ups, which brought us out Saturday mornings to local parks throughout the area -- to meet listeners, play lawn games and give out prizes.

6) What's the coolest promotion you've been involved with recently?

We just finished a promotion around Ed Sheeran's Raleigh show. It was called Find Red Head Ed! It was an area-wide scavenger hunt for "Mini Eds" hiding around "The Triangle" to win tickets to his sold-out show. Listeners listened every hour to clues to where Red Head Ed was hiding that day. We have great listener interact!

7) Do you have a favorite hobby outside of radio?

My two main hobbies are traveling and cooking. My wife and I love adventures, from exploring areas around our new city to international and cross-county trips. Cooking a nice meal behind a grill (with a drink) is my happy place.

8) What music do you listen to when you're not working?

Whatever my wife is listening too, so usually Hot AC! I pick the music all day long, she can decide what we listen to after work. Plus, it lets me sample other artists and stations I don't often listen to.

9) What advice would you give people new to the business?

Work hard, stay focused and stay humble. I was an unpaid intern for years. Finally I was hired to make $21 a week before I caught "my break." I would also add to never stop learning. You can learn so much from the people around you, whether its radio related knowledge or not. Be a sponge, absorb it!

10) What would you like to do to save radio from its "dying-industry" image?

Show people how much radio accomplishes every year -- and even each day. Radio reaches more people every day than any other medium. We affect change and we're there in times of celebration and need. Look at the service Texas-area stations provided during Hurricane Harvey and the relief effort many stations across the country are leading now. Radio isn't dying. It's just evolving.

What was your last non-industry job?

Ice cream man. I worked at Dairy Queen whipping up Blizzards and slinging cones for years! I can still make the signature curl.