10 Questions with ... John Moug

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

I started on the street team at KLUC on Halloween 2006, quickly moved up to part-time on-air, then full-time overnights, then nights. Left for nights in Tampa Bay, spent a year doing Country mornings in Denver and now I've been back at KLUC for almost two years, handling afternoon drive and imaging.

I also have a newly syndicated morning show that runs on WXZO (The New Hot 96.7)/Burlington-Plattsburgh and KEAZ (Z100.7)/Searcy, AR, as well as an abbreviated version/tracked show that runs in afternoon drive on WWRX (Jammin' 107.7)/New London, CT. Shout-out to our producer, KLUC weekender Jared Dey ... This dude is like a secret weapon of ideas and forward thinking.

I've been doing imaging for quite a while now, but in addition to all the other things I've got going on, I'm also now the station voice for WXZO/Burlington. Sleep happens if/when I can fit it in these days ... but I love it!

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

Vegas is a beast! I once heard Cat Thomas put it this way (not a quote, but you'll get the idea LOL) ... You can win a car, you can win a million dollars at the local casinos. For us to cut through Vegas-sized distractions, you really have to be larger than life. And it's true ... you can easily win $2,000 on a Titanic-themed slot machine on your way to a movie theater on a Friday night. Radio has to go big to cut through. Hence why we go so big here at KLUC. Ex: our Chet Buchanan and the Morning Zoo Toy Drive; biggest in radio, it's truly amazing and a sight to see! The things I've been exposed to and able to learn in my time at KLUC and CBS Radio/Las Vegas are priceless, and I continue to learn awesome new things here each and every day.

For the syndicated morning show I do, we try to make those shows as local as possible. We do some pretty in-depth research on the markets and try and get the vibe as best as possible. I decided, though it takes a bit more time, to send over shared content breaks like most syndicated morning shows, but also two local breaks an hour. And to me it's the minor details that sell what we're doing. If I'm talking about a business, or part of town, I'll literally pull up Google maps to see what's nearby ... A simple, "Oh that's across the street from the Pizza Depot!," in my opinion, makes all the difference.

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

Time management! Would love to spend my evenings catching up on Game Of Thrones, but I've got bigger goals and dreams than the iron throne!

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

Y'know, I have been completely blown away by radio's response to Hurricane's Harvey and Irma. At KLUC, Chet Buchanan and the Morning Zoo spearheaded a supply collection with the awesome people at Zappos here in Vegas, which they traveled to Texas to deliver. I got to be a part of the in-town collections and it's amazing seeing how radio can pull communities together instantaneously!

Also very proud to be a part of Jammin' 107.7 in New London, CT from afar. Brian Ram, Pebbles, J. Smith and the crew responded so quickly to Harvey with a water collection drive, and then filled a U-Haul with diapers and pet supplies to take down to Tampa after Irma.

These kinds of things restore my faith in humanity. While I hope we're done with these tragedies, it's definitely great to see radio pull people together.

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

A full-time assistant or a full-time producer, in a dream world. The amount of editing I do each day between the different jobs might be giving me carpel tunnel. No joke!

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

Won't say what station this was at ... just that it was a while back. Bought a Red Ryder BB gun from Wal-Mart and had a street-teamer sing Christmas songs on the air, and when he messed up, I would shoot him with the BB gun. Guessing that wouldn't go over so well in 2017.

6) What was your favorite station to listen to when you were a kid?

98.5 KLUC. The station that made me fall in love with radio. KLUC has always been a station with amazing personalities, and it's always been the most fun to listen to. Easy to hear why it's a legendary radio station.

7) What stations, besides the ones that you work with, sound spectacular from an imaging standpoint?

I love FLZ in Tampa. It's one of my go-to's when I stream other markets. 99.7 Now in SF is great, Z90 has such a cool vibe unique to San Diego, and I'm a huge fan of Live 95.5 in Portland.

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

I want to figure out how we're all going to stay relevant when self-driving cars become a thing. Take the show to YouTube! We're personalities; why not make our shows YouTube friendly? It's going to have to be visually stimulating. It does now, but even more so once people aren't forced to stare at the road. I do believe that local content will always have a place in people's lives. How will it get to them? We'll have to figure that outv... Not wait and find out, we have to be the ones to do it!

9) How can we do a better job of grooming up-and-coming talent?

Encouragement! And we have to make time for them ... Give them resources, share your knowledge. I always take on the training of the newbies at KLUC and once in a while you get someone who has a genuine interest and passion in learning radio, and I'm like, "Take My knowledge, young child!" And also reminding yourself that we're all up and coming in a way. I've been on the air for 11 years and I still take advantage of every opportunity to soak up knowledge. My most recent read, R-Dub's book, "Coast to Coast: The Radio DJ's Syndication How-To Guide." The perfect read for where I am in my career! So fired up and ready to watch this morning show grow, and to hopefully bring some great up-and-comers along with me!

10) Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?

Dream City: San Diego. Or any other large-major market coastal city, but I have an undying love for the whales ... uh, San Diego. I also love Vegas so much; it's where I grew up and started my career. Overall radio-wise, my goal is large major-market mornings and to continue offering the syndicated show. I love jockin' in afternoon drive, but my heart is in the fun and interaction of mornings. I love it when you find the right combination of people who enhance you and your performance. I truly believe the right co-host(s) make me funnier, and make me a better version of me on the air. Excited to see what the next five to 10 years have in store!

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

It's funny ... my mom asked me this question a while back. My response: Howard Stern. So she went to work; calling people, e-mailing people, doing everything she could to make that dream happen for me. Unfortunately, I'm her only connection in the biz so it didn't go very far.

Otherwise: Jimmy Kimmel (shout-out to Vegas peeps makin' it!) or Seth MacFarlane. These people are geniuses, in my humble opinion.