10 Questions with ... Dave Hoeffel

NAME:Dave Hoeffel TITLE:East Coast Rep COMPANY:All Access Music Group OWNER:Joel & Ria Denver

Please outline your radio career so far:

WOND and WMGM/Atlantic City, WPST/Trenton, WCKO/Ft. Lauderdale, WEZI/Miami, WKXW/Trenton, WIOQ/Philadelphia, WPST/Trenton (again), WLCE/Philadelphia, Sirius Satellite Radio.

1) How would you describe your first radio gig?

A fun AM Top 40 station on the Jersey Shore with tons of compression on the signal, and a truly unique air studio -- located in the upstairs bedroom of an old house -- that featured a lot of custom-made touches, including a foot switch that turned on the mic. I also recorded weathercasts on tape for the sister-automated FM station, which ran TM Stereo Rock. Think of it as prehistoric voicetracking.

2) What led you to a career in radio?

I fell in love with "Wibbage" (WIBG/Philadelphia) while growing up ... particularly the air work of John Records Landecker. Best known for his work at WLS/Chicago, Landecker was with Wibbage in the late '60s and early '70s, and was brilliant. It sucked that he left, but it was cool that he went to WLS, as I was still able to hear him "on the skip" most nights.

Oh... and I used to listen to this guy named Joel Denver on WFIL/Philadelphia, too.

3) How would you describe the radio landscape in your market?

Crowded. The palatial All Access East Coast Office complex is located halfway between New York and Philadelphia, so I can hear most of the stations from both markets, plus most of the Jersey stations, as well as the Allentown/Bethlehem, PA market and Wilmington, DE. When I hit "scan" on the Bose Wave Radio, it pretty much stops at every frequency.

There are a lot of heritage Pop stations in this region, ranging from Z100 to WPST to Q102 to WSTW, and they're all real good.

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

Probably jazz guitarist Pat Metheny. I've been a huge fan since I did Jazz radio at my college station, Temple University's WRTI/Philadelphia. I already have my ticket to see him in March '08.

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

I do a weekend show on Sirius 7 (Totally '70s). The other jocks on the channel are Magic Matt Alan, Barry Williams (a.k.a. Greg Brady of Brady Bunch fame), and J.J. "Hollywood" Walker (a.k.a. Spyder Harrison). It's an honor being on the same station as those guys.

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

The early '70s (Springsteen, Billy Joel, Yes, Zeppelin, Chicago, Neil Young, Stevie Wonder, Faces, The Who, Jethro Tull, etc.) and the early '80s (U2, R.E.M., INXS, The Police, Tears For Fears, Simple Minds, A Flock Of Seagulls, etc.). I worked on a "Rock Of The '80s" station in Ft. Lauderdale during this time, and we had a lot of fun.

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

I enjoy sampling craft-brewed ales. I like getting exercise to work off the craft-brewed ales, especially since I'm often guilty of "over-sampling." You'll typically find me walking/jogging around the neighborhood at night with my iPod Nano and Grado headphones, which look dorky but sound amazing.

I'm into audio gear, and I've collected cool equipment by makers like Carver, Adcom, Bang & Olufsen, Nakamichi, Bose, Tivoli Audio, C.Crane, Integra and more. Lots more. I like to play this stuff loud. My wife and daughters sometimes aren't happy about this hobby ... took 'em awhile to get used to the JBL studio monitors in the laundry room. Wash day rocks though...

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

Right now, Colbie Caillat, Adam & Dave's Bloodline, Brandi Carlisle, I Hate Kate, George Harrison (I picked up the re-mastered version of "All Things Must Pass," which sounds amazing), Metheny/Mehldau Quartet, and live Bruce Springsteen, old and new, ranging from Live at the Hammersmith Odeon (1975) to Live in Dublin with the Sessions Band.

I also dig the Herschel Chicowitz program on Sirius 16 The Vault, and I try not to miss the Bruce Brunch, hosted by Tom Cunningham, Sunday mornings on Jersey Shore Classic Rock station 105.7 The Hawk. Check it out online (1057thehawk.com) at 9am ET. It's great.

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

What goes around comes around.

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

Have fun. I know... it's hard sometimes when you're wearing a lot of hats and doing a lot of grunt work. But you probably pursued this career path because it sounded like fun, so try to lighten up and actually have fun. That attitude will shine out of the speakers and serve you well.

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

One that I personally recited a zillion times: "From the Shore to the Poconos, the best songs from the best albums are on 97 WPST."

Yes, it's very dated, and no, it's not funny or outrageous, but it was VERY effective back in the day.