10 Questions with ... Paul 'Cubby' Bryant

NAME:Paul 'Cubby' Bryant TITLE:Co-Host, 'Wake Up With Whoopi' OWNER:Clear Channel/Premiere

Please outline your radio career so far:

WGH-FM/Norfolk, KRBE/Houston, Z100/New York.

1) What do you miss about Z100? What don't you miss?

I miss the people. Man, was that ever my second family or what. Luckily I remain in touch with almost everybody. I don't miss the phone calls at all hours from the studio asking for fill songs and drop song questions. When I was MD I never really felt like I was off-duty, although I loved it. I also love being done with the radio show and not having to worry about working ahead on music logs. Fridays and three-day weekends are so much sweeter now. It feels like a weekend should!

2) When you made the move, you relinquished MD stripes that you had held for a LONG time. Ever have the urge to hop on Selector and do some serious schedulin'?

Luckily I still program the music for the '90s edition of Backtrax USA with Kid Kelly. So I can continue to get my scheduling fix. We use Power Gold, so it's a touch different than my years of Selector use. But I truly love it.

3) What would we be surprised to learn about Whoopi?

Besides being cool as can be, she has no eyebrows.

4) You guys have LOTS of big-name guests. Who's been the coolest so far?

If you go to www.whoopi.com, you can see all the pics. I'm meeting people I would have never met at Z100. Sir Elton John was awesome. Dave Koz, Lionel Richie, Bob Seger, Gloria Estefan, Andrea Bocelli and the Wiggles stand top of mind.

5) Most of your on-air content used to be over intros or beds. Now it's almost always "dry," and you're sharing the mic. What was the transition like?

I won't lie, it wasn't easy. Coming from a single studio environment all my career to all of a sudden five people in a room definitely took me out of my comfort zone. It's so true when radio pros say, "It takes time to develop a morning show." It really does.

6) Are you still doing some straight-up jocking on a swing basis?

YES! Rob Miller and the gang at our flagship 103.5 WKTU have been nice enough to let me do a Saturday midday shift whenever I feel like. Talking up records is still my passion, and it has been a fun change talking up Donna Summer and Bee Gees tunes. I won't let any rust set in on me. I'm a jock at heart.

7) OK... your top car radio presets... rattle 'em off.

OK ... in no particular order: Z100, 'KTU, Power 105, 'PLJ, and Lite-FM.

8) You've seen many artist showcases in NYC over the years. Which was the most memorable?

For some reason Jessica Simpson comes to mind. She performed at a small venue (I remember seeing you their too, Mr. Dave Hoeffel), and it was during a time when Britney and Christina were on fire and I was thinking, "Oh no, not somebody else trying to do the same thing." But she blew everybody away. I remember my dad was in town visiting and I took him with me. Even he said, "That girl Is gonna be a star," and he's not far from being deaf.

9) Hit us with some hotpicks. What new stuff are you diggin'?

Let me tell you, I'm just such a regular listener now. I'm no longer on the pulse of hot new music. I still go to Z for that. But I will tell you that every time I hear "Say it Right" from Nelly Furtado, Lumidee "She's Like The Wind" and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus I crank up the radio.

10) How cool is it to be on all the stations you're on now?

It's amazing! And we're seeing some of our best numbers in my hometown of Norfolk-Virginia Beach. I've been getting tons of emails from old friends and even former teachers who listen on our affiliate WWDE. Another thing I like about syndication is that there always seems to be a daily report card. One day the ratings come out for New York, next day Chicago, then Philly the day after, then San Francisco and so on, so, if you're happy one day, be careful, the next day might bring you down to earth. Or the other way around.

Are you sportin' new wheels yet, or are you still stylin' in the X5?

Still have the X5, and it's paid off! And now that it's paid off, why is my next thought "What should I get next?" I guess we all do that.