10 Questions with ... Toby Knapp

NAME:Toby Knapp TITLE:Assistant Program Director/Afternoons STATION:WIHT-FM MARKET:Washington, DC OWNER:Clear Channel Communications

Please outline your radio career so far:

WSBG (when it was POP)
WBHT (when it was HOT)
WLAN (it's still Amish)
WFLZ (it's a sleepy AC in Tampa)
WNOK (they said I could say COCKS on the air, so I went to be PD)
WIHT (because it used to be WGAY).

... With a little WIOQ tossed in for free cheesesteaks, and a bunch of voicetracked places for added seasoning...

1) What led you to a career in radio?

$240 a week seemed like a good idea at the time...

2) What is your favorite part of the job?

The people who work here are just amazing. Everyone gets it and is going in the same direction with passion. It's sort of a radio romper-room with very little ego, which is refreshing. Plus, you can't put a dollar amount on coming to work every day and working with two guys I consider to be among my best professional friends and, personally, like family.

3) What artist would we be surprised to find on your iPod?

Airchecks from the Power Pig and of Cadillac Jack from Pirate Radio in LA... KQLZ-FM!

4) What's one thing that would surprise many people to learn about you?

My boobs are real.

5) Could you give us a little insight into your on air staff?

Kane is the most ripped-off personality in America, and one of the last great innovators when it comes to personality radio. Now, he's going to be the premiere Top 40 morning personality in America and watching him grow now -- as a husband and a talent -- is amazing. Not to mention he's doing it WITHOUT a show like "American Idol" to help him along. I wish you could hear how he grows as a personality every morning. He's just an amazing personality and is like family to Kyla (my daughter) and me. I'm honored to be on the same team with him... again!

I've also gotta point out the people who make it easy for Kane to be ... well, Kane! You're going to be hearing a lot about Sarah, Sami and Elena in the future -- trust me. They've just got an amazing dynamic. It's surreal to see and hear every day.

Vibe is a genuine personality at a time when we don't have many personalities on in middays. There ain't nothin' fake about Vibe. She is who she is on air, online and at Metro Center when she's hopping on a bus to see her BF in NYC for 18 hours on a weekend -- and she's not afraid to be who SHE is. That makes her great ... to me, at least. She's also amazing at integrating her on-air persona into her online persona, and she motivates me to be better at being online.

Toby is an enigma to me. Talking about him makes my head and my boobs hurt. Now I need a Midol.

Grooves is a true original at a time when nighttime radio is really, well, unoriginal. Go to that night jocks' website and you can see what the rest of the country is doing. Listen to Grooves and you'll hear UNIQUE creativity. It's kinda hard to rip off a guy everyone else rips off when HE (Kane) does wakeups on your station! And he doesn't use United Stations actors, either. Grooves does HIS OWN thing ... and I think everyone else does everyone else's stuff. Not that it's bad, but it is part of the problem we've got when it comes to finding new original night talent...

Grooves' passion is what makes me such a fan; it's contagious and fires ME up to perform at a higher level.

By the way, we DO it ALL within the confines of the "new way of thinking" that unclutters our environment and improves the environment for our listeners. I think the biggest part of our success as a team comes from how Jeff's correctly interpreted these 'new' ways of thinking and challenged us to push the edges to improve the listening environment.

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

KROQ-FM. Yeah, the station. From Kevin and Bean to Stryker to Jed the Fish, that station IS a personality and a phenomenon unto itself. It's what every personality and every radio station should hope to be... passionately remembered and adored by its market and something that you can not live without in L.A.

7) Looking back, which years hold the best musical memories for you ... and who were your favorite acts at that time?

When I was at WBHT at the end of the alterna-pop run ... talking that stuff up while being on that team was something I'm thankful I got to be a part of. That time sparked the passion which has carried me through my career...

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

That everyone keeps counting terrestrial radio out. I'd count BAD terrestrial radio out, but I've been fortunate to be playing radio with people who like to push the edges of the envelope to see where they used to be. As long as we're standing in the gap between the emerging and the mediocrity of bad terrestrial radio, we've got a fighting chance.

9) What is the one truth that has held constant throughout your career?

There have been two....

"Button one, button two, make sure there's no silence in between..." - Kid Kelly

"Don't tuck her in..." - Jeff Kapugi

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

Live with passion, and stay genuine and humble. Be unique and be remembered.

Try anything that everyone says you shouldn't try. Leave a dent in the universe, then reinvent the universe. Don't be afraid to try and fail because the real failures in life are the ones who didn't try. Have courage. Hit button one and then two and make sure there's no silence in between, and if your PD says 'don't tuck her in'... remember that it doesn't just extend to one night. Don't overthink things which don't need to be overthought. That leads to drama and drama does nobody any good. Play YOUR game and stay on offense. Don't be afraid to say I'm sorry or to admit when you don't know ... or are wrong.

And... of course, have fun. If you're not having fun, get out before you become a cancer that needs to be removed. Protect the license, too.

BONUS: What's the best sweeper/liner you've ever heard?

The dead segue. Do you have sweepers between songs on your iPod? Think your female P1s do? No? Really? Why do you think that is? (It's not about us; it's about them...)