10 Questions with ... Andre Gardner

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Absolutely loving life doing PM drive on Beasley Classic Rock WMGK/Philadelphia since 2002. I also host Breakfast With The Beatles Sunday, which runs on MGK, KSLX/Phoenix and KKTX/Tyler, TX.

Radio man for 40+ years. Worked at great stations like:

Classic Rock

• WXRK (K-Rock)/New York - PD, later Howard Stern 'button' guy
• WYSP/Philly - APD/MD/Nights

Top 40

• WIFI-92/Philadelphia
• KEGL/Dallas
• POWER 99/Atlanta
• WPST/Trenton

AC

• WZZD/Philadelphia
• WSNI/Philadelphia

1) What led you to a career in radio?

My older brother, Bill Gardner, had a very successful 45-year radio career that took him through Philadelphia on several occasions. One Saturday in August, 1970 he invited me to sit in and watch him on the air at WIBG, and that literally changed my life. Sitting in the studio watching him play the very 45s that were going out over the air, the same airwaves I'd tune in with my transistor radio, and watching him do his amazing breaks, completely blew my mind. That day, at age nine, I knew exactly what I wanted to do for a career. Within months, Bill and my father, who use to work at KYW-TV as an engineer, built me a working radio station setup in our spare bedroom, and that became my training ground for the next seven years. It utilized a "Mr. Microphone" for a transmitter, and I actually covered about a quarter-mile with that early setup of two turntables, a microphone and a mixer. By about 1975, we had better equipment, a staff of DJs, a playlist of 500+ songs, with new adds every week (!) and a booster to the transmitter that gave us a range of about a mile! We were total pirates! Wait, is the statute of limitations up on this? Anyway, my Dad had a friend who heard about an opening at WPST and I used an aircheck from that bedroom station to send to the PD, Tom Taylor. It got me the job!

2) How would you describe your first radio gig?

I couldn't have found a better place to begin my radio career. My first job PERIOD, radio or not, was in 1977 doing the Saturday night overnight shift at WPST/Trenton at the ripe old age of 16. Until I got my driver's license, my Dad had to drive me to the station! As I mentioned, Tom Taylor was the PD and he was the best boss! I learned so much from him and all the other people at the station, and he was always very encouraging and patient with me. We had quite a talented bunch of characters working there, many of whom have gone on very successful careers in the radio and music business (right, Hoeff?) so I was learning some excellent skills. It was an AM/FM combo, and the AM was a very traditional MOR format, so I'd run into the old school DJs over there, hear their stories and get tips from them. I was living the dream right from the very start.

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

No question I am. The days of "four and the door" are long gone. I'm on the air five hours a day, voicetrack a separate weekend shift, write and produce a separate weekly and monthly podcast, produce a weekly countdown show for MGK, and produce a weekly syndicated Beatles show, not to mention keeping up with the near-24 hour cycle that is social media interaction with our audience. Truth be told, I'd hardly call it work. It's too much fun!

4) What are you doing social media-wise?

I'm on all the big ones, though Facebook, for us, is the site on which I spend the most time. Social has really replaced the request line in terms of the interaction with our listeners and it's a great way to build and maintain relationships with them. I always try to post original content on social media as much as is possible, and definitely stay mindful of not over-posting. I've always found that the less-is-more approach works best for me, both in social and in my on-air breaks.

5) What is your favorite part of the job?

Besides the obvious -- the copious amounts of free food -- I love the interaction with our listeners at our events. Most particularly, I love being involved in station charity events, and get to see, first hand, the kindness and generosity of our audience. They always step up with we need them.

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

A few years ago, I convinced our PD, Bill Weston, to do a goof for April Fool's Day on MGK. The idea was at 2p I'd announce that we were abandoning Classic Rock and would be going back to the old Magic 103 Soft Rock format from the '70s. We purposely didn't tell ANYONE beforehand, so even the sales department would be shocked. We pulled out all the old jingles from back in the Magic days, and played a healthy dose of England Dan & John Ford Coley, Barry Manilow, Hamilton Joe Frank & Reynolds and Captain & Tennille, all while I was doing my soft AC DJ delivery. The phone calls came in quickly, and social media started to pop as well. People were not pleased. After about 20 minutes, we came clean and went right into "Won't Get Fooled Again." I loved seeing all the social posts and getting the calls from relieved listeners saying "Boy, you really had me going there for a while." It was a hell of a lot of fun pulling that off.

7) Who would be a "dream guest" to have on your show?

I would most certainly not mind a nice, in-depth sit-down with either Jeff Lynne or David Gilmour.

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

Musically I'm all over the place, but I do tend to favor '60s and '70s Soul and R&B when I'm not rocking out to The Beatles, Zeppelin and the Stones.

9) Who is your favorite air personality not on your staff and why do you like them?

My brother Bill Gardner tops the list. As George Johns said about him, he has the ability to deliver relevant content and humor, all over the intro of a song. I'm still amazed when I hear an aircheck of him.

10) What is it about our industry that keeps you wanting to do it for a living?

I love the fact that I can share my lifelong musical passion with people. Music is the universal language, and it's really the only thing that can bring together people of all walks of life. When I'm out at a Friday broadcast at a bar in town, I'm rocking out with the crowd and we're all singing along, talking about the music we love, and enjoying each other's company. At that moment, no one cares who you voted for or where you go to church. The music is the focal point. To be able to brighten someone's day or cheer someone up by playing a song that takes them away from the challenges of life is very satisfying. Plus I still love being at a radio station! I still get pumped up every single day on my way to work, just like I did when I was 16.

What ringtone do you have on your cell?

The isolated flute-y mellotron at the end of Strawberry Fields Forever, not surprisingly!